Across the Pennines..

• 23rd Jan 2008

Having been FORCED to write a blog, in Liverpool, about which city is better: Sheffield or Liverpool, I’m gonna have to say Sheffield.

But then, Liverpool has some aspects that are better than most other cities I’ve been to, minus London, although that doesn’t really count..
Here are a few things that I love about Liverpool:

– There are actual clubs that play non-mainstream music every night of the week. In Sheffield every major club gives way to some student dance night that’s guaranteed to make them a lot of money. Places like Le Bateau and Heebie Jeebies are actually unheard of in Sheffield.

– The music at the moment is fresh and exciting, with bands like Elle S’Appelle enjoying indie attention and The Wombats practically living at Radio One.

– Everyone’s a comedian, it sounds cliché but it’s true, there’s always some nutter on the bus waiting for you to glance at them so that they can tell you a joke.

– This leads on to another thing, the amount of nutters there actually are in Liverpool. I was waiting around in town once and an old woman with a tracksuit and fur coat came out of the bookies and over to me swinging her walking stick. She said what a lovely day it was, wrote a note in her notebook, read it, then put it in the bin. She then came back over to me and pulled up her sleeve, exposing gold bangles to her elbow. After saying “have a look at them!” she walked off. Mental.

– People really make an effort when they go out, but this is also a pretty bad thing.

– Lark Lane.

– Hollyoaks stars.

In comparison, here are a few things that are unbeatable about Sheffield:

– When there are club nights on in Sheffield they’re always small, intimate affairs where everyone’s enjoying themselves. I recommend Death By Shoes at the Cremorne.

– The music that has come from Sheffield is widely acknowledged as some of the most popular in the world, although I don’t like them all here’s a selection from Sheffield: Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Human League, Richard Hawley, Little Man Tate, The Long Blondes… the list goes on.

– Sheffield is ridiculously friendly, everyone says “reet.”

– Vintage shopping in Sheffield is amazing, everything’s cheap with a wide selection.

– There are some ace places to eat that won’t break the bank. Liverpool only really has the Egg.

– Sheffield is like a village, although it’s one of the largest cities in England, the people that go to a certain type of club night and hang around in the same places are all good friends. Kind of like Hollyoaks, minus the scandal.

– Okay, so you might not see Hollyoaks stars when you walk down the street (something which has always excited me…) BUT you often see Richard Hawley at the cash machine (or punching someone as my friends told me..!) or Jarvis Cocker in Corporation, The Long Blondes looking bored in various places..

Of course none of this really counts because I’m from Sheffield, and only really stay in Liverpool cos I’m at uni here.. I’m not saying Liverpool isn’t ace, it just isn’t as good as Steel City.

Oh, and just an interesting fact to end on: the guy who played Sonny Valentine recently got arrested for rape, I never trusted him anyway…