Groovy, Laidback and Nasty
A History of Independent Music in Sheffield

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Wray's smart, page-turner of a book is spry, funny and doesn't shirk the darker corners of the story The Herald, Best Music Books of 2026

The first in-depth account of the city's enduring DIY spirit, its musical visionaries, and its creativity in the face of a bleak economic and political landscape Rolling Stone

Makes the case for Sheffield futurism . . . [An] excellent work of social history Tribune

A brilliant book by one of the best culture writers in the UK. Takes us through the joy and hilarity of Sheffield's always-lively independent music scene, and in doing so reminds us that this city has long been home to some of the UK's most excellent, experimental and eccentric musical giants

Sheffield has long been the UK's unacknowledged capital for futurist pop. Finally the city finds the champion it deserves in Daniel Dylan Wray. A rich blend of urban history and music chronicle, Groovy, Laidback and Nasty tells in vivid detail the story of a place, a people, and a succession of innovative sounds that would change pop again and again

A passionate, painstakingly researched and richly detailed account of Sheffield's dreamers, eccentrics and visionaries - and the weird and wonderful sounds they created

Plots the musical history of Sheffield, characterising it as a city - and musical culture - struggling to overcome its modesty Uncut

Which of our cities can lay claim to being the epicentre of British musical life? Music writer Daniel Dylan Wray has restarted the debate with his new book Groovy, Laidback and Nasty, which makes the case for Sheffield - the hometown of Pulp, the Human League and Arctic Monkeys Telegraph

Tells the story of seven decades of Sheffield independent music - a journey from the soulful tunes of Joe Cocker to the bombastic pop of Self Esteem, via electronic pioneers Cabaret Voltaire, the surge of bassline and the indie troubadours Arctic Monkeys . . . Not just a story about the established bands and big names . . . More than anything, provides portraits of different music scenes that grew organically . . . This book should be in every Sheffield school library Exposed Magazine

Delves into many of Sheffield's cultural roots from Peter Stringfellow's club promoter days in the 1960s to Toddla T's teenage breakthrough in the late 2000s, as well as seminal nightclubs, worldwide pop stardom and more underground and leftfield music Sheffield Star