When Kieran Crosby walked down Burton Road and dreamed up the idea of \u201ca bit of a live music all-dayer\u201d with bands playing local spots such as Yellow Arch and Peddler, he never quite imagined it would turn into one of Sheffield\u2019s most exciting and eclectic music festivals. Now, five years later, Get Together is a fixture on the national festival calendar in its own right \u2013 a heady mix of live music, art, beer and community spirit rooted in the heart of Kelham Island.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt was right in the middle of the pandemic, which probably wasn\u2019t the wisest time to launch a festival,\u201d he laughs. \u201cBut I\u2019m glad we did, because if we hadn\u2019t gone ahead with that, I don\u2019t see how we\u2019d have got to where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The inaugural edition in 2021 was headlined by South Yorkshire\u2019s-own Self Esteem \u2013 just as her game-changing single \u2018I Do This All The Time\u2019 had landed \u2013 alongside acts like Black Honey, Ibibio Sound Machine and Dream Wife. \u201cIt was a lot of people\u2019s first chance of getting out of the house after the pandemic,\u201d says Kieran. \u201cThe atmosphere \u2013 even though it was the first year \u2013 was electric and the crowds really went for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s a specifically surreal moment from that year that still sticks with him: \u201cDream Wife brought out their nan on stage \u2013 and it wasn\u2019t like little old lady coming to say hello. She had a pint of wine and was shouting about \u2018bad bitches!\u2019 It was incredible. Everyone was like, yeah \u2013 we\u2019re back, we\u2019re out.\u201d
That kind of unfiltered joy has carried through every edition since. <\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s Confidence Man tearing up the University venue in year two, or English Teacher returning to headline after playing a tiny side room in 2022, Get Together has consistently had a knack for catching the next big thing just before they blow up. \u201cI think that\u2019s down to how we\u2019re always looking for what\u2019s new, what\u2019s interesting \u2013 something that\u2019s bubbling,\u201d says Kieran.<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s no neat box Get Together fits into \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly the point. \u201cThe biggest thing is not being in one category too much, making sure you\u2019re seeing something different every five minutes. You can go from watching Ibibio Sound Machine to Tim Burgess to someone like Jessica Winter, pure pop. It flips between everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The festival\u2019s moved around a bit \u2013 a temporary home at the University served as something of an incubator for the event \u2013 but since returning to its spiritual home, it\u2019s thrived in the warehouses, breweries and independent venues that make up Kelham\u2019s creative core.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere were all these independents and creatives in the area,\u201d Kieran explains. \u201cIt was a perfect fit, the community was so supportive and it was like, great \u2013 let\u2019s just build it up even more.\u201d What started as a small DIY dream is now drawing artists from across the globe. \u201cWe\u2019ve now got international acts asking to play. This year alone, we\u2019ve got bands from Australia and the US. It very much stands on its own two feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as the music, the festival has become known for its wider cultural offering \u2013 including art installations, food stalls and the ever-popular beer trail. The artist-in-residence slot has become a much-loved tradition, with the likes of Corbin Shaw and Conor Rogers bringing humour and heart to the visual side of the festival.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGet Together is fundamentally about trying to put a positive spin on how we all see the world,\u201d says Kieran. \u201cWe want it to be about literally getting together for a good reason \u2013 whether that involves forgetting about things for a while, or taking the piss out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sense of community is what holds it all together. \u201cWhether you\u2019re coming for the live music or not, you could still come down, have a great day out and come away wanting to come next year,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone just totally gets on board. That\u2019s what makes it such a fun atmospere.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Looking ahead to the fifth birthday edition, Kieran\u2019s keeping a few cards close to his chest. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some surprises planned. Some of the things we\u2019ve got lined up, if they come off \u2013 and it looks like they will \u2013 will be up there with the best memories people have of the festival. The best advice I can give is to follow our WhatsApp on the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
What you can expect are stellar performances from the likes of English Teacher, Moonlandingz, Katy J Pearson and BC Camplight, secret sets popping up, art installations from Cold War Steve, spontaneous Q&A sessions, late-night DJs playing through to the early hours and the return of a pop-up record shop and stage curated in homage to the Crow\u2019s Nest at Glastonbury, where Kieran also plays a part.<\/p>\n
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Artist Cold War Steve will be creating a special Sheffield artwork.<\/p>\n
Five years in, the passion certainly hasn\u2019t dimmed. But what about when it\u2019s all over? \u201cWeirdly, my favourite bit of the whole thing is the day after. Everything starts to come down. If you hadn\u2019t been there, you wouldn\u2019t know what had happened. It\u2019s like this magical feeling \u2013 for that one moment, everyone came together and all this amazing stuff happened. That what it\u2019s about for me.\u201d<\/p>\n