Saturday 23rd July 2023
There comes a time in every man’s life when they find themselves staring at the vivid yellows and reds of a Sheffield McDonald’s for the second night in a row, wearing a bizarre plastic poncho that makes them look like a crazed serial killer and wondering to themselves ‘How did it come to this?’. Tramlines will do that to you…
Much earlier I had woken up to find that I was quite hungover and also that it was raining. This would become a running theme. After sampling a few great pubs at the top end of Ecclesall Road (shout out to The Dark Horse and Itchy Pigs) we headed over to Hillsborough Park in time for Kate Nash. Well, we tried to get there for Kate Nash but we actually missed the first half of it because we were running late. Late Nash. We did see her sterling performance of ‘Foundations’, however, and it’s heartwarming to see that it has somehow become some kind of intergenerational classic based on the huge reaction it receives from the soaked Sheffield crowd.
Blossoms are up next and they do what Blossoms always do. Play competently and with passion. The band squeeze 14 songs into their set which is a testament to their shut up and play the hits policy. And that’s what they do. ‘HoneySweet’, ‘Getaway’ and, of course, ‘Charlemagne’ all sound great. In many ways, Stockport’s finest are the quintessential festival band. A great set.
Spector are a band that I’ve always maintained should be massive but their status as underrated underdogs actually suits their wry, self-deprecating songs better than superstardom would. The set they deliver here is one of the highlights of the weekend. Fred Macpherson is a chaotic and engaging frontman and he leads his band through a career-spanning set taking in ‘Celestine’, ‘Chevy Thunder’ and ‘All the Sad Young Men’ – all of which sound incredible. Some bands are meant for big stages. Spector do their best work in smaller spaces and if there is a better set on the Leadmill Stage over the whole weekend I’ll be surprised.
And so, to the Saturday headliner. I’ve seen Courteeners over ten times during the last 15 years and they are a sure thing as a live band. ‘Are You in Love With a Notion?’ kicks things off with Liam Fray sporting a yellow rain slicker and sounding tip-top. Indeed, the band sound so good that ‘Cavorting’ has to be stopped and restarted because the crowd are going so apeshit. People love this band.
2023 marks the 15th anniversary of the Manchester band’s seminal debut album St. Jude and it features heavily here with ‘Acrylic’, ‘Kings of the New Road’, ‘Please Don’t’, ‘Fallowfield Hillbilly’ and ‘Bide Your Time’ all making an appearance in the first part of the set. At this point, Fray and co have such a wide repertoire of songs to choose from that they really can’t miss.
‘The 17th’ closes out the first part of the set before Fray returns to the stage to perform acoustic versions of ‘Smiths Disco’ and ‘It Must Be Love’ – the latter a cover of the classic Labi Siffre song. It’s amazing how one man and a guitar can hold such sway over thousands of people but the crowd sing along to every word like their lives depend on it. The full band returns for ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and ‘What Took You So Long?’ – the latter ringing out across Hillsborough Park through the pouring rain – a real moment. God bless the band.
Another year, another incredible Tramlines Saturday. As I write this I am staring down the barrel of another car journey to Sheffield and another day of live music. I’m too old for this…