South Yorkshire basks in the summer sun for Tramlines 2024
It couldn't have been a better three days of live music - having been complemented with great weather at this year's Tramlines Festival
Last updated 6th Sep 2024
It's a major part of the South Yorkshire calendar - and the organisers of this year's Tramlines Festival can certainly walk away from the event concluding Tramlines Festival was an unequivocal success.
Headlined by superstars Paolo Nutini, Jamie T, and Snow Patrol, and with many attending on the the Sunday telling us they were most hyped to see Sheffield's own The Human League, it wasn't just the music which reflected the very ethos of the event - but the atmosphere and its clear appreciation for the wider community around Hillsborough Park.
And with around 40,000 punters coming down to experience the magic of Tramlines, they certainly brought the sunshine with them.
After a successful pilot of the project back in 2023, it was back for 2024 - and that was Little Hillsborough.
The aim was to offer local businesses the opportunity to trade at this year’s festival - helping to boost the local economy, whilst promoting the very best of what the city has to offer.
Organisers were also active in promoting local business outside of the Hillsborough Park, too - with a dedicated webpage designed to support the firms that festival-goers may otherwise have passed by on their journey up to the site.
It was certainly a less rainy edition of the festival - and for those who attended in 2023, it was a welcome view to see dry and sunny skies all across the weekend.
There had been concerns raised by Sheffield City Council following the event last year after Hillsborough Park suffered visible damage to the ground following the heavy downpours and torrential conditions experienced on a number of the days - sparking calls from some for it to be moved.
However, the council said Hillsborough Park was the only one in the city with the capacity to host an event of Tramlines' size, with the event attracting around 35,000 people.
So, a new agreement was drawn-up - which included plans to protect the ground and an extra £10,000 to go towards installing, improving and replacing equipment or facilities to "advance the park".
You can read more about their commitment to restoring Hillsborough Park on the Tramlines website.
To the line-up - and it was a weekend of big-name legends of the touring scene, with a focus on developing smaller, and more local, talent.
In fact, the Tramlines Apply to Play scheme, which has been running since 2018, offers artists the chance to win a paid slot at the festival.
Since the project's inception, the festival has booked 56 artists through the scheme, collaborating with a number of partners to hand pick winners.
Organisers say that 'nurturing local talent sits at the forefront of the festival's pillars', and hundreds of up-and-coming bands have passed through the doors.
They say that more than 220 local bands and artists have been hosted since 2018 - with some of those taking a slot on the coveted Sarah Nulty Main Stage.
And with music in the lifeblood of South Yorkshire life, their teaming-up with the Leadmill yet again this year cemented their connection with the region - and their commitment to empowering acts, some of whom go on to take over the world.
Sunday night's headliners - The Magic Gang - have already gone on to do huge things - with many in the mainstream scene already knowing some of their tunes - like Make Time For Change, which was a part of their 2018 album which reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart.
JayaHadADream, who performed at this year's Glastonbury Festival after victory at their annual Emerging Talent contest, was also on the line-up.
'We're really lucky to be doing what we're doing'
And out of the three headliners, Snow Patrol arguably had one of the best evenings - with a day of perfect weather.
Chatting about his set, Londonderry's Johnny McDaid reflected on how the band came to create their new comback single, 'The Beginning'.
He told us: "I don't know we necessarily thought it was intentional that it had been three decades since the inception of the band - but what we did find was that when we were making this record down in Somerset, that we felt something special was happening.
"The Beginning was the first track to come out of our time in Somerset, and it came about in just a day. It felt like we'd started something special that we had to see through.
"I think that what we are is really lucky to be doing what we're doing - and we're also really lucky to have each other.
"We've been working with Fraser T Smith - and when we had the first version of the record, Fraser just seemed like the obvious choice to us.
"It's really hard to find that person who can honour what you're doing - but also add something special to the track too.
"When you work with amazing people, it only makes you feel safe to go further, and do more. He made it feel really safe for us to dare, and to take risks.
"It always feels great when tracks blow up - and we never have any expectations - just we were so happy to make it, and we were really pleased with the result, especially as it's becoming popular around the world.
"And to be here in Sheffield - it's great to be back for 2024, and if we're invited to come back, we'll do it with open arms.
