The Tramlines Festival is an annual music festival held in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, UK. The festival was originally free to attend, but now requires tickets. The line-up consists of national and local artists. The festival was curated and organised by a panel comprising local venue owners, promoters and volunteers. The name of the festival is inspired by the city's

tram network A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

. Tramlines held its first festival in 2009, which attracted 35,000 fans and was seen as a huge success, and 2010's event doubled that figure. The success of Tramlines Festival 2011 led to the event winning 'Best Metropolitan Festival' at the UK Festival Awards. Superstruct Entertainment, the live entertainment platform backed by Providence Equity Partners, owns the festival after it entered definitive agreement for the acquisition of several live music and entertainment festivals from

Global Media & Entertainment Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrysa ...

and Broadwick Live.

Venues

The festival took place at over 70 venues and four main stages in the city centre, including Devonshire Green,

The Leadmill The Leadmill is the longest running live music venue and nightclub in Sheffield, England, based on Leadmill Road, lying on the southeast edge of the city centre. It opened in 1980 in a former flour mill, originally a Community Centre. The ven ...

, The Viper Rooms, The Fat Cat, O2 Academy Sheffield, Barkers Pool,

The University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

, The Harley, The Bowery, the Peace Gardens, Yellow Arch and the main stage at Ponderosa Park with a capacity of 8,000 until 2017. In January 2018 it was announced that the festival would be moving out of the city centre to a new venue in Hillsborough Park, Sheffield, and would consist of four stages including a main stage. The new venue would allow the capacity at the main stage to be around 40,000, with the capacity reduced to 30,000 for the 2019 event.

Festivals

2009

Tramlines held its first festival in 2009. Notable artists such as Rolo Tomassi, Just Jack,

Toddla T Thomas Mackenzie Bell (born 22 February 1985), better known by the stage name of Toddla T, is an English DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Biography Bell was raised in Sheffield where he attended Ki ...

Pixie Lott Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ov ...

Little Boots Victoria Christina Hesketh (born 4 May 1984), better known by her stage name Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter and DJ. She was previously a member of the band Dead Disco. Since performing as a solo artist she has releas ...

, Example, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster,

The XX The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...

and Reverend and The Makers, who headlined, played at the festival. The festival was a huge success, attracting 35,000 fans. The organizers, as well as councillors and Sheffielders, praised the festival. The festivals popularity, along with positive reviews, led to the 2010 event being announced. The festival-goers had to queue to get wristbands, which gave them access to the different stages. 2009's festival recycled 400 litres of paper, 2080 litres of plastic and 560 litres of aluminium in the outdoor venues alone. This led to an environmental campaign in 2010 in which the festival seeks to reduce its environmental impact.

2010

Tramlines Festival 2010 was held from 23 to 25 July. 250 artists performed, and several venues were added, including Sheffield University's Octagon Centre, Tudor Square,

, O2 Academy Sheffield, Winter Gardens and the main stage at Devonshire Green increased in capacity from 5,000 to 8,000. Headliners were Echo and the Bunnymen, Mystery Jets, Simian Mobile Disco DJ set,

Professor Green Stephen Paul Manderson (born 27 November 1983), better known by his stage name Professor Green or simply Pro Green, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, television personality and mental health activist from London. Growing up on ...

Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Esono Danquah III ( ; born 14 September 1986), known by the stage name Tinchy Stryder, is a Ghanaian-British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor. Stryder has released three solo studio albums, '' Star in the Hood'' (2 ...

Future of the Left Future of the Left are a Welsh alternative rock band based in Cardiff. The group consists of former Mclusky members Andrew Falkous (vocals, guitar) and Jack Egglestone (drums) and former Million Dead bassist Julia Ruzicka. History Beginnings F ...

Darwin Deez Darwin Deez is an American Independent music, indie band from New York City signed to music label Lucky Number Music. The group's frontman, Darwin Deez (Darwin Merwan Smith), grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, ...

, Macka B,

The King Blues The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of t ...

The Hoosiers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single " Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ''Born to Do It'', was released in 2000, after which he has re ...

Dum Dum Girls Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee (née Kristin Gundred). She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to the Vaselines' al ...

, Annie Mac and

. The festival remained free, and the wristband system was scrapped, replaced with a first-come-first-served

turnstile A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a ...

system. The festival attracted 65,000 people. New events at the 2010 festival included a Youth Music Festival, Blues trail and a Ceilidh. The festival also focused on reducing its environmental impact in 2010. This pledge included a solar powered headphone disco on Devonshire Green, major recycling areas at all of the outdoor stages, and cheap accommodation via Unite.

