Competition for the so-called smaller festivals is losing ground. Somerset and Leeds are no longer the safe havens of big-name bands. Tramlines 2025 proves, more than anything, that there is a shift in what festivalgoers want from three-day spectacles. It helps that all three headliners for this year are from Sheffield or nearby enough to be adopted into the top billing. A historic moment for the festival in getting not just the Jarvis Cocker-fronted band to play their first outdoor show in their hometown, but in the surprises further down the line-up. That is what the festival experience is all about. What can be found on T’Other Stage, the collection of comedians, and The Leadmill tents. A city still reeling from the loss of a truly great venue, though coming together to revel in some brilliant live music.
Thanks to a car clutch held together with a cable tie and a general distaste for the outdoors when temperatures are above 15C, our time at Tramlines was short but memorable. A stacked Friday showcase was worth arriving early for, as it meant catching John Cooper Clarke, the veteran poet whose chats with the audience are now more entertaining than his work. Still, a sweet experience to hear the punk poet at work. He was preceded by the John Shuttleworth comedy character, singing of lasagne and bringing on a list of well-written moments which felt spontaneous. Those intentional flubs are easy to pull off, but hard to convince of, and Shuttleworth does brilliantly to close out the Friday comedy feeling. Soon a transition into music is made, and the festival is at its best there.
You would hope so, given Tramlines’ longevity for quality line-ups. Paul Heaton, Wunderhorse, and Bloc Party appearing on the 2023 line-up is just a taste of how on the money Tramlines can be. 2025 is no exception. I Monster performing a rare show is a sincere pleasure to witness. Those who are feeling nostalgic for a band whose best work featured on Shaun of the Dead are joined by the next generation who have adapted the Neveroddoreven masterminds into their playlists. Who Is She? And Daydream in Blue are well-received during the half-hour set. Short enough to leave a lasting impression, but not long enough to overlap with Baxter Dury on the Sarah Nulty stage just a few minutes later. The beauty of smaller festivals is the walkability of it.
I Monster to Baxter Dury is only a few minutes away, such is the layout of the festival. Tramlines, like Bilbao BBK Live and Øyafestivalen, can pride themselves on how easy it is to access everything. Having no camping in Hillsborough Park certainly helps, but it is nice to see the festival grounds can cater to the forty-thousand-strong crowd. Having enough space for everyone is no small feat, especially when the headliners for Friday, Pulp, take to the stage. A set which does away with expectations of nostalgia and instead introduces a majority of songs from the new album More, as well as The Last Day of the Miner’s Strike, a song which has never been performed by the band at a gig before. Moments like this undermine the expectations of a festival set, and those in attendance, whether they like it or not, are all the better for it.
That is the real beauty of any festival – one which Tramlines gets right. Familiar artists like Kasabian and The Reytons, the latter still a formidable presence in the miserable “we could have been Arctic Monkeys scene”, are not the draw. Look lower on the list of acts and find some of the biggest and best artists around. The Last Dinner Party are hot off the heels of This is The Killer Speaking, the lead single of their second album. Their work is always a blast and is one of the many highlights on a very solid Tramlines line-up, one which the more tuned-in listener would hope lends itself to those in search of new acts. That is the purpose of a festival: to find some new sound or artist you can cling to and enjoy for years to come. Tramlines is a safe bet for those wanting to experience a fresh batch of promising artists and familiar favourites who, at least in Pulp’s case, are challenging festival set expectations.
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