Resistanz Festival - Corporation, Sheffield Friday 3rd April, 2026
This was my first time at this festival and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find a bar and lots of stalls selling everything from merch to jewellery with Plenty of seating. The outside area had food and coffee, so me being a non-drinker was very happy to have a regular supply of coffee.
All the staff and stall holders were wonderful and in good spirits as was the public. If you like Gothic, Metal and steam punk fashion then this is definitely the place to be. Everyone was looking incredible. The whole vibe of the Corp was electric. I hadn't got to the music yet and was already impressed.
Going into the main stage area and the place was almost full and bouncing for the first act, I only caught the last part of the wonderfully named "Arch Femmesis". But I realised that this really isn't my sort of music and reviewing the band will be difficult.
But 'Strange Futures' challenged my musical tastes as they are not my usual genre but they did remind me of Toyah and Hazel O'Connor from my youth. This helped me understand and enjoy where the band was coming from. The singer, Alice Sheridan had so much stage presence and a star quality. I couldn't take my eyes off her engaging performance.
 Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 10 |  Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 9 |
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Only Alice and Alastair Power were on the stage but the performance was something like a bigger band were on stage: their sound was so big! The performance was sublime and engaging. I loved every part of it. Meeting both after I found the singer to be so quiet and unassuming, a massive contrast to how she was on stage.
Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 6 | Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 10 |
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Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 9 | Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 8 |
Strange Futures - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 7 |
'Mercy Girl' however are not what I expected. Totally different than 'Strange Futures'. Musically I can't fault them. Again, the sound was large but the vocals were subdued and almost mumbled, dark and gritty. But that is clearly the style they were wanting. I find it hard to review their performance.
The crowd were loving it and there was lots of dancing and vibing. They had a line-up of Davey Purdie (Keys), Craig Harkness (Drums) and Kylie MacNaughton (Guitar). It really worked well with the combination of Dance music and Rock but although singer, Daisy Miles really commanded the stage, I just didn't get it. I can only go by how the crowd reacted and they were loving it and 37k followers on Facebook they are clearly on to a winner but not my thing.
 Mercy Girl - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 7 |  Mercy Girl - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 6 |
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'Nevada Hardware' again, something totally different. This is not Rock or Metal but Industrial, Dance, Cyberpunk. I loved these and it transported me back to my nightclub days, throwing shapes and dancing on the posers steps in Xanado, Chesterfield!
Sounding like The Prodigy and the KLF amongst other sounds. Again the vibe was electric. Plenty of Dancing for this Chicago Duo! Doug Jones does all the music writing and music on stage. Joined on stage was Nick liberatore (aka Royb0t), Who did live visuals.
It was a great pleasure listening to them and having that urge to throw my walking stick down and rave with the rest of the crowd was overwhelming. An excellent performance. Three massively different bands so surely the next band will be a mix of the others. Nope, I was wrong.
 Nevada Hardware - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 5 |  Nevada Hardware - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 2 |
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 Nevada Hardware - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 4 |  Nevada Hardware - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 1 |
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Welcome onstage, LeBrock. They were all the fun of Europe with the added electronic synth music, creating a 1989 sounding, hair metal, fun performance. Thrown into the crowd was a medium sized paddling pool and inflatable Balls!!
 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 2 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 5 |
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 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 6 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 4 |
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Shaun Phillips, the singer looks straight out of Danzig! His voice was absolutely amazing. Those high notes and captivating performance made this band the highest of highlights so far. Shaun was everywhere on that stage, encouraging the crowd to try and hit him with Balls.
 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 7 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 13 |
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 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 12 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 11 |
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 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 8 |
He bragged nobody had managed to hit him, right in queue one did and deservedly got a huge cheer for the expert marksmanship. LeBrock managed to bring the party to an already electric atmosphere. I couldn't fault the performance. It was musically and vocally outstanding. I cannot wait to see them again!
 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 19 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 18 |
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 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 17 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 16 |
 LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 15 |  LeBrock - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 14 |
Now we come to the main draw for me of the night! Cassyette is the reason why I wanted to do the festival. Is Sheffield a bit of a come down after getting a nod from Lady GaGa over her 'Disease' cover and an on stage duet with none other than Bryan Adams?
Nope, she was right at home. With just her guitarist and drummer she blasted out 'September Rain' as soon as she got on stage, one of my favourite Cassy songs. Cassyettes performance is just her and that voice!
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 4 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 11 |
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 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 10 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 9 |
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A total bundle of energy since she just doesn't stop. She leans towards the crowd inviting them to Mosh out to her songs. I cannot fault her or the musicians on stage with her. Powerful and poetic is the best way to describe her song writing.
But Cassyette is all about that voice. She can really sing, belting out hits like 'IPECAC', 'Say My Name', 'Phantom Limb' and 'Sugar Rush'. If you are a Cassyette fan you wouldn't be disappointed by this set. If you had never seen her or heard of her before this, then I have no doubt you would be a fan after this performance.
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 23 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 22 |
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 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 21 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 20 |
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Her final two songs are the fans favourite 'Petrichor' and 'Dear Goth'. With mosh pits and fans dancing away, it was an engaging, breathless performance. Cassyette deserves to be at Festivals like Glastonbury, Download and Isle of White not just for her voice but her whole stage presence.
What I loved most was her going out of her way, meeting her fans, signing merch and giving hugs straight after her show. A lovely touch by her.
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 34 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 33 |
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 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 32 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 31 |
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 30 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 29 |
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 28 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 27 |
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 26 |  Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 25 |
 Cassyette - Sheffield 03 04 26 - Photograph 24 |
Later that night she did a DJ set and I'm sure she would have partied after that! My fourth time seeing her and this was probably her best performance I have seen so far.
An excellent end to a brilliant first day of the Resistanz festival. I am sure I will return in 2027!
By Dale Holford