Latest news with #TheLeadmill
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fans and musicians share memories of Sheffield's The Leadmill
It is a venue that has been associated with music in Sheffield for 45 years, but The Leadmill has hosted its final gig and club night after losing a long battle with its landlords. For fans, musicians and the city it marks the end of an era. For Neil White, a gig-goer in its heyday, the venue will always be "iconic"."People of my age who came to uni in Sheffield, it's just so ingrained in our memories," the 52-year-old said."You feel part of Sheffield. It's the dirty brick. You feel like you're part of the steel city."What you are experiencing is gold because of the music."For Mr White his memories are forever linked to those student nights and £1 vodka and Red Bulls in the 1990s."It was fantastic and people came here, week in and out. I remember the sticky floors." For Sheffield guitarist and singer Richard Hawley, who has played with Pulp, The Leadmill was comparable to the other great northern cradles of live music."It's our Cavern Club, our Hacienda and once the doors close that history's wiped out," he has played The Leadmill more than any other artist, from his first gig with his father and uncle aged 16, through to his most recent show 42 years later, at 58."I've danced on that floor with my wife and with friends who are not here any more."It's just a special place. It is so woven into the very fabric of who we are."The Electric Group acquired the freehold to the building in 2017 and gave the management of The Leadmill notice to owners have said that it will remain as a music venue, but a name change is a long legal fight, The Leadmill's hopes to remain in the building ended in Group said: "What we are intending to do is refurbish the building to create a touring standard space, hosting the coolest club brands and music and live shows, just like we do in Brixton, Newcastle and Bristol." Hawley has said he will not return to the venue on principle."I just really feel for the folks who work here and the people of Sheffield," he said."Because of the success of people like me, Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and all the other great bands, John McClure, the rave scene."It isn't right that somebody from outside who has got plenty of cash just goes 'I'll have that because that's really successful.' " One of The Leadmill's members of staff who spoke about the impact of its closure was events assistant Mike Cross."I know a lot of Sheffield is feeling gutted," he said."It's hard to lose a grassroots venue, especially when they are the heartbeat of the community and provide so many people with a safe place."He said it could also impact artists at the beginning of their musical careers with so many venues closing."It will potentially mean less and less homegrown British artists coming through," he added. Allan and Paula Rickwood from Woodhouse, Sheffield, have been married for 41 years and have attended gigs at The Leadmill for four Rickwood said the venue's draw over the years had been the range of artists it had supported."Bands like Pulp. a lot of people started out here."Just the way they are prepared to put on the local bands and then watch them grow. It's a great scene."Mr Rickwood was not sure if he would return after the new owners took his wife was more positive."I think I would come back to see how it is," she said. Over the decades The Leadmill has hosted Pulp, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Stone Roses and 21, Thomas Ball is too young to remember these bands in their pomp, but the student and his father Jonathon, 50, have attended recent gigs."I think it's the history," he said."I've been massively into music for years, seeing some of the bands who have started here and performed here I've always felt more of a connection than anywhere else."He said the venue "felt a bit like a second home"."Walking in there and seeing the same familiar faces – it will always be a special place for me."Jonathon, who travels from Leicester to be part of the audiences, added: "We always keep an eye on who's performing."Its not the closest (venue), but any opportunity to come up. We saw The Kooks do a little impromptu acoustic set, but really The Leadmill is the home of Richard Hawley and we've seen him a few times."His son added: "You see the same four to five walls, the same faces, the same people on the door, behind the bar. It feels more like a family in that sense."Thomas was not convinced he would return following the closure."As much as I love the building, probably not."It would almost be a disservice to The Leadmill to go to the new venue. I can't do it. It just won't feel the same." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'It was the atmosphere that made The Leadmill so special'
"It's about the people you meet there and the memories you make, not how the place is decorated. It's the atmosphere - that's what made The Leadmill so special." So says Will Penney, 23, who is just one of hundreds of people queueing up outside Sheffield's famous venue on Friday night for one final time before it shuts its to get in to see Miles Kane perform, Will, who lives in Sheffield and who is originally from Northern Ireland, says he had always wanted to see Kane play at The Leadmill, so the fact he is the star of the final gig there is "very fitting".This last event comes at the end of several years of legal argument involving the venue - and once Kane has left the stage and a few final club nights have been held, The Leadmill will close in its current Electric Group, which owns the site, has promised it will remain a music venue with the "coolest bands" taking to the stage in a refurbished building, fans waiting under The Leadmill's