Tramlines 2024 review: A step in the right direction
Laying on the grass in Hillsborough Park, the faint sound of Example delivering throwback after throwback to a crowd singing the words back to him and a Sheffield sun topping up tans everywhere, Tramlines Festival this year feels a million miles away compared to 2023’s offering. It was a biblically catastrophic year 12 months ago when the heavens opened, and the ground in Hillsborough Park was torn to shreds. All bands played in the pouring rain, and a confused and out-of-date line-up performed to a drenched and unwilling crowd. This time around, things feel different.
It doesn’t just come down to the weather, but the line-up feels like a better representation of music at large as opposed to one specific style of indie music that was popular 15 years ago. This has always been the issue with Tramlines and other indie festivals across the board, as they rely on throwback bands such as The Pigeon Detectives, The Zutons and The Enemy to draw in crowds, meaning line-ups begin to look stagnant, and the prospect of new artists making the grade are slim to none. It’s something not just Tramlines but other festivals of a similar calibre are criticised for frequently, and this year, while there is still a lot of nostalgia buried into the line-up, you get the impression that the festival has listened to these complaints.
When you look towards the main stage, for the most part, it’s business as usual. Artists such as Miles Kane, The Human League, Sophie Ellis Bexter and Bombay Bicycle Club flood the list, all of which delivered decent sets and, more importantly, their hits that drew punters in. However, differing from previous years, there is space for more modern offerings, including Sprints and Coach Party. Previously, bands like this would have been given slots in the second or third stage down, or, if they were on the main stage, they would be seen opening to empty crowds of the eager. This year, they get halfway up the bill, offering the crowd a glimpse into modern musical offerings.
Meanwhile, still offering what the main stage does, the T’Other stage also opens its doors to a healthier mix of music this year. The Saturday line-up is particularly exciting, as younger festival goers get to watch the likes of Otis Mensah, Coco and Jazzy, with Annie Mac delivering a blend of house and pop and Holly Humberstone topping the bill. The changes are small, but they’re exciting to see. So, with this line-up generally looking broader and like a better representation of both nostalgic and modern music, why is it one of Tramlines’ worst-performing years?
A lot could be attributed to the headliners. While we scrutinise every name on a festival line-up, the big ones in bold determine whether tickets will sell or not, and this year, they were lacklustre. No one denies the musical impact of artists like Paolo Nutini and Snow Patrol, but their hits are slow and don’t scream “summer party”. Jamie T certainly appeals to some as his unique regional sound never fails to draw in crowds, but the bottom line is all three names next to each other don’t make for the most appealing read.
The other reason could be the nature of Tramlines. It’s a staple in Sheffield at this point, starting in the city centre as a local offering and evolving into something much bigger. Its target audience isn’t fans of a certain type of music but is the people of Sheffield, which includes a healthy mix. You have the young and the old in attendance, families hitting up the festival with toddlers in tow, whilst teens and young adults go on their first festival sesh’s, and people nearly in their thirties cling to what youth they have left (the last one is me).
The truth is, Tramlines is always going to struggle with such a massive mix of people. I think what we saw in this year’s line-up is a festival well aware of the variety it attracts and trying its best to deliver an all-catering line-up to the city and the people it owes everything to. Props to Tramlines for this. It’s not an easy task, and the organisers, staff, artists, and everyone involved should be credited.
Enough of the hypotheticals, though, how was it? In a word, fantastic. I think it can be easy to overcomplicate festivals sometimes, as I have done in the past, and as I probably have done with the preceding 700 words, but as far as a knees up, drinking session and singalong is concerned, it was tough to go far wrong with the festival this year. The people of Sheffield had some of their highest spirits yet, which showed an all-around positive attitude surrounding the festival.
From the likes of mosh pits to jungle artists, newly Mercury-nominated English Teacher showing why they’re one of the most exciting new bands in the country or Jamie T sliding along the floor singing ‘If You Got The Money’, the festival was a barrage of fun. The audience sometimes seemed like a mishmash, and that was reflected in initially hesitant attitudes towards headliners opening sets, but it was hard to deny that Tramlines pulled out all the stops and delivered this year.
For a festival that finds itself in an impossible position regarding curating a line-up, it continues to do what it can for the people of Sheffield. The artists who perform here have the ability to latch on to the hometown pride that comes with the crowd and thrive off of it. It was a tricky year numbers-wise for the Sheffield weekend, but without a doubt, it was a step in the right direction and a lot of fun.