2011

Tramlines 2011 took place from 22 to 24 July, with an estimated 175,000 revellers in attendance. Over 70 venues took part, with four main stages and at least 200 live acts. Headliners and other notable acts included Ash,

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...

The Futureheads The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland, formed in 2000. The band consists of Ross Millard (vocals and guitar), David "Jaff" Craig (vocals and bass guitar) and brothers Barry Hyde (vocals and guitar) and Dave Hyde (drums ...

Heaven 17 Heaven 17 are an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of Martyn Ware (keyboards) and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) (both previously of the Human League), and ...

, Dananananaykroyd,

David Rodigan David Michael "Ram Jam" Rodigan MBE OD (born 24 June 1951) is a British radio DJ who also performs as a disc jockey. Known for his selections of reggae and dancehall music, he has played on stations including Radio London, Capital 95.8, Ki ...

, Dry The River,

Michael Prophet Michael George Haynes (3 March 1957 – 16 December 2017), known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s ...

, Frankie & The Heartstrings,

Los Campesinos! Los Campesinos! are a seven-piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Though the band formed in Wales, none of the members are Welsh people, Welsh. The band has gone through several lineup changes dur ...

, Rolo Tomassi,

Dead Sons Dead Sons are an English rock band formed in Sheffield, featuring two ex-members of Milburn (Thomas Rowley and Joe Green). Members *Thomas Rowley - vocals, organ, piano, guitars *Ryan Sellars - bass *Mathew 'Bernie' Byrne - percussion, mari ...

, Skint & Demoralised,

The Crookes The Crookes were a British indie rock band who formed in Sheffield in 2007. They released their first single "A Collier's Wife" in 2009 as part of the Too Pure singles club, followed by single "Bloodshot Days" that was released on Heist or H ...

and

. New additions were made to the festival, including 'The Folk Forest', a folk music event taking place in Endcliffe Park, 1.5 miles from the city centre.

2012

Tramlines 2012 took place on Friday 20 July to Sunday 22 July. Headliners included Reverend & The Makers,

Roots Manuva Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succ ...

and

We Are Scientists We Are Scientists is a New York City-based rock band that formed in Berkeley, California, in 1999. It consists primarily of guitarist and vocalist Keith Murray and bass guitarist Chris Cain, with drummer Keith Carne joining the band in the studi ...

, with

Spector Spector is a guitar manufacturing company. It has been based in Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders ...

, Ms Dynamite, Mr Scruff,

Julio Bashmore Mathew Stephen Walker, better known by the stage name Julio Bashmore, is an English house music producer and DJ. Discography Albums * 2015: "Knockin' Boots" (Broadwalk Records) Singles and EPs * 2009: ''Julio Bashmore EP'' (Dirtybird Records) ...

Koreless Lewis Roberts, better known by the stage name Koreless, is a British electronic musician and recording artist. He released his debut album, ''Agor'', in 2021. History Roberts was born in Wales and spends the majority of his time in Glasgow. ...

, Ifan Daffyd, Clock Opera and

also playing over the weekend, amongst others.

Weston Park Weston Park is a country house in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, England, set in more than of park landscaped by Capability Brown. The park is located north-west of Wolverhampton, and north-east of Telford, close to the border with Shrop ...

hosted a stage for the first time in the festival's history.

2013

Tramlines 2013, took place from Friday 19th to Sunday 21 July. For the first time in the history of the festival, an entry fee was charged at £6 per day, though the event retained a large free fringe element.

2014

The main headlining acts were

Katy B Kathleen Anne Brien (born 8 May 1989), better known as Katy B, is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, '' On a Mission'', in 2011, which spawned two top five hits, "Katy on a Mission" and " Lights On". In 2014 ...

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

The Cribs The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths guit ...

and Annie Mac. The fee was increased to £12 per day, and early bird tickets were available in advance at £28 for all three days.

2015

Tramlines 2015 took place on Friday 24th to Sunday 26 July. The main stage moved from Devonshire Green to Ponderosa Park to increase the venue capacity. Tickets cost £30 for the weekend. Headliners included Sugar Hill Gang, Neneh Cherry, Slaves, The Charlatans, Basement Jaxx, and Buzzcocks.

2016

Tramlines 2016 took place on Friday 22nd to Sunday 24 July. Headliners included

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. D ...

and

Catfish and the Bottlemen Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British indie rock band from Wales. The band's debut album, ''The Balcony'', reached number 10 in the UK Albums Chart and achieved Platinum status on 30 December 2016. The band have toured in South America, Jap ...

2017

Tramlines 2017 ran from Friday 21 July 2017 to Sunday 23 July 2017. Headliners included

The Libertines The Libertines are an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, has also included John Hassall ...

