Tramlines 2025: Disco 50,000 as Sheffield icons Pulp rock home city
Nearly 50,000 Tramlines fans were estimated to be in attendance for the north’s most ambitious indie get-together located within the concrete confines of the celebrated city of music, the unique, unspoken depths of Sheffield.
The common people of this wonderful Steel City were certainly treated to a weekend of uncommon delights.
The fiery, bright festival once again proved that an inner-city festival can still feel big-time, emotionally resonant, and deeply rooted in its hometown.
Across the three days of a crammed yet intricately curated lineup, Tramlines 25 once again dazzled with a bill that stitched together Sheffield’s past, Brit‑pop heyday, and the freshest in indie rebellion.
Initiating Yorkshire’s indie party into action was a day solely curated by the legendary icons of the Sheffield scene, Pulp.
This featured the likes of impervious previous supports for them, such as French residents The Oracle Sisters and the long-spanning guitar solos of Spiritualized.
With the whole city brewing with anticipation for the homecoming headline performance, it was clear that ever since it was announced that Jarvis Cocker and his cohort were returning to Yorkshire soil, this would certainly be an unmissable event for the ages.
As Sheffield’s native sons (and daughter) returned in their classy yet predictable triumphant style.
Launching their spectacular set into action with the freshly crafted single Spike Island from their latest album, More, Pulp made it obvious from the get-go they weren’t just cashing in on nostalgia—they were rewriting their sparky narrative.
The band wove through their new material, including sparkling additions such as Grown Ups, Slow Jam, and Tina, into a set brimming with theatrical flair and unprecedented emotional depth.
Classics like Sorted for E’s & Wizz, Disco 2000, Mis‑Shapes, and Common People landed with thunderous applause and the loudest crowd I’ve personally ever encountered at Sheffield’s largest party.
The integral centrepiece to Pulp’s performance? Undeniably Sheffield: Sex City.
As the rare track was performed live for the first time in 13 years and was dusted off without any hesitation for their eagerly energetic hometown set, as the bristling yet poignant love letter to the city had locals beaming ear-to-ear.
Special guest Richard Hawley augmented numbers like “Sunrise” and “Last Day of the Miners’ Strike”—the latter debuting live to haunting degrees, yet it was still delivered with Cocker’s undisputable showmanship fully in effect.
As Jarvis could be caught prowling the stage with vintage tailoring and sly charisma, an illustrative hallmark of Pulp’s enduring power.
This prickly yet attractively sarcastic endeavour of this proper Sheffield celebration of all things Pulp was a serene and surreal way to kick off the festival of the Common People while also being said track to close out the first night of festivities in a city ever prominent in the music scene.
Day two swung around like a flinging bat to an oncoming baseball propelled at lightning speed, and said ball was hit with an emphatic thud, as the second day of wonderous music knocked it out of Hillsborough Park.
With the likes of class naturals Franz Ferdinand, fresh-faced The K’s, legends of the 10’s Rizzle Kicks, and rounded off with another dramatic homecoming performance from the boiling fury of The Reytons.
Franz Ferdinand in particular were enthused with an unmatched energy fit for festival happenings, as the fiery Scots backed by a blood orange screen synonymous with their branding reigned in a festival outing perfect for a headline slot—as the indie heroes will surely be lining up one in due time again with catchy hits like the freshly released Night or Day flowing through everyone’s airpods after the weekend settles.
Over on the short trek to the T’Other Stage, Rizzle Kicks delivered a set crammed with nostalgic high spirits with hits like Down with the Trumpets and Mama Do the Hump.
Yet returning from their long hiatus, the band boasted modern classics sun-soaked in summer stickiness as tracks like Vice, Javelin, and Follow Excitement! tore down the tall walls of anxiety as the tent broke out into smooth dance.
The pair's chemistry and comedic energy felt effortlessly joyous—as the sunny, shining set won effortless cheers and mighty sing‑alongs enveloped in the duo's tantamount cheek.
Another day, another Yorkshire headliner, as The Reytons and their incredibly dedicated fanbase filled out the greens of Hillsborough in demanding fashion.
Their set boasted an incomparable set design laced with a Northern twang and was a sight to behold for those who witnessed it.
Rolling on over to the last day, the frivolous party wasn’t ending anytime soon, as a charged billing of pure pop perfection, theatrical melodies, and football frenzy was in order, all the while being topped with a startlingly hot rock performance from Kasabian.
Kicking Sunday off into touch was the unapologetically Irish and incredibly empowering performance of CMAT and her brilliant backing band.
As her sparkling set added glitter and ceremonious sass to the line‑up, CMAT’s perky performance combined camp theatrics with raw emotional urgency.
While her show was unfortunately not even the length anyone had expected (it was ridiculously short), her set of hits still managed to carve itself out as a notable highlight for those who managed to be in attendance for the packed-out tent, as they had just witnessed the next wave of pop‑infused provocateurs as the charmingly sweet CMAT and her bold band were unashamedly themselves.
Carrying on the bolstering lineup of sisterhood was The Last Dinner Party, a band consisting only of strong female members, which was a breath of fresh air amongst the strongly male-dominated festival scene.
Their show was a commanding and notable standout, as the theatrical quintet brought swirling art‑pop drama to the forefront of Tramlines.
As their infectious, baroque‑tinged songs felt tailor‑made for a festival stage hungry for something freshly unique and flamboyant.
Their catchy performance stood head and shoulders above the rest and will be lauded for being one of the most anticipated breakthrough acts of recent years.
Prior to the last day’s final act, Kasabian, a special guest slot, took over the screens of the Sheffield main stage, this being the nail-biting penalties of the Women’s Euros final, as the Lionesses, unbeknownst to them, were being spectated by not just fans from all around the world but also at arguably one of the largest yet unplanned fan parks across the country.
This angsty, twisted surprise slot ended in spectacular fashion as the final kick of the game came from the strikingly hot shot, laced rightfully by Chloe Kelly.
Her defining last touch of the game landed sweetly in the back of the net, sending Sheffield into party mode once more, as their set landed arguably the biggest roar of the weekend, charged with the flying costly festival drinks, possibly covering many, but I don’t think anyone would’ve cared under the certain circumstances – Hillsborough was elated.
Now, even with a delayed set due to the football drama that preceded it, Kasabian picked up where the Lionesses left off and carried that high well into the night.
As arguably one of the biggest football-based bands going, with their thunderous tracks circulating many stadiums across the country as numerous teams’ runout anthems, their favour was emphatically returned back to them by their unexpected support from England’s finest starting eleven.
The Leicestershire lurkers closed out the festival with stimulating swagger and spectacle, as Kasabian activated every corner of the main stage. As the speeding frontman Serge Pizzorno delivered a hit-packed set of seismic anthems that had the crowd bouncing as if powered by their own sonic generator.
Their frenzied showcase was a fitting finale: high‑octane, loud, and brazenly festival‑ending.
Tramlines consistently excels by incorporating hometown pride into a lineup that strikes a balance between legacy and contemporary artistic aspirations.
From Pulp’s emotional return to Kasabian’s explosive climax, mixed with the beauty of theatre‑pop spectacle from The Last Dinner Party and CMAT, Tramlines 25 was a festival that felt both grounded and grand.
It’s festivals like this—rooted in community, brimming with ambition, and unafraid to celebrate both old myths and new voices—that keep Sheffield’s music scene alive and kicking even if greedy tyrants attempt to take that away from us.
Until next year? I’ll be spinning More, following The Last Dinner Party’s striking journey, and feeling that Kasabian aftershock in my brain endlessly.