Photo Credit: Alicia Woods
The annual Sheffield festival Tramlines returned to Hillsborough Park for yet another action packed weekend filled with some of the UK’s finest up and coming acts, festival staples and AAA headliners, included two local names for the first time ever.
The Friday line-up consisted of a main stage billing curated by legendary Sheffield band Pulp, who were making their debut at the festival with a headline slot. Kicking things off on The Open Arms stage were Stockport based quartet The Rolling People. Having released their new single ‘Edge of the Knife‘ just six weeks prior to their Tramlines slot, this gave the band a great opportunity to show the crowd that flocked to their smaller stage what they are all about. Showcasing a mixture of influences from modern day indie, to 90’s Britpop, the audience welcomed their with (no pun intended) open arms.
Also performing on the same stage were local lads Jetski. No strangers to the festival after a previous slot on The Leadmill stage, the quartet were invited back to perform The Open Arms, giving them a more intimate atmosphere which they still adore to this day.
As expected, the Friday line-up was the first of the day tickets to sell out which saw the return of Sheffield icons Pulp perform their biggest hometown show to date. After the announcement of their 2022 reunion, the band went onto to sell out two dates at Sheffield Arena the following year, and with a new album on the horizon, further live dates were clearly in site. Just six weeks on from their first record in 14 years, ‘More‘ topped the Official UK Album Charts and set up their Tramlines headline slot with new music set to feature. Opening the set with their returning single ‘Spike Island‘, the whole field were up off of their feet after a long day in the sun. Further ‘More‘ tracks featured right off of the bat including ‘Grown Ups’ and ‘Slow Jam’ before a duo from ‘Different Class‘ followed. ‘Sorted for E’s and Wizz‘ and the timeless classic ‘Disco 2000‘, the latter of course getting a huge roaring cheer that could be heard throughout Hillsborough.
Former member and good friend of the band Richard Hawley was invited on stage, which saw the Pitsmoor legend perform a series of songs for the duration of the night. ‘Sunrise’ followed by the live debut of ‘Last Day of the Miners’ Strike‘ were both received positively. Hawley exited for the time being as ‘Do You Remember the First Time?‘ picked up the energy once again before Hawley returned for the grand finale of ‘Common People‘ and finally ‘A Sunset’ as the darkness began to take over the park and conclude a perfect evening for the first night of Tramlines 2026.
Saturday saw a number of local names perform The Leadmill stage, with The Denabys kicking things off. The youngsters packed out the tent for their early afternoon slot, which saw a huge mosh pit unfold during ‘Geronimo‘ for an electric start to the second day. Fellow South Yorkshire act Freddie Halkon packed out the tent even more, with the crowd overflowing to the outside with barely any sight of the Doncaster youngster. Despite a helping hand from The Reytons, Halkon has quickly equipped a huge fanbase and this performance allowed proved that. Kicking off his set with ‘Coming Round Again‘, beers were flying across the tent and people up on shoulders right from the start. Freddie concluded his near-homecoming with ‘Girl in the Smoking Area‘ which was met with the loudest singalong of the set, with the Doncaster man grinning from ear to ear throughout the show.
Having release their sophomore album ‘Pretty on the Internet’ just 24 hours prior to their main stage slot, The K’s returned to Tramlines after a triumphant set at The Leadmill stage back in 2023. A packed field welcomed the Earlestown quartet and they wasted no time in getting the ball rolling. Opening with ‘Gravestone‘, a clear favourite already from the crowd, saw the front section going crazy. The energy continued through with ‘Icarus‘ and ‘Chancer‘ as The K’s electric performance never seems to die despite relentlessly touring over the last few years. The chemistry between Ryan and Jamie continues to impress before ‘Sarajevo‘ concluded The K’s return to the Steel City.
