WORDS AND IMAGES DESH KAPUR
It’s Tramlines time and I’m pretty excited, 3 days of the best of indie bands and artists all brought together for our listening and viewing pleasure, what could go wrong, well last year, the weather tried its best to derail the festival, it must have been the wettest festival experience I have ever had, let’s hope the sun shines on this weekend
Walking into the Tramlines showground on Friday it was packed, the sun was out and everyone was buzzing,
I had arrived early doors but the festival was already in full swing. That taste of excitement and anticipation was already hanging in the air.
My list of bands and artists was pretty full for the day, with so many acts and artists I wanted to see, including The Charlatans, Miles Kane, Been Steller and Soft Play to name just a few.
My first port of call was The Leadmill Stage named after the iconic Sheffield Venue, for London trio Mary and The Junk Yard, They played a great set of shoegaze sonic alt-pop. Think Beabadoobee and Wolf Alice, singer Clari switches between guitar and bass and Saya’s use of viola was brilliant, demonstrating the band’s versatility and adding extra texture to their sound, a perfect way to start the day
A quick walk across the festival and I was at the Sarah Nulty stage for the always excellent Miles Kane, Ex Rascal and Shadow Puppet, a chameleon of styles and images; Mod, Pirate and now 70’s inspired Northern Soulboy, but one thing that never changes is the polished rocking live performance that will be delivered, I did think it was an early start for Miles, but the field in front of the main stage was packed.
And from start to finish, he did not disappoint, launching into a storming set of Northern Soul-tinged Indie Blues-Rock, delivered in the coolest way possible. This man oozes cool! Kane stomped through songs spanning all his albums, including his latest release ‘One Man Band” Miles Kane never fails to put on a show and hold the audience in the palm of his hand.
I got back to the Leadmill stage just in time for a band that I only checked out recently when I was sent a copy of their debut long player “ Scream from New York, NY” and its an impressive record, I was hoping I’d be leaving the Leadmill tent feeling the same as I did listening to the album, like Mary and the Junk Yard before them, their sound is a 90’s grunge/ shoegaze-y and they do it very well. Been Steller was excellent and a band to watch, there are some very cool bands coming out of New York right now and these boys are one of them
It was T’Other stage for a lad a lot of people seem to be talking about Scotland’s latest vibing busker Dylan John Thomas, and he produced a great set of acoustic indie pop, reminiscent of Gerry Cinnamon but with a little more folk-tinged edge, very nice, see you at a show very soon.
Then it was time for Manchester lads Corella. And they are impressive, exciting live with a refined, smooth take on alt-pop/rock, signed to highly vibing Manchester record label ‘Scruff Of The Neck”. These lads are all about catchy choruses and clever riffs, all backed up with the confidence of a band who know they are going places.
Next up a band I couldn’t wait to see, the punk juggernaut Soft Play, formerly Slaves and the Kent punk-duo – Isaac Holman (vocals/drums) and Laurie Vincent (guitar) didn’t disappoint, putting on the best show of the day, Its punk to the core, but there is tinges of pop and even hints of the Streets, all served up in a undeniably British way. Isaac’s incredible ability to sing whilst bashing S$%T out of his drum kit, is amazing, Laurie is equally as impressive on the guitar, never standing still for a second and the sound they put out would be impressive enough if it was produced by a four-piece, never mind a two-piece. But all that aside, they write a great song, with a big shouty catching chorus and lyrics that seem to resonate”. From start to finish, the crowd sang and shouted at the top of their voices, they moshed and kind of danced and they loved every minute of it and so did I. Soft Play is a great band, very refreshing and much needed in a music landscape that often feels bland, boring and without imagination. Add to this the fact they are exciting and exceptional live, what’s not to love, so if you have the chance to go to a gig in the next 12 months, put Soft Play at the top of your list.
Liverpool Indie rockers The Mysterines were next and they produced an electrifying set of dirty grunge rock, Lia Metcalfe’s voice was mesmerizing, powerful and effortless. The Mysterines have a distinctive rock edge blended with their twist on their Indie upbringings – brilliant stuff!
To finish the first day, it was a choice between Paulo Nutini and the Charlatans with their indie, baggy bangers and it was no choice at all. The Charlatans all the way! Tim dressed in a big baggy jumper, jeans and dark sunglasses with his striking blonde mop top and the next hour or so flew by in an instant, “The Only One I Know”, the brilliant “North Country Boy” and 2015’s “Come Home Baby” all shone brightly, sitting next to each other in brilliant unison.
Some people believe The Charlatans lived in the shadow of bands like The Stone Roses, but their body of work Charlatans shows that’s not the case, they never walked in anyone’s shadow, they cast their own and they walk side by side, shoulder to shoulder with any band of the last 35 years, a truly great band…
And that was it, my first day at Tramlines. The sun shone, the band were brilliant and the people loved it all, what more could you ask for
Following a sun drenched 2024 edition of Tramlines Festival, Sheffield’s biggest party, Super Early Bird tickets for the 2025 edition will go on sale on Friday 2nd August at 12pm. Priced at £89.50 + booking fee, these are the best value tickets revellers can lay their hands on for Tramlines 2025 when it returns to Hillsborough Park from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 July. Historically, Early Bird tickets sell out within minutes, so to be in with the best chance of securing one, the advice is to sign up for priority access at www.tramlines.org.uk before 2nd August.
FOLLOW THE CHARLATANS
FOLLOW THE MYSTERINES
FOLLOW SOFT PLAY
FOLLOW CORELLA
FOLLOW DYLAN JOHN THOMAS
FOLLOW BEEN STELLER
FOLLOW MILES KANE
FOLLOW MARY AND THE JUNKYARD
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