Metronomy Metronomy are an English electronic music group formed in 1999. As of 2021, the band consists of Joseph Mount (vocals, keyboards and guitar), Oscar Cash (keyboards, backing vocals, guitar and saxophone), Anna Prior (drums and vocals), Olugbeng ...

, Primal Scream,

The Coral The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band emerged during the early 2000s. Their 2002 debut album '' The Coral'', from which came the single " Dreaming of You", was nominated for ...

, Kano and All Saints. 2017 also saw the return of the Devonshire Green stage, alongside the Ponderosa Park stage and The Folk Forest.

2018

Tramlines 2018 ran from 20 July 2018 until 22 July at Hillsborough Park. Tickets were sold in six tiers with the first and second tier being sold out within days. Weekend admission tickets to Hillsborough Park cost £79. The line-up consists of Stereophonics,

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...

's High Flying Birds and

's TS5 as well as other acts including Stefflon Don, Mabel,

Blossoms In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...

, De La Soul,

Jake Bugg Jake Bugg (born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy on 28 February 1994) is an English singer-songwriter. His self-titled debut album, '' Jake Bugg'', some of which was co-written with songwriter Iain Archer, was released in October 2012 and reached num ...

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

Everything Everything Everything Everything are an English art rock band from Manchester that formed in late 2007. Noted for their eclectic sound and complex, sociopolitical lyrics, the band have released six albums to date – 2010's '' Man Alive'', 2013's '' Arc'' ...

, Mystery Jets,

Shed Seven Shed Seven are a alternative rock band, formed in York in 1990. One of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s, they continue to write, record and release music over thirty years later. They originally comprised sin ...

, Milburn, Reverend and The Makers. The new capacity of the event was 40,000 The festival's namesake Supertram network went on strike for the duration of the 2018 festival, over pay and working conditions; free tram replacement buses were provided as shuttles between festival venues as a result. Over £30,000 was raised at the festival in 2018 for both Cavendish Cancer Care and

Cancer Charity.

2019

Tramlines 2019 was held from 19 July until 21 July in Hillsborough Park, headlined by

Two Door Cinema Club Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor, Northern Ireland. The band formed in 2007 and is composed of three members: Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths), Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Kevin Baird (bass, syn ...

, the Courteeners and Nile Rodgers &

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

. Other acts included the

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...

Rag'n'Bone Man Rory Charles Graham (born 29 January 1985), better known as Rag'n'Bone Man, is an English singer and songwriter. He is known for his deep baritone voice. His first hit single, "Human", was released in 2016, and his debut album of the same nam ...

Doves Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder (bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joine ...

, Reverend and The Makers, Johnny Marr, Sleeper, Peter Hook and the light,

Miles Kane Miles Peter Kane (born 17 March 1986) is an English musician, best known as a solo artist and the co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets. He was also the former frontman of the Rascals, before the band announced their break-up in August 2009. ...

, Circa Waves,

Lewis Capaldi Lewis Marc Capaldi ( ; born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards. In March 2019, his single " Someone You Loved" topped the UK Singles Chart wher ...

and

Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

. The main stage was renamed to ''Nulty’s Main Stage'' in honour of the late Festival Director, Sarah Nulty, who died just three weeks before the festival's 10th Anniversary in 2018. Tramlines won the "Best Metropolitan Festival" award at the UK Festival Awards 2019, the second time the festival had won this award.

2020

Tramlines 2020 was set to return to Hillsborough Park, Sheffield from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2020. On 7 May 2020 it was announced that the festival had been cancelled as a result of the social distancing measures that were in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The line-up consisted of headliners Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown,

and Madness, as well as

The Kooks The Kooks () are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums). Their music is primarily influenced by th ...

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album '' Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". ...

DMA's DMA'S (stylised in all caps) are an Australian three-piece rock band formed in 2012 in Sydney. The band is composed of Tommy O'Dell, Matt Mason, and Johnny Took. They gained popularity for their debut single " Delete" and for their self-titled ...

and Pale Waves. For the first time the second stage, t'Other was to be open for the full three days of the festival.

2021

The festival returned in 2021, with the festival taking place between July 23rd-25th.

2022

Tramlines 2022 is scheduled to run from Friday 22 July to Sunday 24 July. The lineup was revealed in November 2021 and expanded in March 2022.

References

External links

Official festival website

Official Hallam FM Tramlines
{{authority control Music festivals in South Yorkshire Rock festivals in England Music in Sheffield Tourist attractions in Sheffield 2009 establishments in England Free festivals Music festivals established in 2009 Events in Sheffield