Get Together review: Local Sheffield festival struggles to deal with increased demand on its 5th anniversary
Make no mistake, it’s all love. This humble festival, nestled away in the cool confines of Kelham Island, brings in bands across all genres, celebrating art, music and independence in the process. The people flooding out of crowded rooms, the independently brewed beer made solely for the festival that you can’t find for love or money, and the food stalls that promise grease and dodgy tummies all represent the spirit of a festival which is steadily becoming a must-attend. I go every year, and every year I love it. I preface my write-up with this adoration because the festival’s 5th anniversary brought with it a range of issues. However, despite the criticism coming the festival’s way, make no mistake, it’s all love.
The first sign of trouble came early in the day. Heading round the back of Peddler Warehouse, which is usually an events space for food markets but hosts the main stage for Get Together once a year, it became abundantly clear how popular the festival has become. It felt as though Divorce were on slightly early, given their set took place at 2:30, but who are we to complain? Wristbands on and eager to listen, we headed to their set, only to find a queue almost going onto the street, filled with disgruntled fans moaning to one another, “It’s at capacity! How?”
The rule for the room was one in, one out, and after zero movement for ten minutes and the muted sound of Divorce protruding through the walls, it became clear that we simply weren’t getting in. Subsequently, the first band of the day was a write-off, but no bother, the beauty of Get Together is that there are multiple stages in Sheffield at various venues, so you’re never far from talent.
Just down the road at a venue called Yellow Arch, playing at the same time, was the Leeds-based punk band Fuzz Lightyear, but the problem persisted. The crowd protruded through the doors to the stage, to the point that the performers could hardly be seen, and it was impossible to get into the room. On the other stage in the same venue, it was also hard to get into Ain’t’s set, as the crowd filled out towards the back and made it impossible to see anyone.
A small critique also has to be said for the set times at Yellow Arch. Both bands played at the same time, which means even if you give up on trying to get into a set and decide to simply sit in the courtyard and have a drink, the music of the bands merges into one and makes an insufferable racket. That being said, I do recognise that if they made it so each band played at different times, the problem with overcrowding would only increase, so this is a massive Catch 22.
Catch 22 is probably the best way to describe the entire festival. It’s a local festival that celebrates local pubs and businesses, so of course, we want it to be as successful as possible; however, with that success comes an increased demand that the festival struggles to keep up with. The stages are difficult to get to, the clashes are bad, and the whole thing loses its charm. The problem is that if it moved to a bigger space, it would no longer have the independent feel that makes Get Together so amazing.
What do you do? You can sell fewer tickets, but then you run the risk of reducing profit margins (which you can’t afford to do in music). You could book artists with less demand, but what kind of a festival would do that? Or you can move the festival to somewhere bigger and risk ruining the neighbourhood feeling that makes it so special. I don’t have the answers I’m afraid, and recognise how unhelpful and nihilistic that may sound, but it’s my job to review these things, and because of how difficult it became to see the acts, the festival felt more like a pub crawl with the occasional band as opposed to a festival taking place in local pubs.
There were still some great acts playing. Pan Amsterdam proved himself to be the coolest man within a ten-mile radius, as his set with trumpet, rap, and lo-fi beats was one of the most blissful I’ve seen in a long time. Equally, Master Peace delivered a great 30-minute session packed with energy from start to finish.
Adult DVD’s reputation as one of the best live bands in the country persisted as you could only watch their filled-out set from outside of their venue through occasional gaps in the crowd. That being said, what you couldn’t see you could certainly hear as the bass and electronica that the band have mastered was so unrelenting that half of Sheffield shook.
Get Together’s success is well earned. The event has a rich variety of music, takes place in one of the nicest neighbourhoods in the country and is the result of the hard work of locals. Logistical issues beckon in the face of this success; however, I’m sure it’s nothing that the festival won’t be able to resolve. That being said, this year, it fell slightly flat in the face of these persisting problems. It’s all love.
