Having never seen a gig in a HMV, let alone a metal show in a HMV, I was beyond excited to invited to review Wolfsmoke this past weekend.
Wolfsmoke are a Yorkshire-based metal band made up of Jo Nash (vocals), Josh Cantrill (guitar), Tara Armstrong (drums) and Scott Andrew (bass). They were kind enough to invite me to their show on August 24 in Sheffield’s HMV. It was a free and intimate event, with shoppers stopping for a listen as they browsed.
It was a quick half-hour, where Wolfsmoke had to set themselves up, play and then pack away. Having no sound engineer, and walls that were probably not made to bounce heavy music off, set them off at a disadvantage. It was hard to properly balance all the instruments with the microphone. This is no fault of their own, of course. Wolfsmoke do it themselves, and that’s always a positive in my eyes. I also imagine it’s quite nerve-racking to perform for an audience that won’t necessarily be your usual crowd.
All was not lost, as I could still grasp their friendship through their performance. They interacted with, laughed and supported each other through their short set. It was high energy, especially from Scott who couldn’t stand still! Their setlist included released tracks such as Come With Me and Fingertips, and then newer songs such as their latest release Devil’s Cup and their next release Dead Space.
Despite how lost the microphone seemed, it was evident that Jo had a powerful voice, and each member of the band were masters of their craft. I was especially impressed by Tara’s skills on the kit and was interested to learn that it was only her fourth show!
Wolfsmoke have a few more shows lined up, which you can find on their social media! Their music is also available to stream and the band are due to release Dead Space in October.