20 February 2026 (gig)
1 d
London-based band The Howlers played Sidney and Matilda on Friday in Sheffield, and the show was nothing short of eventful.
Prior to the headliner’s big entrance, our first support band of the night was Jessops. It was clear the band were very young, around 16 years old, but they held their own on that stage, and some of the musicians, particularly the guitarists, were incredibly talented, especially for their age. The band got the opportunity to showcase their debut single, released last month, titled ‘Rio Bravo’, an indie-rock heavy anthem.
Following this, with the gig-goers thoroughly refreshed after a short interlude, the next support band, about-faces, took the stage.
A fairly large band in terms of members, with five of them filling up the stage, they delivered a fantastic performance. The duets and switching between both vocalists really paid off and the set really mixed up genres with songs ranging from indie rock, indie folk and stripped back acoustic sounds as well. This is a band with a bright future ahead of them.
It was the moment everyone had been waiting for: The Howlers’ first headline show in Sheffield. The band entered the stage to cheers and applause, and the excitement in the room was high, particularly for me, as the band sounded instrumentally reminiscent of the AM era of Arctic Monkeys.
However, when the show began, there were some technical issues. Vocally, the band didn’t sound quite as tight as expected, slightly off key at times, and instrumentally it wasn’t as sharp or polished as hoped.
Once the sound improved, though, the band really captured that AM vibe, particularly with tracks like ‘You Can Be So Cruel’ with this rumbling, gritty base and the electric highs of ‘El Dorado’, a heavier fast paced rock anthem. This clearly boosted the band’s confidence, and their stage presence was impressive during these numbers.
Later in the show, it was clear the frontman had grown frustrated with the technical problems. Addressing the crowd, he said, “You’ve paid sixteen quid, it’s not on for us, it’s not on for you. Now, I’ve never pulled a gig ever, but we might actually have to pull this because it’s so bad.” He then swore at the sound tech from the stage, his tone carrying across the venue.
Unfortunately, this tension affected the overall atmosphere of the evening. It was a shame, but I hope the rest of their tour went more smoothly.
