Of all the city festivals: Live At Leeds, Hit The North, Dot to Dot – none are as well renowned as Sheffield’s Tramlines, which is now entering its 10th year. While 2009 brought the chart-topping sounds of Example and Pixie Lott, Tramlines 2019 will boast a line-up brimming with indie and alternative royalty.
Headlining the festival this year we have indie-pop stalwarts Two Door Cinema Club, who’ll be taking to the festival just weeks after releasing their fourth studio album, False Alarm. While the lads from County Down find themselves headlining three festivals (Tramlines, Y Not, and Truck) in little more than a week, their performances will no doubt be brimming with energy from the first song to the last.
Easing fans into Two Door’s summery set will be indie ever-presents Circa Waves, and the new kids on the block, Sea Girls – the latter a band who don’t quite know what it means to not be on tour. The hard working four-piece are playing nearly every festival in the UK this summer, and their rapid rise over the past 12 months makes them ones not to miss. However, if catchy indie-rock isn’t your scene, the oh-so-chilled Easy Life will be taking over The Leadmill with their blend of hip-hop and indie pop which will be sure to make your head-bop, before The Futureheads will be sure to deliver a memorable show to commemorate their recent reunion.
Saturday will pay homage to the true greats of indie-rock, with the main stage hosting smooth operator Miles Kane, local legends Reverend And The Makers, The Smiths icon Johnny Marr, and Courteeners – a band who’ll take to this headline slot like a duck to water. Although the men from Middleton are playing some of the country’s biggest festivals this summer, Tramlines will mark their first headline slot since their huge sold-out show at Heaton Park over a month before. Expect a massive set from the Mancunian mainstays.
Meanwhile at The Leadmill, Birmingham boys Jaws will be showing off tracks from their recent album The Ceiling, which is what may be their most accomplished album to date. Over at The Library, Dirty Hit’s The Japanese House will bring her blend of brooding synth-heavy indie-pop in what’s sure to be a stunningly intimate affair.
Sunday appears to be a day where festival veterans mix with new, exciting talent, as Peter Hook and The Light, Doves (both T’Other stage), and Happy Mondays (special guests on the Main Stage) are set to perform alongside Tom Grennan and Lewis Capaldi – two lads who have had a whirlwind of a year, seeing their debut albums reach number 5 and number 1 in the charts respectively.
Despite keeping a low profile in the past few years, local boys Drenge are set to headline The Leadmill on Sunday evening, following what’s sure to be a breath-taking performance from the exciting, tour loving, Irish trio whenyoung. At The Library, Brighton’s newest export YONAKA are almost certain to deliver a unique, potentially rather intense, set to the fans seeking a heavier end to their festival.
The party shows no sign of dying down at the main stage either, as disco icon Nile Rodgers and his group Chic will bring the festival to a close. Despite energizing crowds with their delicious bass hooks and upbeat melodies as far back as the seventies, the kings of funk have shown they are as good as they’ve ever been by receiving a Brit nomination earlier this year.
From current chart toppers to true veterans of the scene, Tramlines really does have something for everyone – and with weekend tickets selling for below £80, I think you’d have to travel far and wide to find more bang for your buck this summer.
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