Sights are set on SucceSSS

Sheffield's reputation as a music city is based on a great legacy of acts from Joe Cocker to the Arctic Monkeys and it's knack of turning out great new talent just when the industry is crying out for inspiration.
Sheffield band The SSSSheffield band The SSS
Sheffield band The SSS

Along came Def Leppard, The Human League, Heaven 17, ABC. Pulp, Babybird and Richard Hawley.

In more recent times, we hae had Reverend and the Makers, Milburn, Toddla T, Bring Me The Horizon and The Sherlocks.

And if The SSS have any say in it, they are next.

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Singer Josh Coddington and guitarist Tom Forster, both aged 23, from Stannington, 22-year-old guitarist Morgan Somers, and bassist Cal Atherton, 21, from Grenoside, and drummer Max Smith, also 23, from Wharncliffe Side, certainly do not lack confidence.

The infectious indie rock quintet are hotly tipped for household name status after building a huge following in the past three years.

Since forming in early 2013, the band have received numerous accolades including track of the year for their debut Snake In The Grass, to Best Unsigned Band 2015 at local music awards. They became one of only two unsigned bands – the other being Radio 1 stars The Sherlocks – to sell out The Leadmill since the Arctic Monkeys 10 years ago, followed by another full capacity show there, supporting Milburn, at Tramlines Festival in July.

Having just headlined Sheffield’s AMP Presents last month, leading a bill that showcased some of the North’s best up and coming talent, 2016 has seen the band’s success spiral.

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And now comes a much anticipated single, The One You Need - out on Friday, November 11 and available now to pre order on iTunes - an infectious cut of indie guitar rock, which is catchy and gritty in equal parts.

They are supporting the release with a tour, including dates in Amsterdam, London and Leeds, plus what is heading for a sell out homecoming show at Sheffield City Hall ballroom on Saturday, November 26.

An impressive support line-up at the City Hall features Barnsley’s high flying indie blues quartet Sundance, who will open the show, and Sheffield and Derby based Vellas.

So is The SSS, inspired by the likes of Joy Divison, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and homegrown stars Milburn, going to help lead the charge of next big-name bands to be forged in the Steel City.

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“Hopefully,” laughs Max. “That’s the plan. Otherwise what’s the point doing it? A lot of iconic bands have come out of Sheffield though, so it is a hard list to follow.”

“We’re going back into the studio next year to get some tracks laid down and see what happens - a single or maybe an EP, we haven’t really decided yet.

“There will be more gigs, more tours. Hopefully we will go out more into Europe - that’s the plan.”

Tom says: Sheffield City Hall is our biggest gig yet. We can’t wait. It’s going to be a great gig. We’ve got some good bands on. Sundance are opening up. The Vellas are on and then yours truly.

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“We started off this year a bit nervous with all we had on. We took a big leap and said we would do The Leadmill main stage, in front of 900 people - and we did it.”

Morgan says: “For us playing the City Hall is the next step. There’s a lot of buzz about it, given that it is the City Hall and the heritage it’s got.”

n Win one of two pairs of tickets for the Sheffield City Hall show and a band T-shirt in our free entry draw. Email your full name, address and phone details, with #JPcompSSS in the subject field, to [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @GW1962 and retweet any of his #JPcompSSS tweets. The deadline for entries is Friday, November 18, 2016, at 10am. Usual Johnston Press rules, terms and conditions apply. Full details online.

VIDEO: Watch the music video for The One You Need and our exclusive chat with the band at www.thestar.co.uk