Having sold out hometown shows at City Hall Ballroom and The Octagon, and working their way up the Tramlines bill over the years, The Rosadocs stormed The Leadmill stage as they aimed to leave their mark. A theme played a huge part across the weekend for this stage, every act was in huge demand. Once again, the tent was overflowing with people as those on the outside were left with no choice but to listen to the bands and the chaotic crowd. The Rosadocs thrive on crowd interaction, and there was plenty of it throughout. Set list regulars ‘Bittersweet‘, ‘Towards the Sun‘ and the emotional ‘Cross to Bear‘ were an excellent mixture of sounds before Keelan made his way onto the barrier for the finale of ‘Run Away Instead’.
Making it two for two with local headliners, The Reytons topped the bill for Saturday night. Continuing to voice their independence no matter where they go, there is one thing they do rely on, the fans. Flocking in their thousands to the main stage, a grand entrance of a wooden horse was wheeled out on stage. People were left puzzled, but as the voice over said, “we infiltrate”. Dozens of masked men poured out from the backdrop, armed with baseball bats and riot shields before parting for the four members, met with an almighty roar. Taking their positions, ‘Red Smoke‘ kicked off arguably their most important set of their lives. The whole of Hillsborough Park was covered in red smoke from the dozens of flares that were lifted into the air. Their latest single ‘Guilt Trip‘ quickly followed, with the more electric sound certainly keeping up the momentum before leading into more familiar territory. ‘Harrison Lesser‘, ‘2006’ and ‘Market Street‘ were all met with a positive reaction, from loud singing from the crowd to those at the back utilising the space around them to let loose and dance.
Jonny Yerrell then brought on stage a young fan who requested to play ‘Slice of Lime‘, which wasn’t set to feature in the set until later but he allowed the moment to take place, with a roaring Tramlines crowd showing their support. Back to business for the remainder of their show, a live debut of ‘Seven In Search of Ten‘ along with ‘Slice of Lime‘ before concluding with ‘Broke Boys Cartel‘ saw the Rotherham band exit the stage, with an encore looming. A quick return to the main stage, the band churned out three more tracks. After ‘On the Back Burner’ kicked things back off, arguably their two biggest hits followed. The first being ‘Kids Off the Estate‘, a track that pays homage to their youth, while the grand finale came in the form of ‘Low Life‘ to give the Hillsborough Park punters one last chance to let loose once and for all.
As Tramlines 2025 came to a close, and an earlier ending for a Sunday night, it was the return of Kasabian that saw out the festival in style. Having made their debut back in 2022, the Leicester band were in full force with a new record under their belt. Just three weeks prior to its release, and securing their sixth straight number one album, ‘Call‘ kicked off the show, keeping ‘Happenings‘ on people’s radar. The eerie intro of ‘Club Foot‘ loomed over the park, with the packed field beginning to realise that a pure festival anthem was about to unleash. Serge was jumping around the stage, adrenaline flowing and it was only the second song. The chorus was of course sung the loudest, but with still a large chunk of the set to get through, there was plenty more big hitters yet to arrive.
Dedicated to the late Ozzy Osbourne, who had passed just a matter of days before the festival, Serge dedicated fan favourite ‘Underdog‘ to the heavy metal legend. Further crowd pleasers ‘Days Are Forgotten‘, ‘Shoot the Runner‘ and ‘You’re In Love with a Psycho‘ immediately after before bringing it back to ‘Happenings‘ with the bands’ single ‘Coming Back to Me Good‘. Serge continued to control the audience with his sheet energy, as Kasabian rounded off with a trio of more known material in the form of ‘Vlad the Impaler‘, ‘Empire‘ and ‘L.S.F.‘ As they exited the stage, it was still early in the evening, and clearly time for a couple of more anthems. The band returned to conclude the 2025 edition of Tramlines with ‘Bless This Acid House’ and finally ‘Fire‘ as they bowed out of Sheffield with a roaring cheer and a perfect ending to a weekend full of sunshine, music and good old Yorkshire vibes.
Tramlines returns to Hillsborough Park on Friday 24th – 26th July 2026
Taped Magazine 