"The people are just so warm, and they really know how to get into it.
"We haven't really played in a while, and I really hope those who came to see our set feel that we're loving it too."
We caught up with one local performer, who took to the Open Arms on Saturday afternoon.
One of the newer stages on the Tramlines roster, this was the place was 'the perfect place to grab a pint and discover some of the best talent from Sheffield and beyond'.
Having been a staple part of the festival's makeup since 2021 - its perfect location between the Sarah Nulty Power of Music Stage and T'Other stage made it a great place to take a break and maybe uncover acts you'd never have done - in what was dolled-up to look like a pub.
'A great place to showcase Sheffield's talent'
One of those on the line-up was Sheffield's own Maasai.
His music is described as having slick, smooth and cool flows, keeping listeners hooked with his powerful punchlines and incredible beat selection which are all produced by Sheffield-based producer KDMADEIT.
He's perviously had a number of co-signs with U.K. rap legends, most notably Nines.
Maasai told us: "I'm not indie at all - and Sheffield is a very indie place - but you can take a lot from the indie crowd - there's a lot of interaction, and it's a very intimate form of music. Here in Sheffield, there's a lot of rap coming through, but it's going to take some time, I think.
"I spend a lot of time between Sheffield and London - where the rap scene is a lot bigger. There needs to be a lot more support for acts like mine here, because it's the urban scene that the capital's all about - but we need to bring it here too.
"Up here, it needs a bit more time, a bit more cohesion - but that's exactly why places like the Open Arms is a great place to showcase the talent we have here in the city.
"With Nines, I managed to get in touch with him because of a freestyle I did - playing homage to one of his older tracks - it was a mind-blowing moment for me.
"Now Tramlines is done, I've got my music videos to come - it's going to be a very exciting year!"
Another one of the city's exports - self-proclaimed as a 'dance rock alt band' - played on the Leadmill Stage as the first act on Sunday afternoon.
Static Lives are a product of South Yorkshire - and despite being from three corners of the country - have found their musical home in Sheffield.
Their debut single - Rush - was the first vinyl release from the new S&M record label - imprinted by Sheffield's very own 'Sidney and Matilda'.
They've only been together since January 2024, but have already been making waves on the music scene - having sold out their Sheffield gig in just the space of a week.
They told us: "Our label is from Sheffield - and it's awesome that we've had so much support across the music industry already.
"Our time at the Leadmill Stage just felt like an absolute blur - we were so excited to be here, but we loved it - and although we were the first ones to play on Sunday's line-up, we think the crowd loved it.
"We bill ourselves as a dance-rock band, and our two singles currently out on Spotify cater for a wide audience - some of the older crowd like our track, Social Anxiety, because of its 80s vibes - but we find our crowds love both of our songs.
"This has been our first proper festival playing - and we can only see our trajectory going up - and the spirit of Sheffield runs through us... we've tried Henderson's Relish, and it's definitely better than the other stuff!"
'You can learn a lot from the bands in Tramlines. The interactions from the crowd. The intimacy. You have to listen to the crowd.'
Maasai Dearlove showcased his passion for singing and rapping on the Open Arms stage- enticing the South Yorkshire crowd with clever wordplay.
Entering the music scene in 2018, Maasai has already worked with Producer KDMadeIt who aims to support UK and US talent.
"Do Both, is the song which defines me the most. Family Dinner is the single which everyone should listen to."
You can find out more about Tramlines and their contribution to the local community and grassroots talent on their website.
And this is where we get back to the ethos of the festival - which is 'Be More Nulty'.
Sarah was the Festival Director of Tramlines.
She passed away back in 2018, but to this day - the organisers say Sarah is still in the forefront of everything they do - calling her a 'constant inspiration to the Tramlines team and the wider music industry'.
Her legacy isn't just felt in the festival itself, but all around the city, however it was her passion for live music and running venues that culminated in Tramlines becoming her number one legacy.
Her remarkable contribution to the music scene has also been recognised with awards, songs and tributes - and that work is shown through the Foundation set up in her name, and the Main Stage named in her honour.
You can find out about what 'Be More Nulty' means here - and check out the Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation on their website.