Tramlines X…
Because it falls at the start of the six week summer holidays, Tramlines is like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one but with more drinking and less mince pies. Tramlines 2018 promises to be particularly memorable being as it is the tenth anniversary since it all started back in 2008.
Let’s dive straight in…
No review is complete of course without a detailed paragraph on logistics. I know how to please a crowd. Hillsborough Park is a new venue for Tramlines in order to accommodate bigger bands and more people and I must admit it is better than both Ponderosa Park and Devonshire Green as a main site. The stages are far enough apart that sound doesn’t bleed from one into another but close enough together to be able to easily navigate between them. Unless you have had 8 cans of dark fruit cider…
There seems to be plenty of bars, loads and loads of interesting food vendors and they even provided the obligatory Tramlines rain which I felt was a nice touch. A minor criticism would be the lack of toilets but that is easily sorted for next year.
So, to the music. We arrived just as Sheffield band Saint Petersburg were peddling their inoffensive and utterly forgettable brand of middling indie pop. They are yet another act to have been struck down by Bastille syndrome in as much as they make Keane seem experimental and edgy. Luckily, The Big Moon soon bound on stage to blow away the cobwebs and while 4.15 in the afternoon on a Friday is not an ideal slot for such an energetic band, they are undaunted by the massive stage and ‘Formidable’ and ‘Sucker’ sound as triumphantly brilliant as they always have. A cover of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ is fun but in retrospect could have been swapped out for one of their own many fantastic songs but the band’s infectious enthusiasm wins over the crowd and ensures that Tramlines proper gets off to a strong start.
Everything Everything are a band who have survived by trimming the fat from their peers in order to make a delicious, ambitious meal. A little anthemic chorus from Foals here, a dash of the Klaxons electronic exuberance there and Everything Everything thrive by making music that eclipses all the bands that they have cribbed from over the years. The Manchester band are one of those rare artists who have actually improved with every album and songs such as ‘Can’t Do’, ‘Regret’ and ‘Distant Past’ deserve to be way bigger than they are. It is ‘Good Shot, Good Solider’ that really impresses though and front man Jonathan Higgs gives everything. Everything.
We saunter over to the Leadmill Stage to catch the dying embers of Halifax heroes The Orielles and while first impressions are strong it soon becomes clear that the band are indulging in a jam. Something that literally nobody ever wants to hear. Happily, there is no such nonsense from either The Magic Gang, who I am told played a brilliant set, or from Milburn who I actually saw play a brilliant set with my own stupid eyes.
Joe Carnall Jr is a legend in the Sheffield scene and he pulls out all the stops in his home city to ensure that Milburn finish with a flourish before going back on hiatus. ‘Last Bus’ enjoys only it’s second ever live run through, ‘Count to Ten’ is the imposing live presence it always has been and ‘Showroom’ is as powerful as ever. Milburn save their best for last though and as Carnall Jr declares ‘you have ten minutes left of Milburn, let’s make it count’ the band explode into ‘What Will You Do (When The Money Goes)?’ before an emotionally draining but beautiful version of ‘What You Could’ve Won’. A song that defines a time in my life and gives me all of the emotions. Thanks for the memories lads.
The close proximity of the stages allows us to watch the first few songs of the Mystery Jets set and, as always, they sound fantastic. We catch a joyful ‘Young Love’ and a few others before joining the party on the main stage.
Stereophonics, having gamefully recovered from being Wayne Rooney’s favourite band, are an artist that have endured while most of their peers have fallen by the wayside. This is partly because frontman Kelly Jones drinks the blood of virgins so remains forever young (citation needed), and partly because they still know their way around a tune. Vitally, Jones voice, always the driving force of the band, is as powerful and sultry as it has ever sounded.
As we missed the first couple of tracks, I didn’t get to see ‘A Thousand Trees’ or ‘More Life in a Tramp’s Vest’, something that I will add to the long list of regrets that have resulted in me crying in the shower every morning in the fetal position. We do arrive just as the hit parade is getting into full swing though, with ‘Have a Nice Day’ leading into ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ and then ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’. Unfortunately I wasn’t fully focused on the music at this point as I had accidentally become embroiled in a passionate discussion about England defender Harry Maguire. Luckily, a lovely version of ‘Handbags and Gladrags’ refocuses my attention and from there the ‘phonics deliver a set as good as any that I have seen at the Tramlines main stage. It is easy to forget just how many great songs the Welsh band have in their arsenal, and I sing my cold, dead heart out to ‘Mr Writer’, ‘Just Looking’ and ‘Local Boy in the Photograph’.
‘Traffic’ sounds as poignant as it did all those years ago and there is a nice moment when I turn to my friends with a twinkle in my eye and ask if they think the band will play ‘The Bartender and the Thief’ just seconds before all round beautiful man Kelly Jones announces that they are about to do just that.
And then, just like that, it is all over. From a musical perspective, day 1 of Tramlines 2018 is right up there with any day I have ever had at Sheffield’s jewel in the crown that is the Tramlines festival. Bring on day 2.
For a list of the top ten bands to catch at this years Tramlines, click here.