Prefabricated garages and Sheffield music

There are a number of famous bands and musicians that have come out of Sheffield.  Although music may not be as important as steel in the history and culture of the city of Sheffield, the musical arts certainly have their place in the Sheffield environment.  There is a strong electronic and industrial music scene in the city, and this has interesting links with the history of steel and industrialization.  It is interesting to note that Sheffield may not be the most culturally recognised place in Europe, but that its culture has come out in popular and counter cultural forms that originate from the working classes.  From the synth pop of the 1980s to the electronic outfits of today, it is the recent few decades of Sheffield music history that have caught the attention of the world.

Some of the synth pop bands that have come out of Sheffield include The Human League, Heaven 17, ABC, The Thomson Twins and Wavestar.  These were all influential acts in their time, and The Human League and The Thomson Twins especially became famous and well known bands.  The Human League formed in Sheffield in 1977 and achieved popularity in the 1980s after a number of hit songs.  Originally an avant garde band, they began to produce synth pop after a number of line up changes in the early 80s.  The Human League have been sampled and covered by a number of modern artists, including Robbie Williams, YMO, Ministry Of Sound and George Michael.  9 studio albums and 18 singles have been released since 1979, making them one of the most prolific bands to come out of Sheffield.  There were also a number of industrial bands that began in Sheffield in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in many ways mirrored the industrial nature of the city and its steel industry.

Cabaret Voltaire and Clock DVA may not be household names by many, but they are important names in the evolution of industrial music in the post-punk and pre-electronic era.  Cabaret Voltaire began by performing dada-influenced performance art, but then diversified into dub, electronics, techno and pop styles.  These industrial acts may have been the inspiration and origin of the famous Warp music label that has been coming out of Sheffield since 1989.  Warp has managed to become one of the premier electronic music labels in the UK, despite releasing some of the strangest music out there.  The famous electronic names of Autechre, Aphex Twin and Black Dog have all been released on Warp records.  Other genres of electronic music have also flourished in the city, maybe as a direct result of the hard working population that had fell on tough times and needed something to celebrate.  Prefab Garage (Ott - Fertig Garagen) businesses were still operating in Sheffield, but many other smaller industries had shut down by the 1980s.

More recent times have seen the popularity of rock music hit the city again, as bands like The Arctic Monkeys, The Long Blondes and Reverend and The Makers have made a splash on the music scene.  Def Leppard and Joe Cocker are two other very different but notable names that have come out of the steel city.  The thriving music scene that has existed in Sheffield for some time goes to show that a city can be known for more than one thing.  However it is interesting to note, that many of these bands began to thrive once the steel industry was starting to suffer in the city.  pre-fab concrete garage (Beton Fertiggarage) businesses may still be thriving in Sheffield, however the slow down of many traditional steel industries has meant that the youth have had more time to practice their guitars and learn how to program their synthesizers.