landmark red neon sign for the last time say it is the end of an says that while other venues feel "forced", with "neon signs everywhere", The Leadmill has always been something different."That's the charm. It doesn't feel forcibly made for people our age," he Vex Deane, 20, who moved to Sheffield from Braintree in Essex, says Friday night's gig is "like a goodbye, like a funeral"."That sounds really dark, but you want to have a good party afterwards. It needs a good send-off," she says. Also queueing to get in is Sarah Pruim, 24, a freelance music photographer, who says she has travelled up from London for "the final send-off for such an iconic venue".Originally from Chicago, and visiting The Leadmill for the first time, Sarah says: "It feels like such an important part of the music history that is kind of being lost."I think it's an important day to reflect on the importance of these spaces for a lot of different people - and for art."That needs to be in the forefront of people's minds."Sarah adds: "I do shed a tear to think the original historic venue, as it was for so many years, is changing over."I think [they should] prioritise it as a space for smaller artists to have a voice. "Where are the next Arctic Monkeys going to be performing if we lose these venues?"Arctic Monkeys, as well as Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, and many other musicians, all credit The Leadmill as a key part of their early careers. Amber, 16, a young musician from Blackpool, says she had hoped to perform at the Sheffield venue one day."Young and upcoming artists need a place to start out, and when places like this are [changing], it's not giving people like us a chance," she explains."When there's less opportunities, and places are getting shut down, I think it's scary." Charlie and Violet, both 17, say they have been to gigs at The Leadmill roughly every month for the last few years and say the change is "heartbreaking".Violet says they had signed "every petition, replied to every email, multiple times" to try and keep The Leadmill in its current form."Losing it is going to have a big impact on Sheffield," she says."I don't think we'll recover from not having it, to be honest." However, Charlie, who says he also attended lots of gigs with his mum who used to work at The Leadmill, says he is trying to stay optimistic about the says he hopes the site will remain an indie venue with small bands on the stage."If it needs refreshing to keep people our age coming and still seeing live music and new bands, that might be better for the local scene," he adds."But I think it's perfect as it is." At the scene: BBC Yorkshire's Steph Miskin attends the Leadmill's final gig As the house lights were on ahead of Miles Kane taking to take to the stage for The Leadmill's final gig, the venue was buzzing in every wearing one of a limited run of t-shirts marked with "the final show" listed on their backs were spread across the dance floor, unable to move without a drink being spilt in the sold-out 900-capacity and the Makers and Pulp blared through speakers warming up the crowd, which in reality needed no more encouragement. When the lights went down, line by line, the crowd in unison sang every single word. wasn't any old gig, it was the last more than an hour the crowd was in Kane's hands, and when he did bow out, everyone stood still - because that was shuffle for the exit - everyone stood there realising: this is it, the end of The then Frank Sinatra's My Way came on and friends hugged, people pulled out their phones to record the moment and a couple snogged on the dancefloor. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'We were due to play The Leadmill – the closure is terrible,' say The Slates
EXCLUSIVE: Tonight, Sheffield's The Leadmill will close its doors for the final time, but Yorkshire band The Slates have branded the decision by top bosses 'terrible' Yorkshire band The Slates have branded the closure of The Leadmill "terrible". Tonight, the legendary live music venue and club in Sheffield will close its doors for the final time. Bosses behind the venue in the heart of the South Yorkshire city are being evicted by new owners, The Electric Group. After it lost an appeal last month, The Leadmill said the judgment will mean the loss of more than 70 jobs. It described the decision as a "heartbreaking moment not just for our team but for the entire Sheffield community", which "feels like a betrayal of the cultural fabric of our city". The appeal ruling came three months after a judge ruled in favour of the Electric Group, which owns the building and runs Electric Brixton in London, plus venues in Bristol and Newcastle. The group has always stressed that it intends to keep it as a music venue, promising "substantial investment" when it takes over the running of the club. But local band The Slates, who are back with their latest single, Calling Up, were due to play The Leadmill and have been left devastated by the news. "It's terrible, it's just one of those iconic venues," said guitarist Joe Briggs. He went on to add: "I feel like there's one of them iconic venues in most of the cities around the UK. "I've only been to The Leadmill once, but we were meant to be playing it with The Lilacs, and obviously it's been cancelled now because of the closure. It was one thing we were so looking forward to – being on that stage, the amount of people that have played on that stage. "It's a bucket list venue as an artist, if you've played at The Leadmill, you've done something right. It's really sad to see it go." And Joe is right, the likes of Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys started their career on stage at 6 Leadmill Road, with names including The Killers, Coldplay, Lewis Capaldi, Kings of