Four years on from its move to Hillsborough Park, the 2022 edition of Tramlines has cemented itself as the pinnacle of Sheffield’s incredible live entertainment scene. 35 thousand fans entered the park each day this year for a full weekend of the best live acts both on the local, and national, stage.
For our first Tramlines as a magazine, we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend, besides maybe the weather. Coming just a few days after a heatwave blazed the UK, the weekend was plagued with intermittent showers and grey skies for the most part. But as if that would make any difference to a bunch of Sheffielders.
We wanted to take you through our weekend through the acts that we were lucky enough to see, and there was plenty of them.
Friday
Declan McKenna – On their way to becoming a household name, indie darling Declan McKenna was the perfect start to our Tramlines 2022 experience. The perfect summer artist, McKenna brought those vibes to the main stage for sure. With so many hits already to his name from just two albums. He almost definitely has a headliner slot somewhere in his future. With ten songs to play with, there was a fantastic mix of tracks from both his debut and sophomore records. The crowd loved every moment of Brazil alongside other favourites like The Key to Life On Earth and closing song British Bombs. With an impressive catalogue and following already, it won’t be long before Declan is the one closing the Main Stage one day.
Fave Tracks: British Bombs, Brazil
Lady Leshurr – One of the UKs best rap artists, which is really saying something at the moment, Lady Leshurr provided our taste of T’other stage for Friday. The Birmingham native brought the whole tent to life with a fierce performance. The best reception was of course for her smash-hit freestyle Queens Speech 4, which propelled her to the heights she is at today. She even got a few members of the crowd to climb up and perform it with her, it went OFF. Her set was buoyed by an incredible DJ who warmed the crowd up excellently and had everyone hyped for the star of the show, it was an exceptional all-around performance.
Fave Tracks: The Queens Speeches, especially No.4
Sam Fender – In his first ever festival headline slot, Sam Fender blew us away. He is one of the hottest properties in UK music right now, and it is easy to see why. You would be hard pressed to find an artist who is more universally loved than Sam at the moment, which was clear from the near 30,000 people watching. Despite having only two LPs under his belt, the Geordie icon weaved his way through a stellar set, with highlights from both albums as well as a couple of stand-alone singles. Tracks like Dead Boys and The Dying Light hit everyone deep, whereas hits like Seventeen Going Under and Hypersonic Missiles are already sing-along classics for everyone. For a debut headlining set, Sam was incredibly accomplished. He is only going to get better as well, the famous Pyramid Stage at Glasto is calling his name.
Fave Tracks: Dead Boys, Spit of You
Saturday
Everly Pregnant Brothers – I can’t think of many bands who could open a festival day in Sheffield better than Everly Pregnant Brothers. A parody band, universally loved across the city, with hits like No Oven No Pie and, of course, Hendo’s the Sheffield Natives had the crowd rocking. It wasn’t just their songs that drew attention and cheers either. The band performed in front of an iconic banner that read “F*ck Worcester Sauce, and F*ck The Tories”, delighting the crowd even further. Safe to say, after they were finished, we were more than up for Saturday’s events.
Fave Tracks: Hendo’s, No Oven No Pie
Alfie Templeman – Headlining The Leadmill Stage on Saturday was the unbelievable Alfie Templeman. I am writing this and struggling to find the words to capture the energy in that tent for his show. Filling the slot just before Kasabian graced the main stage, Alfie killed his 45-minute slot. It was a complete energy boost prior to Kasabian - everyone was moving, he got us ready for what was to come. The singer-songwriter blasted through hit after hit, treating us to songs taken from his 2022 debut album, alongside older hits from his many exceptional EPs and mini-albums, before bowing out with a shout out to The Leadmill, proving the venue isn’t just important for us Sheffield natives. Alfie is going right to the top, and we’ll be sure to follow him every step of the way.
Fave Tracks: 3D Feelings, Circles, Wait I Lied
Kasabian – I mean, what can we say about Kasabian that hasn’t been said a hundred times over already. They are still one of the best bands the UK has to offer, and they proved it yet again on Saturday. Serge Pizzorno is an absolutely electric frontman with a commanding yet humble presence on stage. Walking from The Leadmill Stage to our spot in the Main Stage crowd as Club Foot blasted out was a surreal experience for me, and the set just got better and better from there. Kasabian’s catalogue of bangers is as long as any and they seemed to manage to play all of them, as well as finding time to squeeze in tracks from their upcoming LP The Alchemist’s Formula. A worthy end to an incredible second day.
Fave Tracks: Club Foot, You’re in Love With a Psycho
Sunday
Scouting For Girls – Oh My God. This was definitely my highlight of the entire weekend. Scouting For Girls brought six tracks to a half-hour set on T’Other Stage and left us all speechless. The tent was at 180% capacity – there was that many of us that they had close off access to the field at one point, it was that full. It was life-affirming stuff both for us and the four lads. Taking us back in time with hits Heartbeat, Elvis Ain’t Dead and This Ain’t A Love Song before closing out with all-time great She’s So Lovely. It was a bucket list moment, and it was impossible to stop the tent from dancing.
Fave Tracks: LITERALLY ALL OF THEM
Reverend & The Makers – What can we say about Rev that you don’t already know? A Tramlines regular and Sheffield icon, Reverend & The Makers’ performances are always special, and this was no different. The intermittent rain wasn’t able to stop anyone having a good time. They managed to weave a brilliant mix of hits and new tracks into their 45 minutes with their biggest hit, Heavyweight Champion Of The World getting the biggest reaction. Live debuts were given to two banging new tracks as well: Heatwave In The Cold North and Problems. Reverend & The Makers have long since secured their place in Tramlines folklore, but that doesn’t stop them getting better and better every year.
Fave Tracks: Open Your Window, Heatwave in The Cold North
Madness – British music royalty Madness had the honour of closing out this year’s festival, and you would be hard pressed to find a better act to close a party. Being at the top of the game since they broke onto the scene in the late 1970s, the seasoned veterans put on a fantastic show, as they have done so many times before. Rattling off hit after hit, Suggs and company had the crowd in the palm of their hands, and even managed to bring the sun out on what had been a pretty soggy day. One Step Beyond sent the crowd into a frenzy while It Must Be Love had everyone’s arms swaying along. It was a beautiful end to the day, with the backdrop of one of the most incredible sunsets I’ve witnessed, Tramlines was sent off in style.
Fave Tracks: One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers
Tramlines 2022 was a joy to be a part of. Everyone from the headliners to the openers, the staff, and the fans; it was an all-out party from start to finish. It truly is a showcase of everything great about this city: green spaces, great food, great people and, of course, live music. Some of the acts are returning to the steel city on their own tours soon including Kasabian, The Wombats and Everly Pregnant Brothers. Tramlines never stops; weekend tickets are already flying out for next year, so get yours before they go … We can’t wait to see how they top this one!
Full review will be featured in our digital zine coming later this year.
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