5 days ago
- 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.