Leon, Inhaler, Scouting for Girls, and Alfie Templeman seeing their names on the bill. Reflecting on their new track, which incorporates the youthful tones of the band with harmonies and a high-energy vibe, but also has a sadder meaning behind it, bassist Jude said: "It was an interesting one, but it kind of clicked straight away. Joe came up with the lyrics, well, the overall tune, I don't know how to describe it. "I don't think we've made a song where we've got meaningful sad lyrics but such an upbeat track behind it." Meanwhile, Louis added: "The juxtaposition of it all, it just comes together nicely." Joe, who penned the track in an hour, said: "I think it was a weird one because I wrote the song really quickly. "We were going to have rehearsals, and it just came out of nowhere. I wrote it in the first year of uni, and I remember there was one night when we were going out and I felt I was not there in a sense. I've got to the point now in my writing where I need to be writing about important topics and especially how you're feeling. "I think a lot of people can relate to that, where you might be in a group with your best mates, but sometimes you don't always feel there. It's such an upbeat, lifting, summery song with melancholy lyrics, but I think it just works." The song stemmed from a night out with a group of friends, and feeling like the odd one out, as though it was pointless being there. While the song is instantly catchy, the band admit they were confident to release it. Although they tend to keep songs on the back burner for a while, they recorded it at the end of last year and instantly wanted to release it. "When we played it live for the first time, people were singing the lyrics back to us," said Joe, explaining that "teasing" the release on TikTok worked in their favour. Hailing from the north, the band has had its fair share of inspirations, with influences from Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, and The K's on Calling Up. "They're definitely part of the mix," Louis said of inspirations, adding: "The Stone Roses, they're quite a big one for us." While the North had a reputation for producing some of the best musicians, things soon faded in the early 2000s, with Louis admitting there's now a "Northern Buzz" back. Last weekend, the trio played the Isle of Wight Festival, with Jude admitting they were "hyped" to perform again. "We got there and it was so much better than what we thought," he said: "It was the first one of the year, it was so fun, start to finish." Louis added: "Festivals are just a community spirit, everyone was brilliant." Having played the This Feeling tent, Jude said, as soon as passersby hear news from the tent, people instantly flood in. "The special feeling with the This Feeling tent is that all the bands know each other, it's very community-based. There are so many people looking for new music, which is quite important to us." But the band aren't slowing down any time soon. "We've got Truck Fest and Y Not next month," Louis revealed. Jude added: "On July 5, we've got a London headliner at Water Rats, that's our first ever headliner down south. We've got Gorilla Fest in Mexburgh on August 16, and I think that's the last show we've booked in." However, Joe admits that there are plans for a tour in the near future. And although their show with The Lilacs at the Leadmill was cancelled, the band will be playing The Foundry on February 7.
Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'We played one of the last gigs at The Leadmill - it closing is a real worry'
EXCLUSIVE: One of the last bands to ever perform at Sheffield's iconic The Leadmill have revealed their fears for the music scene saying the closure meant losing 'the place to go' for a number of generations One of the last ever bands to grace the stage at Sheffield's iconic The Leadmill have revealed their concern as the venue shuts its doors for one last time. The region's longest running live music venue and nightclub lost its battle to remain open earlier this year after 45 years in business. It has been the stomping ground for some of the biggest names in the industry, hosting the likes of Pulp, Coldplay, The Stone Roses, Oasis and The Arctic Monkeys over the years. The venue's owners said they were "truly devastated" they were closing in a heartbreaking statement earlier this year. But now, with time being called on the establishment, exciting indie rock band The Rosadocs have called its closure a "real worry" for the industry's grassroots. Made up of Keelan Graney, Joe Egan, Adam Sleight, Callum Raynor and Myles Henderson, the band - like many others - used The Leadmill as a stepping stone to success, calling it "the place to go" for generations. Frontman Keelan explained: "I think the feeling in the city is that it's going to be really sorely missed. It's still a place that we wanted to return and I think with the history of it, it's more about the grassroots - it's for people going to gigs. "If you've got somewhere to go where it's almost just a given that that's where you go and see bands, then losing that is massive." Drummer Callum added: "It's closure kind of puts a real worry for musicians and music fans in general." "Grassroots is being hit from all sides at the moment," Keelan continued. "Festivals are disappearing day after day. "There's an infrastructure that's provided these opportunities for artists and if we lose that then we're going to lose the music, we're going to lose the festivals, we're going to lose everything." However, the boys were thrilled to have been able to put on a spectacle for the fans at the venue one last time earlier this month. "It was amazing," Keelan confessed. "I think it was one of the best shows we've ever done. "I think it was a culmination of the mood