Sheffield Foundry’s 'Tuesday Club' is a bit of a local institution, at least among the city’s students. The hype surrounding the release of the Club’s 2018 season headliners was tangible throughout the student community, and when news got out that My Nu Leng would be bringing some of their ‘M8s’ to the Steel City at the end of January, the response was crazy. The Bristol duos on-going ‘Leng & M8s’ tour is calling in favours from the likes of DJ Zinc and Mike Skinner, but for their Sheffield date, they provided a line up for some of the best in Bassline and 4x4 right now. In the city deemed by many as the ‘spiritual home of Bassline,’ it seemed only fair that the night paired up some of the UKs best new talent with a couple of scene veterans in a series of vicious B2Bs.
After the success of their first string of ‘M8s’ dates last year, the event quickly sold out so the vibe in the place was, unsurprisingly, electric. Rammed early doors, the night started with Andy H and Dr Cryptic going back to back with a set of old skool Garage and Bassline classics. Andy H, The Tuesday Club’s resident DJ put in the graft alongside Cryptic, owner of Sheffield’s pioneering record label, Chip Butty Records. Developing and promoting local Garage and 4x4, Cryptic and Chip Butty have been players in the scene for over 15 years and his experience showed. Pulling out banger after banger in a momentous history set, the two openers got the night kicked off in a big way. The sweat was dripping already.
After the experience of H and Cryptic, things were switched up as two of the hottest new talents underground went back to back. Bushbaby, an integral member of Brighton bass collective, Southpoint, has been making a bit of a name for himself over the past year or two. Refusing to be pinned to a certain genre, Bushbaby switches seamlessly between heavy bassline and ambient techno and has already made fans out of DJ Zinc and Chris Lorenzo. Linking up with Skue-K, the newcomer who’s gained support gigs with Holy Goof and having his tracks spun by Skepsis and Bassboy, the two showed that experience isn’t necessarily necessary to turn a dance on its head. Dropping mammoth tracks like ‘I Will Never Die’ and ‘Give Me Something,’ their set finished in what felt like seconds as tension for the nights headliners neared breaking point. Leng were next on.
Bristol’s finest, Tommy and Jammo, coming off the back of a huge 2017 festival season and the release of their Portal EP in September, have been drawing attention from outside the underground for a while now. Their sets have become something of Bassline folklore, and following their huge Boomtown set last August, 2018 only promises to be even bigger. Their set in the Foundry was nothing short of what was expected. Throwing up a set comprised of classics, their own tracks, and some of the best new stuff coming through, the sell out crowd lapped it up. Renowned hypeman and long-time Leng collaborator, MC Dread, had the place in the palm of his hand and knew exactly what to do with it. My Nu Leng are undoubtedly one of the best acts to do what they do, but what is most impressive about them is their dedication to the scene. Their nonstop promotion of the upcoming names in a constantly evolving genre is unquestionably aiding its growth across the UK and beyond. Their M8s events emphasise their commitment to progression and variety, and their set on Tuesday emphatically justified their hype.
Turno and Benny L closed the night out with perhaps the hardest set of the event. The former, coming straight out of Bedford, hit Sheffield having recently released a new Power LP. His adventurous drum & bass rhythms paired up crazily well with the distinctive distorted sound of Benny L. After a 2017 of standout bassline releases, he’s gained big support from Goldie and his name promises to creep up the festival line-ups this summer. Put together, they warped intricate D’n’B beats with heavy melodic basslines and spun the place into carnage.
The Tuesday Club always brings in the big names, with Rodigan and Crucast sets in the pipeline for the upcoming months. My Nu Leng was, on paper, one of this seasons stand out dates, and the event itself matched all expectation. With dates left to play in infamous venues like Village Underground and a huge warehouse show in Bristol in early March, Leng’s year shows no signs of slowing up. Keep an eye out for them over the course of festival season and follow the link below to check out current listings for the ‘Tuesday Club.’
http://www.tuesday-club.co.uk