Froglord/Space Pistol/Hexe/STÅL -
Corporation, Sheffield, Wednesday 22nd April, 2026
STÅL are a Sheffield Groove Metal outfit who have a fantastic large sound made up of Scott Bishop (Vocals), Elliott Lacey (Bass), George Sharp (Drums) & Josh Walker (Guitar).
Coupled with a good stage presence and a charismatic singer the event was off to a good start. I really enjoyed this band. The guitarist and rhythm section were very impressive.
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 11 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 10 |
|---|---|
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 9 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 8 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 6 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 7 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 5 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 2 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 4 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 1 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 3 |
The thing is, the venue had only just opened it's doors so there wasn't that many around to see them.This band didn't let a quiet room slow them down. They absolutely held their own. Keep an eye on this lot!
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 21 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 20 |
|---|---|
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 19 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 18 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 17 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 16 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 15 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 14 |
 STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 13 |  STÅL - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 12 |
Next up were Hexe, a Sheffield Grunge Band made up of Izaak Garner (Vocals/Drums), Reuben St. Ledger (Vocals/Guitar) & Paul Garner (Bass).
This band was a strange one for me. Lots of elements I liked and some bits not so much. I also think the stage really didn't help them. The music was awesome, very loud and involving. The singing was okay but grunge singing is meant to be okay!
I loved the grunge movement so I got what they were trying to do and they were doing it well enough to be enjoyable to listen to. The singer is the drummer. He like most drummers are at the bac, with the guitarist and bassist up front. This is where the problems start. The stage is too dark and high to see the drummer which left the crowd wondering where the singer was and were left with no focal point.
 Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 1 |  Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 8 |
|---|---|
 Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 5 |  Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 3 |
 Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 2 |  Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 4 |
The bassist and guitarist were spread out which presumably so you could see (or not see) the drummer/singer. This left a huge void on stage. It didn't help that the men up front are not showmen and just want to play their music. Nothing wrong in that as the music was good but it left the crowd with nothing really to look at!
It was very odd and made it a hard performance to watch but a good one to listen to. I liked them but if they play a bigger stage the dynamics need to change.
 Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 12 |  Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 11 |
|---|---|
 Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 10 |  Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 9 |
 Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 6 |  Hexe - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 7 |
Third band up, Space Pistol are a mix of Alt-Rock, Nu-Metal comprising of Dan (Guitar/Vocals), Ash (Bass Guitar/Vocals) & Tom (Drums).
Three men in pink boiler suits showed the younger bands on before them how to fill the stage. Just the singer/guitarist and bassist up front like Hexe but wow, do these guys know how to use ever inch of their space!
The music is loud and they have a very distinctive sound to them. Starting with 'Cryptd', where the crowd got to see the madness of Dan and Ash interacting with each other and dancing around the stage. They have a new member Tom on the drums. He is the 'sane' one of the band: honest!
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 1 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 10 |
|---|---|
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 9 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 8 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 7 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 6 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 5 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 3 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 4 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 2 |
They have a massive style and charisma, especially the way they interact with each other and the crowd. They definitely bring the fun. I did once describe Ash as 50 shades of schizophrenia on stage. I did feel his facial expressions and antics weren't as manic as the last time I had seen them. Therefore, I can only say 38 shades of schizophrenia this time. It certainly didn't make any difference on how good they are on stage.
Musically they got the crowd interested and moving. Then during 'Exploding Whale' came a dramatic freeze. The crowd went silent, then someone shouted, "Show us your arse", so Dan bent over, not realising he had a hole in his suit, hilarious!
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 11 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 20 |
|---|---|
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 19 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 18 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 17 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 16 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 15 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 14 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 13 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 12 |
They then went back to the freeze! And this is the moment I knew they had won the crowd over and earnt new fans because out of the silence came the chant, "Space Pistol, Space Pistol, Space Pistol".
They played the new song "space pirate" which slipped seamlessly into the set and the crowd loved it who threw in some singing with "I can't sleep". There were more songs and the dancing & craziness followed until we got the final song. I was genuinely disappointed it had come to an end. their show was outstanding and I can't wait to see them again.
Next time I will drag my lady along.
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 30 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 29 |
|---|---|
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 28 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 27 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 26 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 25 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 24 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 23 |
 Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 22 |  Space Pistol - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 21 |
Setlist: Emergence Of The Toad/Green Inferno/Follow The Star/Herman/Iron Man/The Mystic Toad/The Bog/They Came From Saturn.
Headliners, Froglord are a melting pot of Sludge Metal, Stoner, Doom & Psychedelic Rock that's made up of Froglord (Vocals), Caudata (Guitar), Bufo (Bass), Anura (Drums) and of course Herman (Toad).
Returning with brand new masks, costumes, and a 6th studio album, Froglord have come to Sheffield offering some amphibious swamp doom. I really didn't know what to expect. Although it isn't my normal choice of music, I was exited by the prospect of something different.
What I got blew my mind. It was what I expect to see at a religious cult! Hypnotic trance inducing worship music is the best way I can describe what I witnessed. A band in half masks, make up, plants all over the stage and drums, low lighting and a large Frog!
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 16 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 15 |
|---|---|
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 14 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 13 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 12 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 11 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 10 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 9 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 8 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 7 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 6 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 5 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 4 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 1 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 3 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 2 |
When that bass, drums and low thrum of the guitar hits you, you sway and shake your head to every beat. The singer looks menacing but has an powerful draw to him you couldn't take your eyes off. He preached, leaning into the crowd, sweeping his arm around to include the whole audience while he sang about swamps and Frogs.
It all sounds ludicrous but it works. The crowd is nearly at capacity, all here for the froglord to do his thing. They covered Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' but not in anyway you have heard. It was long, drawn out and slowed down. Nearly impossible to compare it with the original. They had turned the cover song and made it their own.
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 31 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 30 |
|---|---|
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 29 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 28 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 27 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 26 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 25 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 24 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 23 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 22 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 21 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 20 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 19 |  Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 18 |
 Froglord - Sheffield 22 04 26 - Photograph 17 |
As I was leaving you could feel the intensity from the crowd and how invested they all were with the bands performance. It was a really good show, one to be taken as seriously as the band intend it to be. All who were there were under the power of the Froglord!
Four totally different bands made this school night special. A great turn out for a midweek gig. In fact, an extremely good night.
By Dale Holford