with the fact the venue's shutting and also because it's almost like that one last hurrah. We really enjoyed it. It was bouncing from the start of the set to the end. We couldn't even hear ourselves during some of the songs because it was so loud being sang back to us." "There's still a feeling in the room," keyboard star Myles said of returning to the venue. "I don't know what it is, but it feels different playing there." Despite the show being a true end of an era performance, the future is very bright for the band. The rising force from Sheffield recently released their latest five-track collection named The City's No Good for Reflection. Among the tunes is a powerful and poignant anthem of hope and emotional resilience titled In the Storm. Speaking of the release, Keelan said the collection of songs on the EP vary brilliantly. "We tried to give each track its own personality, to say something different about this theme," the singer said. "And I think it's a good culmination of ballads and a sort of anthemic indie sound and then also Bittersweet, which is the first track on it, was is a little bit more rocky." Callum added the five tracks are the perfect sample of what a fan would get from their full gigs, with Myles explaining it's a "similar kind of journey" to how they would set out to entertain a live crowd. And speaking of their live shows - the group has a busy schedule of festivals this summer including Rock n Roll Circus and Hardwick Festival - Keelan said it's their live presence that helps set them apart in the scene. "We like things to flow," he said. "We like to get everybody jumping and bouncing. But in between, I think it's nice to have that interaction, and people feel like they're more involved in the show if you bring them into it."
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Artists hope Leadmill will stay true to roots under new ownership
The last few artists are preparing to take to the stage at The Leadmill this week, before the building which houses the Sheffield music venue changes hands after 45 years. Electric Group, which bought the site in 2017, is set to take over operations after a three-year battle with The Leadmill – which owns the club's name and Kane, who will be the last artist to play it in its current form, said: "You have to move forwards, but it's a shame the iconic things can't just stay. It's a historic little venue."As grassroots spaces disappear across the country, artists are hoping the future venue at 6 Leadmill Road will continue giving a platform to up-and-coming musicians. Kane said: "You start in pubs, then 200-300 [capacity] venues, and then go a bit bigger – The Leadmill is one of the rungs on the ladder, so it's sad to see it coming to an end."Pulp, which played one of their first ever gigs at The Leadmill in 1980, Richard Hawley and Arctic Monkeys all credit the club as a key part of their early careers. "For younger bands that have been to see artists there, it'll be their goal to get to a venue like that, because it's got all this history," Kane K's frontman Jamie Boyle, who performed sold-out shows at The Leadmill on Saturday and Sunday, said it had been a "massive part" of his career so far."It's a bit surreal that the fans are showing out the way they are in such an iconic venue. It sounds cliché, but we love [The Leadmill], we genuinely do."The K's played there about 15 times, including supporting other artists, he said."It is a proper grassroots venue, which are few and far between in a lot of cities. There are so many shutting down all over the place," he added."I hope whoever has it next continues the legacy of giving up-and-coming artists a go." The Music Venue Trust (MVT), a charity which aims to protect grassroots venues, said a quarter of its members faced permanent closure last year, while major cities like Bath and Leicester were being left off touring said: "It's one of the last proper grassroots venues of its size. A lot of venues [feel like] you could be in any city, it's all very corporate. I hope it keeps its charm."In an ideal world, they just completely leave it alone and don't change a thing."Electric Group CEO Dominic Madden has not confirmed the specifics of his plans, other than the fact it will remain a music venue and undergo a said: "[We intend] to create a touring standard space, hosting the coolest club brands and music and live shows, just like we do in Brixton, Newcastle and Bristol."Initially up for debate, one thing certain to change is the venue's name. After serving The Leadmill's management with an eviction notice, Electric Group said the business would keep its at the beginning of a civil court battle between the two companies in May 2024, The Leadmill's lawyers said continuing the business in the same vein would be a human rights Group then said they would rename the building and would not reference its flour mill eventually won the case to evict the venue's management, and after the tenant's request to appeal was rejected in May, the building's future was sealed.A spokesperson for MVT said: "The ownership of the buildings which house grassroots music venues [is] the underlying cause of their precarious financial situation and high-risk status."Mr Madden said that by purchasing the freehold in 2017, Electric Group has saved The Leadmill from being turned into who has been playing the venue for about 20 years, said: "It will become something else, it will be a different vibe and a whole different feng shui, shall we say. But you don't know [how] until you cross that bridge."He said he was "honoured" and "quite shocked" to be asked to play the venue's final gig on Friday."I'm ready to go. Let's blow the roof off The Leadmill and give it a good send-off." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
