The Sherlocks are on the cusp of releasing a new album before heading out on a European tour. And then there’s that prime slot at Tramlines to look forward to…

It’s been quite the last few months for The Sherlocks. Not only have they supported the likes of Keane and Shed Seven on tour, but they smashed a massive homecoming show at Don Valley Bowl and were amongst one of the first acts to be named in the line-up for this year’s Tramlines. They even had their own miniature bottles of Hendo’s posted out in advance of the big reveal. 

Of course the Barnsley band are no strangers to the inner city festival after being an almost permanent fixture at the Tramlines Fringe, before finally making their Hillsborough Park main stage bow in 2021.

“It feels pretty good, yer know,” said lead singer Kiaran Crook. “We’re actually massive fans of Hendo’s, we love the stuff. Proper Yorkshire tackle, way better than the other stuff we don’t talk about.

“But yeah, we’re looking forward to playing Tramlines, we always had a good time at the festival and it’s been great to see it continue to grow. Long may that continue.”

“Last time we played Tramlines in 2021 was the first time the band every played the main stage, which was a big achievement,” added Trent Jackson. “It was even more memorable for me and Alex as it was our first gig after joining in 2020. It was such an incredible experience standing on a big stage in front of 30,000 people. It was just after lockdown too so the crowd went crazy.”

The Sherlocks originally formed in Bolton Upon Dearne in 2010 with the original line-up of Kiaran and Brendan Crook and Josh and Andy Davidson – two sets of brothers – and released two albums. Their debut, Live for the Moment, was released in 2017 and was quickly followed by, Under Your Sky in 2019. 

During this time they supported the likes of Liam Gallagher, Kaiser Chiefs and The Vaccines on tour before Josh and Andy decided to pursue opportunities outside the music industry. Trent and Alex Procter joined and the new quartet spent three weeks at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire in summer 2021 recording what would be The Sherlocks’ third album – Would I Understand.

A fourth album – People Like Me and You – came in 2023 and as we sit here writing this feature, the band are preparing to release album number five, which has already been described as ‘the most thumping, anthemic and in-your-face music of their career so far’. 

Everything Must Make Sense! hits record store shelves on 21 February and the band have pulled out all the stops. A striking zoetrope vinyl edition, issued by Blood Records, has already almost sold-out but other quality formats include a signed jigsaw-style picture disc; a cream vinyl; and a green-and-yellow splatter vinyl which is available via select indie stores. Bundles from their official store also add options for an A4 album artwork print, a new t-shirt, and black vinyl, CD and cassette formats.

The new long-player was recorded in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, and has already spawned three singles: Man On The Loose, Death Of Me and current single, BONES.  

BONES is the sound of The Sherlocks going for broke: a larger-than-life explosion of pounding electro-beats, heavyweight grooves, gritty guitar riffs, radiant synths, piano-and-string atmospherics, and the sort of strident, super-infectious hook that comes across like South Yorkshire’s answer to The Killers. 

Kiaran says: “Our third single ‘BONES’ is a monster tune! Proper funky and proper driving. It’s the perfect example of us having fun in the studio, the song’s in a mad tuning, there’s about four bass tracks happening at once, it just went a bit crazy whilst recording. But we were having fun, we didn’t want to restrict ourselves whenever it’s sounding good. 

“This is our fifth record and if you can’t try out mad ideas by now, when can you? I think the fans are gonna really love this tune when they hear it. Definitely one to be excited about! It sounds like if Prodigy and Primal Scream had a baby, it’s a MONSTER!”

Asked if they thought their sound had evolved over the years, Brandon said: “Yeah, I think it’s been evident but very natural. Alex and Trent brought a freshness to the band and since then we’ve kicked on. But as long as we all play the instruments and Kiaran is singing, it’ll sound like The Sherlocks.”

“We made a conscious decision to work with different producers on every album,” added Kiaran. “So five albums, five different producers, which has allowed us to learn so many different techniques over the years.”

Following the release of Everything Must Make Sense!, The Sherlocks will be touring throughout Europe in April before coming to the UK in May where they will be playing Nottingham’s Rock City, Manchester’s Albert Hall and and Leeds Stylus amongst others. Festival dates will then follow.

The Sherlocks play Tramlines on Sunday 27 July and will join the likes of Kasabian, The Last Dinner Party, The Lathums and CMAT on the final day of the festival.

The band have had plenty of experience playing in Europe, but do the crowds differ much from British ones?

“I’m a massive fan of the European crowds, particularly the German ones, they are unbelievable and thankfully over the years we’ve been building a loyal fanbase over there,” said Brandon. “They’re very much into rock music so we always go down a treat with them. We can’t wait to get back there in April.”

And is time on the road as raucous as one imagines?

“It’s eventful to say the least,” beamed Andy. “We definitely have a good time and make the most of it. I think it takes a couple of shows to really find your feet and when you hit that sweet spot, you’re laughing really. 

“It’s even better when you’ve got a bunch of new songs to throw in there so picking a setlist should be fun. It’s starting to feel like a greatest hits set these days with all the albums to pick from!”

There must be a real buzz though playing close to home?

“Yeah, we love coming back, especially when it’s Tramlines, it’s an amazing festival,” said Kiaran. “Whenever we play in our hometown we always have an extra buzz. We always plan the setlist to be full of bangers that always go off the most when we play Sheffield.”

Despite further investigation, The Sherlocks wouldn’t reveal if they’ve got anything special planned for Tramlines but did say ‘wait and see’. No doubt they’ll have a loyal, local crowd hanging onto their every word and have them bouncing all through summer. It should be a set not to be missed.

Everything Must Make Sense! Is released on 21 February on Blood Records. To purchase, click here.