Def Leppard Sheffield, England #3 1978 Setlist Early Years Tour

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Monday, 11th September 1978

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Location / Sheffield, ENGLAND
Venue / the limit club
Event / Local Nites Festival

The third performance by the band in their home city of Sheffield.

The first time at this venue.

The venue was located in West Street in the city centre and not far from the Sheffield City Hall.

It hosted concerts from 1978 to 1991 and was one of the major concert venues and nightclubs in the city.

It was closed down by 1991 and them demolished.

According to the 1987 biography Animal Instinct this show was a free mini indoor festival called 'Local Nites' with electronic band Human League headlining.

The band line-up was: Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Steve Clark, Pete Willis and Tony Kenning and the band name was spelled as 'Deaf Leppard' on the show poster (a misspelling).

A second more professional looking poster was released with the correct name but without a space 'Defleppard'.

Electronic/Pop band Human League were the headliners for this festival show featuring local acts. The only recorded time that the two bands played on the same bill. Both went on to release albums called 'Hysteria'. Human League's one (also their fourth) came out in May 1984 as Def Leppard were still writing their fourth album. They also covered Mick Ronson's 'Only After Dark' in 1980, 12 years before Def Leppard's version came out.

The second night of this two day event featured a band called Deaf Aids and Anniversary. A local act who would support Def Leppard at their next Limit show on 21st September.

The venue closed in 1991 and was located on West Street in the city centre now replaced by a block of flats.

The band got their own record label name from a negative media review of the show.

They took the phrase 'bludgeon riffola' when they released their 1979 debut EP. See review quote below. They continue to release their music on Bludgeon Riffola Records to this day.

The label became independent in 2008 when they spilt from Universal Records (which had formerly been Phonogram/Vertigo).

Another band called Tontrix were also misspelled on the second poster as 'Ton Trick'. They were a New Wave band from Liverpool who released a single called 'Shell Shocked' in 1979, the same year they spilt up. They featured singer Mike Score who went on to form (and be keyboardist for) A Flock Of Seagulls who, like Def Leppard, had major success in the USA.

Media Review Record Mirror Magazine Quote By Chris Westwood

"Deaf Leopard were Heavy Metal as Heavy Metal always was and always will be, Crosses, macho poses, bludgeon riffola that even the Sabs abandoned years ago and - ironically, me thought - the only band to screw the audience for an encore."

Joe Elliott June 1992 - Interview Quote

"Then the next gig we did was almost normal. We played The Limit Club which is now closed down and we didn't get paid at all because it was a free concert. They let kids in for free, didn't pay the bands. So consequently we got to play in front of a lot of people. We supported the Human League. Yeah, there's a culture clash. It was good though."