In June 1979, Joy Division released ‘Unknown Pleasures’ and it’s fair to say that its influence is being felt as strongly now as ever before. Six months earlier, ‘Armed Forces’ was rolled out by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The two records couldn’t be more different, which is something that is working in the Retrospectives’ favour over 30 years later.
The Sheffield three-piece, who recently released their ‘Turn It Up’ EP, play hook-laden, off-kilter power-pop that owes a debt not only to Costello, but also Joe Jackson and Tom Petty - songwriters with an ability to combine lyrics and melody with rare precision. When stood next to the raft of post-punk clones dotting the landscape of guitar music they sound, well, different.
“I think music from that era is often forgotten, mainly because it doesn't get referenced by modern day musicians,” bassist Will Stocks said. “It's obvious when listening to our music that we're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're just putting a new spin on something we love from the past. I don't think it was overly intentional but I think it has allowed us to sound a little bit different than everything else that's going on at the moment.
“We're always drawn in by great melodic and lyrical ideas. I think that's what gives great music longevity. We love listening to music that sounds current, but without a great song it doesn't take long for something that once sounded current to become dated.”
Hailing from a city now inexorably linked to one of its biggest success stories - Arctic Monkeys - the Retrospectives have watched their music scene explode, collapse and rebuild in recent years. Now, with the green shoots of recovery very much in evidence, they’re part of a patchwork quilt of bands playing a broad range of music.
“We had just started playing gigs around Sheffield around the time that Arctic Monkeys broke and we witnessed the rise and fall of the Sheffield music scene that came from that,” Stocks said. “I think it's now back on its feet and the variety of the music here is incredible. We're really proud of the musical heritage of where we're from and hope to be as much of a part of it as we can.”
Underpinning the Retrospectives’ appeal is a boundless appetite for playing live. Having recently wrapped up a string of dates with the Last Carnival and a support slot with Bruce Foxton of the Jam, they’ll soon be opening for Paper Aeroplanes and the reformed Boomtown Rats.
“I think one of the hardest things to do as a band is get out of your hometown and build a fan base,” Stocks said. “We had to get into the mindset that it doesn't matter if you’re playing to two people or two hundred people, you have to give it your absolute all. We really value anyone who comes out to see us live, and hopefully that comes out in our performances.”
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