The Sherlocks
With The Sherlocks set to play their biggest tour to date, Getintothis Amos Wynn catches up with the Sheffield rockers for a chinwag.
It’s been quite a ride for The Sherlocks, with singer and guitarist Kiaran Crook describing the Sheffield groups debut album as “the soundtrack of seven relentless years of hard graft!”
With Live for the Moment released to much acclaim last August, Crook says it is “the most exciting thing to have happened to the band.”
“I think for a lot of bands getting your debut album out, is the pinnacle of what you have been building towards, it’s a chance to get our stuff together and showcase what we are about.” Crook admits the band is lucky to get a chance to release an album, as “a lot of bands don’t even get that opportunity.”
They’ve come a long way since forming in 2010, originally starting The Sherlocks as simply as a hobby to pass the time. In their early days they used to cover songs by The Jam, The Beatles and The Stones, playing in working men’s clubs. Crook says that “it was a good learning curve, as we learnt how to play together as a band and how to handle a playing to a crowd.”
From playing small venues in Sheffield with less than one hundred people, things have transformed for the band as they are selling out venues up and down the country. “It is crazy how it has grown, every time we play we can see it’s getting bigger.”
One place that stands out to the band is Manchester, Crooks says it “seems to be a sweet spot for us, every time we do a tour it always seem to be the biggest gig.”
Since their debut single, Live for the Moment in 2014, the band has gone on to release six more, with each one becoming more and more popular. “After releasing ‘Casing Shadows our Spotify listeners has gone through roof, doubling from our last single alone, it’s ridiculous how much we’ve grown.”
The band has also recently topped the vinyl charts, Crook appreciating “for people to buy your music means a lot. What started as a hobby has turned into a job, people are buying our music and coming to our gigs, paying money to see us as well as paying for hotels and train tickets, it’s just crazy.”
Have a look back at our rundown of the Top 100 Albums of 2017
Since signing a record deal in December, Kiaran hasn’t noticed any massive change saying it has not made him feel any different. “People think there is more pressure being a signed band but we just take each day as it comes, still doing same thing still, trying to write better songs.”
He says the label they have signed for are big believers in trusting the opinion artist and “if they can see we believe they’ll trust our opinion and we’ll get the final say.”
Crook says as the songwriter he has the most input to what the band sound like, but says he is always being influenced by different things, “I just listen to anything that’s good, anything with good tune really.”
Another band who originate from Sheffield are the Arctic Monkeys. Although they are not influenced by their sound, seeing them coming from the same kind of area “just makes you realise anyone can do it if you invest your time, just perform and write good songs.”
The band is made up of two sets of brother. Kiaran’s brother, Brandon Crook, is on drums whilst Josh and Andy Davidson play lead guitar and bass.
“We have ups and downs but all brothers do, I think being brothers only helps the band as we seem to gel more. With my brother, he’s got his life and I’ve got mine, we haven’t fallen out but neither are we in each other’s pockets.”
The Sherlocks
With their sights set high, The Sherlocks are aiming to go on to play at stadiums and arenas in the future, saying they don’t mind which one, “just the biggest.”
In June they got a taste of playing at a big venue, when they supported the Kings of Leon at the Sheffield Arena. Crook says they were ‘buzzing’ to support a band the size of the Kings of Leon as well as watching them, adding they “are just as relevant now, as they were when they started, if not more.”
“We always see supporting people as a chance to gain fans. It’s different from a headline gig because it is not your crowd but you just go out and play your best stuff as you don’t get long. Just go out and hit them hard!”
They also supported Richard Ashcroft at the Castlefield Bowl. Kiaran says “we’ve always been fans of him” remembering his dad listening to him at home when he was growing up. “We are not just supporting people to gain fans, we are doing it because we genuinely like them.”
Crook says “it is good to meet people as well, hopefully we will bump into the Kings of Leon and Richard Ashcroft.”
Their next big support slot will be next year, when they join man of the moment Liam Gallagher on his European tour. Clearly touring is second nature to the group having hit the road in September to celebrate the release of their debut. Kiaran says although they’d only been off tour for a few months “it had felt like a lifetime.”
Crook says when it comes to playing a show, they just ‘knuckle down and get the job done.’ “When we go on stage we make sure we play the best we can and sound the best we can!” With a determination to succeed and the songs to back them up, chances are 2018 may well be a defining year for the four piece.
The Sherlocks full UK tour dates are:
Feb 1 – O2 Academy Leicester
Feb 2 – Waterfront Norwich
Feb 3 – O2 Academy Oxford
Feb 6 – Old Fire Station Bournemouth
Feb 7 – Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
Feb 9 – Electric Ballroom London
Feb 11 – Tramshed Cardiff
Feb 13 – Liquid Rooms Edinburgh
Feb 14 – Empire Middlesborough
Feb 15 – University Students Union Hull
Feb 16 – Victoria Warehouse Manchester
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