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Tramlines 2025 at Hillsborough Park in Sheffield was, in a word, euphoric.

From start to finish, with showstopping sets from hometown heroes to a field full of people sharing the moment that England’s Lionesses retained their Euros title in nail-biting style, the weather, the bands, the fans, and the idyllic scenery all combined to make a weekend to remember for a long time.

Pulp were the main draw for Friday’s proceedings, but they didn’t just headline the day; they hand-picked the line-up, which made for a wonderfully unique and eclectic run of bands that each left their mark.

The first 2 bands on the main stage both featured a relation to Jarvis, his son’s band Spanish Horses played a set that started the day with a sound that was reminiscent of The Cribs at their finest, and his nephew’s band Femur absolutely blew the cobwebs (and nearly the PA) away with an energetic and engaging show that made them a highlight of the day.

Femur frontman Felix displays many of his uncle’s characteristics, from looks to shape throwing moves, but blends them with a more Justin Hawkins style of delivery, ramping up the rock and definitely making an impression. A fantastic band that will blow the roofs off the smaller venues they play – well worth seeing.

Living legend punk poet John Cooper Clarke treated a rammed tent to a set of rapid-fire poems and clever word play, delivered with the rhythmic flow of a horse racing commentator on T’other stage. He suffered slightly from some volume issues but had the whole of the audience on his side with his poems “Sheffield,” “Twat” and “Evidently Chickentown” all stealing the show.

The batshit crazy Baxter Dury put on a commanding performance on the main stage, even though half the time he looks like he’s bored by the whole affair and the rest he’s striking martial arts poses or wrapping himself around his mic stand. He feels like a man on the edge, and there’s zero filter – in fact, it was a close call between him and Cooper Clarke as to whose was the most expletive-filled set of the day.

The lush electronica-fused sound of John Grant was an engaging and fun experience over on T’other stage. “All That School for Nothing” from his latest album was a funky, soulful blast, and in a short set, he captured everyone in the tent, ending with the stone-cold classic “GMF,” which is one of those tracks that sticks in the brain for ages after you hear it. Grant is a proper class act, and a longer set would have been great, but you take what you can get at these kinds of festivals, and what we got was special.

It was then left to Pulp to make their homecoming, and they did not disappoint. Jarvis and the band were welcomed as the heroes they are. With the new album More featuring heavily the likes of “Spike Island” and “Grown Ups”, they were well received with their quirky storytelling vibes. The biggies like “Sorted for E’s and Whizz” and “Disco 2000” got the massive reactions you’d imagine, but a track like “Sheffield: Sex City” that hadn’t been played live in nearly 15 years landed extremely well.

“This is Hardcore” had Black Sabbathesque vibes to it, which sounded amazing, and then they brought local hero and former member Richard Hawley on stage as special guest turning up the crowd volume yet again, with the sons of Sheffield combining on a wondrous “Sunrise” and “Last Day of the Miners’ Strike”.

The field in Hillsborough that was hosting Tramlines must have registered on some Richter scale somewhere when they played “Do You Remember the First Time?” and then again when they brought back Hawley for the encore of “Common People” as the crowd was just a homogenous sea of bouncing limbs. Pulp is a different class and proved it.

Day two began with a chuckle at Lucy Beaumont on the comedy stage before getting a ridiculous number of steps in by picking bands on all three of the big stages throughout the day to catch as many of the bands as possible, beginning with the effortlessly cool She’s In Parties. Even with an early timeslot, they drew a decent crowd who were rewarded with a gorgeous set of shoegazy dream-pop – either they were in the know, or they liked what they heard as they passed by the tent, in which case they probably discovered their new favourite band for the weekend.

THE K’s played on the main stage, having dropped their new album a mere 24 hours earlier. They’ve been popping up everywhere recently on support slots with bands like James and so on, and are predicting (albeit themselves) that the album will hit No.1 in the charts. They are building some momentum, so they may well be playing higher up on festival bills this time next year.

