May 17: 'Groovy, Laid back and Nasty'

The new book by journalist and writer Daniel Dylan Wray explores the history of independent music in Sheffield.

In today's 'Sunday Times' he shared a tour of some key locations in the city of Sheffield.

There are some familiar stories here. I watched a lot of bands play at the Grapes - not the Arctic Monkeys though. 

Here's a feature on BBC Radio Sheffield.

Details of the book can be found here from the publisher.: White Rabbit Books.

Daniel Dylan Wray traces nearly seven decades of Sheffield’s independent music in Groovy, Laidback and Nasty, a sweeping account of a city whose creativity has always thrived on the margins. From electronic futurism and post-punk to pop, metal, bassline and bleep techno, Sheffield has consistently produced era-defining sounds shaped by isolation, economic struggle and a fierce DIY ethos.

The book explores how this understated city became home to visionaries who reshaped British music. Drawing on more than 150 interviews with figures including Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, The Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Self Esteem and Richard Hawley, Wray builds a rich portrait of scenes that evolved through determination rather than civic swagger.

Positioning Sheffield alongside – and often ahead of – more documented UK music hubs, Wray offers both cultural history and a heartfelt tribute to the people who forged the city’s singular sound. As a writer embedded in Sheffield’s creative community for over two decades, he brings rare insight to a story that has long deserved this depth of attention.

Groovy, Laidback and Nasty stands as the definitive celebration of Sheffield’s independent musical legacy.

A podcast interview here.