Offbeat coverage in the media

A selection of press cuttings, features and interviews with us, largely complimentary thankfully!

A lovely feature about the club night and our history by journalist James Walsh, on his blog - December 2022.

Our online comeback covered in The Sheffield Star - March 2020.

Coverage in Drowned in Sound - September 2013.

Our demise prematurely predicted in The Guardian - January 2012.

A Spanish review of our set at Indietracks - can anyone translate? - August 2010.

Brief mention in John Kell's review of the Indietracks festival, August 2010.

'Pick of the festival' in VirtualFestival.com preview of Indietracks, July 2010.

Brief mention in MusicOMH's preview of the Indietracks festival, August 2010.

Guest radio appearance on Sheffield Live FM's The Breakdown in December 2009, going through the Offbeat Festive Chart for 2009 and chatting about the night. To listen again go to here (the chart starts around 35 minutes in), then here, , then here (this latter link is entitled as a different show, but that is because we overran!).

Brief mention in a review of the Half Man Half Biscuit gig at which we were DJing.

Brief feature in The Fly, December 2009 (leave our website alone!).

Interview in Fuse, November 2009.

Interview in Pillow 'zine, February 2009.

A feature in the Stainless section of the Steel City Press, May 2008.

Fame at last for the humble Offbeat badge (BBC Radio 6 website), March 2008.

A brief mention in Mojo magazine's history of indie feature, March 2008 (Historically incorrect in that Offbeat actually started a few months before Track and Field, Bowlie festival, etc ;-) ).

Interview (Gill) from Steve Lamacq's Radio 6 show, January 2008 (thanks to Wayne for ripping this).

A lengthy feature marking our 11th birthday from the Sheffield Telegraph, January 2008: online version and a scan of the Paper article.

A very kind plug from Gareth Campesinos! in the NME , November 2007.

Interview (Chris) with Steve Lamacq, May 2007.

A lengthy interview and feature from Sandman Magazine, April 2007.

10th Birthday article from Alive online, January 2007.

10th Birthday article from the Sheffield Star and Sheffield Today online, January 2007.

An amusing mention in The Cuckoos Press fanzine, October 2006.

A brief tongue-in-cheek piece by Russell Senior in the Observer Music Monthly, October 2006.

'The statistics of Offbeat' interview in Thee Humbug February 2006.

Click here for a small NME interview, December 2005.

Winners of Radio 6's Ultimate Indie Disco poll, 6th May 2005
Click here for the full story!

Click here for an interview in the Steel City Press, May 2005.

Click here for a feature on the SUSU website, May 2005.

Click here for a lengthy feature on Offbeat by Pete Mella for the Listen to Sheffield bands website, October 2003.

Madeline Boardman, ciao.co.uk, 2002
"Tucked away in probably one of the most quaint venues you’ll ever visit, Offbeat claims to be 'Sheffield’s real indie night', which may sound a rather tall order considering the size of the city, but you’d be surprised. Here’s the set up: we have a very small room of limited capacity attached to the Union bar (Bar One) of one of the most popular, student-friendly universities in the country. Inside, there’s just one member of staff to pull the pints and a dance floor about as large as a student bedroom. The night consists of non-stop alternative tracks and a priceless chance to meet up with other people into obscure underground indie records. It’s definitely worth a visit. "

Click here for a preview in Metro, February 2001.

Anna Fielding, Ycraze.com, 2000
"As well as the expected weekend cheese, Sheffield Union also manages to serve up something less greasy. The Tuesday Club has become a credible and fun drum and bass/ hip hop night, with big name DJs and rave reviews in the national press. Offbeat is a quieter cult classic, catering for the indie crowd. A big favorite with Steve Lamacq and a devoted crowd of die-hard regulars."

'Clubbing Choice', Sheffield Telegraph, 1999
"Every other club night in Sheffield purports to specialise in indie music, but very few stay true to the genre, instead using the term broadly as a euphemism for the acceptable face of pop, dance or guitar music. But tucked away in the University's Raynor Lounge, one night has been noisily extolling the virtues of authentic indie, ploughing through the likes of The Yummy Fur, Ten Benson and Lungleg alongside such classics as Joy Division, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jnr on a monthly basis. This evening Offbeat celebrates its second birthday - no mean feat in the face of such stiff competition. Long may it continue."

Steve Lamacq, Melody Maker, 1999
(reviewing the Catatonia tour) "Of the gigs I saw, Wolverhampton and Sheffield were the best...in Sheffield the set - which changed by the day - flowed like the wine that Cerys swigs between songs. Plus afterwards I found a club called Offbeat, which dazzled its dancefloor with everything from Helen Love and The Pixies to Ten Benson and Blur - an admirable selection which went well beyond the boundaries of most alternative nights you can find around the country."

Click here for a review in the Steel City Press, May 1999.

Click here to return to the Offbeat homepage and site index