The not-so-surprising surprise package of the day was Natasha Bedingfield, who received one of, if not the best, receptions of the weekend with her hit-filled set. The crowd were in strong voice as she played “Single,” “These Words,” and one of the best songs ever written in “Unwritten.” The sound of a full crowd singing along was a pure goosebump-inducing moment. Her voice is incredible, and there’s a generous amount of Stevie Nicks inspiration in both her look and stage presence, making it hard to take your eyes off her as she performed.

The hits kept coming with the legendary voice of M People, Heather Small – who looked and sounded stunning. Every song was a stone-cold classic, from “One Night in Heaven,” “Sight for Sore Eyes” to “Proud” and “Moving on Up” the crowd saw a master at work. Phenomenal.

It was down to Franz Ferdinand to keep the energy going over on the main stage, and even after 2 decades, they have lost none of it. Frontman Alex Kapranos barely had his feet on the ground as he leapt, and scissor kicked his way about the stage – it was no wonder as “Do You Want To” and “Take Me Out” were easily two of the bounciest tracks anyone heard all day.

Localish lads The Reytons headlined the main stage. Even if they hadn’t come a long way to get here, they’d come a long way to get here after years of playing the fringe venues. They drew a huge crowd and took their moment with style – but the draw of a fun and energetic set from Brighton’s Rizzle Kicks was too tempting to avoid, as a packed T’other stage proved. It was one of the largest and bounciest crowds the tent saw all weekend. They were infectiously fun, and the full band added to the set – a great way to end the day.

Sunday felt a little light line-up-wise compared to the rest of the weekend, but there were still plenty of gems to be found around the site.

Russell Howard’s set was hilarious, showing why he’s one of England’s finest comedians. Queer alt-pop duo Cowz were fantastic on the Leadmill Stage with their punk, pop electronica, causing quite a stir, and even better were Cork band Cliffords, who were visibly shocked to see a packed tent in front of them – and equally excited to be in Sheffield as the guitarists’ favourite film was made there.

They are a band to see as soon as you can – their indie rock is a cathartic experience with shades of Wolf Alice, and in vocalist Iona Lynch, they have both a secret weapon and an unfair advantage. She’s a burst of energy and as engaging as they come. One of the discoveries of the weekend for sure.

There was only one place to be on Sunday afternoon as the whole of Sheffield seemingly congregated at T’other stage for the wonderful CMAT’s set. She’s not only on a high at the moment but every time she steps on stage, she’s becoming more and more of a superstar – and she’s doing it with her unique brand of humour, style and sass. She’s hilarious to watch and a wickedly talented performer who does everything with her tongue firmly in her cheek. She’ll be in massive venues before long, so catch her on the next tour while you can.

The Last Dinner Party added a touch of class to the main stage with their delicious-sounding indie rock and exquisite theatrical flair. Their dramatic flair and theatrical presence are perfectly personified by Abigail as she sweeps and flows her way around the heavily Ancient Greek inspired stage set, and their Kate Bush, Bowie and Roxy Music influences are clear to see. They had a lot of fans in attendance, but almost definitely converted the casual listeners there, too.

With a lengthy gap between The Last Dinner Party and the headliners, Tramlines showed the Euro final on the big screens of the main stage. As the crowd collectively held their breath while the England women’s team took the game to a penalty shootout, the boys in Kasabian had to delay their stage entrance.

When the iconic Chloe Kelly struck the winning penalty, the tens of thousands of fans exploded in absolute pure joy and ecstasy – a shared moment that will never be forgotten – and one that could have been even more iconic had Kasabian come onstage wearing England shirts and launched straight into “Club Foot” instead of teasing a few snippets of other people’s songs and opening with “Call” from their latest album. When they played “Club Foot”, the crowd erupted again, and the energy levels were at the highest they had been all weekend. Serge’s confidence, a tribute to Ozzy and a bagful of absolute bangers all led to a euphoric closing of the festival.

Tramlines is pretty hard to beat in terms of family-friendly festivals, and they deliver year on year. It has the perfect balance of nostalgia and new – and is fiercely proud to showcase new local and upcoming artists of all different genres across its stages – and we already have our sights set on returning for next year’s party.

Tramlines Festival returns to Hillsborough from July 24th to July 26th, 2026, and you can keep updated with all the lineup news and ticket info at the Official Tramlines Website.