Grab your earplugs – Sheffield’s about to get Too Damn Loud…

The clocks have shifted forward, the evenings are drawing out, the sun is trying to peep through those grey clouds, and May is not too far away - we’re thinking you may want some musical plans to kick off your summer in Sheff? If so, you’re in luck as Too Damn Loud Festival is back for a second time at iconic venue Sidney and Matilda to treat us to even more live music on Saturday 30^th May, and happening just two weeks after the city hosts its sixth year of Get Together Festival (Saturday 16^th May) it’ll be a great excuse to keep the musical momentum going in the marvellous Month of May, all the while supporting a good cause!

You might have already heard of Too Damn Loud who are back following their initial sold-out festival which also took place at Sidney and Matilda but in April 2024. The organisers describe the festival as ‘a celebration of music, love, and mutual support within the music scene, with the event bringing together bands and artists from across a range of genres to celebrate creativity and community.’ The festival’s ethos reflects a time where unfortunately many independent artists and venues are struggling to survive in the modern-day climate which is historically not kind to the arts, as seen most recently with local non-for-profit and volunteer-led venue Lughole who were under-threat of closure. Luckily, Lughole managed to smash their funding target in under 5 hours and live to fight, and play, another day thanks to their amazing community! Too Damn Loud Festival is doing its bit for the local scene and music community by creating a space in Sheffield which they say ‘has always been a city deeply rooted in music’, with their goal being ‘to honour that legacy by creating a space where people can let loose, connect, and enjoy live music together.’

But it’s not just the organisers’ love of the scene that spurred this festival into creation. Too Damn Loud is ultimately a project born out of a deeply personal reason too – ‘in March 2023, we lost one of the biggest music lovers many of us knew, Chris Wright, affectionately known as Big Chris.’ Alongside his bandmate Brian, Chris had helped to organise a festival called Plug In for Parkinson’s in 2022, meaning Too Damn Loud is not only a festival that honours Big Chris’ memory, but one which is actively continuing his legacy through something he was deeply passionate about – music – and features a stacked line-up of bands that he loved.

With the final line-up now released, you can catch a plethora of artists including Sheffield’s own riot grrl punk rockers Skint Knees, the 6-piece anarchist queer punk collective Ratpakk, London’s freak punks BE N!CE, plus loads more local and national punk-drenched talent! You can check out the full line-up via Too Damn Loud’s socials.

The proceeds from this year’s event will go to local charity Girls+ Rock Sheffield - a new organisation in our city whose mission is to ‘provide a safe and inclusive space for girls+ and gender non-conforming youth to explore their creativity, form bands, and write original music.’ So not only can you soak up some tunes on a (hopefully) sunny Saturday in Sheff in memory of Big Chris, but you’ll also be helping this organisation to provide more free and reduced cost places for girls+ and gender diverse youth to participate in their rock camp music program – so, what are you waiting for?

You can get your ticket for Too Damn Loud Festival via this link

Find out more about chosen charity Girls+ Rock Sheffield here

Oh, and don’t forget your earplugs!