A visual tribute to Sheffield’s underground music scene

Icons of the ’80s — Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, photographer Barbara Wasiak captured a city in a state of cultural and political flux – pairing shots of NME cover stars with anti-Poll Tax protests.

1987. Sheffield. In the ballroom of the City Hall, house and rare groove music pumps loudly from speakers. The over-capacity crowd dances, as sweat slides down the walls and drips from the ceiling. Barbara Wasiak weaves between the dancing bodies with a camera in hand, clicking away, capturing the elation and euphoria of those at club night Jive Turkey.

“She was a force of nature,” says Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder, fondly remembering his friend and collaborator who passed away in 2007. “She was combative, creative and confident.”

After a successful 2017 crowdfunding campaign, an exhibition of Wasiak’s work – Steel, Street, Synth & Shutter – is currently taking place at Sheffield’s Sensoria festival. The show was organised in collaboration with Jose Snook, her friend, collaborator and archivist.

Julie Stewart

 

Wasiak’s eye was a crucial one in Sheffield, capturing a city in a state of cultural and political flux. As the beat of Sheffield’s music scene grew louder throughout the ’80s, she was there to capture its bands and DJs, such as Chakk, Cabaret Voltaire, In the Nursery, Roisin Murphy, Krush, Winston and Parrot and Treebound Story.

Many of these artists stemmed from the burgeoning cultural forces in the city, such as FON Studios, Warp Records and Jive Turkey, all of which Barbara was a magnet to. “She wasn’t just archiving it all,” Stephen remembers. “She was in the centre of that maelstrom, she was part of it.”  Jive Turkey DJ Winston Hazel echoes this sentiment too: “she lived it and framed it.”   

Yorks Water

 

On top of immersing herself in the rising music scene of Sheffield during this key period, Wasiak also focused her lens on the city in a wider sense, capturing its architecture, people, politics and pulse. As a result, her work acts as a wide-angle snapshot of life in the city during these times. Jose remembers this impassioned and broad approach. “Barbara was very politically engaged and concerned about injustice at both a societal and personal level,” she says. “She was able to visualise, capture and communicate what a lot of people were thinking.”

Steel, Street, Synth & Shutter captures this breadth of her work and interests, which displays pictures of crumbling and evicted city centre housing blocks alongside anti-Poll Tax demonstrations, miners marches, and NME photoshoots. “She was really there in the thick of it,” remembers Jose. “And at a time that was of huge importance for Sheffield’s music and alternative culture scenes.”

Richard Kirk

 

She adds that displaying all elements of Barbara’s work in one place is important for remembering the work of her late friend, who worked for over three decades in the city. “What made her role so unique and crucial was the way she turned her lens upon the social and political context in which all this creativity flourished. Each generation has its own particular problems, issues and fears to contend with – for us there was the Cold War, high levels of youth unemployment, the decimation of the mining and steel industries and HIV.”

“It also seemed as if the Thatcher Government was intent on punishing the working classes and the North. All this pushed Barbara and others to make things happen for themselves. I think there was a sense of urgency and a will to try to make a difference. At the same time there was a lot of hedonism, and people partied and danced hard. I think Barbara captured all of this in her work.”

Dawn Shadforth and Roisin Murphy

DJ Winston and Parrott

No Time to Waste. Lady’s Bridge series, 2000-2004

Silk Cuts

DJ Box

Mark Brydon and Rob Gordon. Sheffield. 1987 for the NME.

 

Steel, Street, Synth & Shutter is a free exhibition and open daily until Oct 6 at Trafalgar Warehouse. 

Follow Daniel Dylan Wray on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

    


You might like

Vibrant book covers against bleak, rocky hills and buildings; 'Babylon' and 'Albion' text in bold lettering.
Culture

Dalia Al-Dujaili: “When you’re placeless, nature can fill the void”

Babylon, Albion — As her new book publishes, the British-Iraqi author speaks about connecting with the land as a second-generation migrant, plants as symbols of resistance, and being proud of her parents.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Angela Hui

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Surfers against sewage protest box floating in water with people swimming around it.
© Alex Brown / Surfers Against Sewage
Sport

The rebellious roots of Cornwall’s surfing scene

100 years of waveriding — Despite past attempts to ban the sport from beaches, surfers have remained as integral, conservationist presences in England’s southwestern tip. A new exhibition in Falmouth traces its long history in the area.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Energetic music performance on stage with colourful lighting, smoke and audience.
Culture

Southbank Centre reveals new series dedicated to East and Southeast Asian arts

ESEA Encounters — Taking place between 17-20 July, there will be a live concert from YMO’s Haruomi Hosono, as well as discussions around Asian literature, stage productions, and a pop-up Japanese Yokimono summer market.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Huck 79

We are all Mia Khalifa

How humour, therapy and community help Huck's latest cover star control her narrative.

Written by: Alya Mooro

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.