Together in Electric Dreams: ‘Don’t You Want Me’ Sheffield? The Human League’s Homecoming Party Wins Tramlines 2024, And They Weren’t The Headliner??
Words and Photos – John Hayhurst
I’ve said it before but this years Tramlines at Hillsborough Park in Sheffield has been more than a success compared to last years monsoon and mudfest, however, whoever books or decides on headliners seriously needs to give their head a shake. Putting aside the borefest of Paulo Nutini on Friday, and the bizarre mumblings of Jamie T (who slagged off his audience too last night), if you are then putting Snow Patrol ahead of one of the biggest 80’s bands to ever come from Sheffield then something is drastically wrong or it’s been done from a distance without really knowing the locality. Whoever you are, I hope Sarah Nulty (Tramlines Founder) is haunting you in your dreams, would you have done that to the Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Def Leppard, even Richard Hawley or Heaven 17 and ABC? Then why do it to The Human League? Who were without doubt the highlight, and the band that drew the biggest audience to the Sarah Nulty Main Stage over the weekend.
We start the day with a contrast of styles, Alt-Rock/Dance band Static Lives are local to the area and have the worst set time, literally 5 minutes after doors eventually open on the Sunday morning, only the keen are here but that doesn’t stop Lori from prowling the stage with her big smile and even bigger voice, by the time their set closed it was a healthy audience happy for that rocking dancing morning workout. Over on the main stage the sweetest noise heard all weekend in the form of Philippa Zawe, the sun is shining as Zawe lifts us all through her lilting melodic voice, giving us serious Joan Armatrading vibes (although an octave or two higher). You can tell how strong her vocals are as she has to pull her head back from the mic before unleashing another crystal clear heavenly note.
A nice precursor to Lime Garden on the Leadmill stage, a band I’ve tracked since seeing them at the Brudenell in Leeds supporting Sunflower Bean, pre-covid days. Their debut album ‘One More Thing’ is chock full of danceable tracks that they like to call ‘Wonk Rock’ whatever that means?. It’s also guitarist Leila Deeley’s birthday today so the band are in top form as they power through their set in front of a sizeable crowd who probably saw them here 2 years ago. I watch the whole of their brilliant set, ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Love Song’ two of my favourite tracks are played and then sadly they have to leave early in the afternoon as they have a long road trip back to Brighton, my scheduled interview postponed to a zoom call later this year.
The Leadmill stage at Tramlines now has a refreshment tent next to it that sells some lovely craft ales, Farmers Blonde a favourite is being quaffed by the pints, as people are eager to get out of the early afternoon sun, it is definitely the hottest day of the weekend. Paul Smith of Maximo Park is wearing a suit black jacket and hat, and he’s still running around the Main Stage, that won’t last! and sure enough the jacket is off after 1 song to reveal a white ‘No War’ T-Shirt. Can’t quite believe they are becoming a heritage act (20years +) but those mid 2000’s anthems from ‘A Certain Trigger’ are still strong and fresh, and Smith is still the ‘lunatic jumping around in a suit’ that the band hired before they even knew if he could sing! Maximo Park are still a great festival band every time I see them.
We speed walk down to t’Other stage to catch NewDad, a band I caught the tail end of their performance at Glastonbury. They play some really nice shoegazy indie rock, think Wolf Alice mixed with a bit of The Cure, speaking of which they pull off a majestic version of ‘Just Like Heaven’ and they win the smiliest band award, particularly when their contemporaries haven’t cracked a smile in years. Well worth catching in their own right this Galway band and as they are also playing Kendal Calling next week, I think I will do just that.
To get a good view for The Human League you need to be there early, it is packed on the main stage area, the busiest I have seen it all weekend, what a suprise! I mean who would have thought, we are in Sheffield and lots of people want to see Sheffield’s multi platinum selling The Human League, a band that David Bowie declared to the NME after seeing them in 1978 was ‘the future of pop music’ – he was right of course, as he was about most things. ‘Dare’ is an iconic album and in most 40 and 50somethings vinyl collection.
The stage is decked in an all white style and the backing band with synths, keytars and drums are also wearing all white. The girls (! Now 61 !), Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall are the original schoolmates discovered by Phil Oakey at the Crazy Daisy Nightclub in Sheffield in 1980. They appear wearing classy black outfits and shades, looking cool swaying from side to side, Phil Oakey then appears in a black fashion jacket and matching black flared trousers, although it does look a bit like he’s left the coathanger in his jacket.He will change tops after every few songs, as will the girls – particularly for the finale into some stunning silvery shimmering outfits.
Mirrored shades for ‘Mirror Man’, a good choice of opener, one we all know. However, we shortly realise that we know all these songs, ‘banger after banger’ as the Reverend would say, as Phil Oakey is quick to remind the crowd that he used to live 200 yards from Hillsborough Park, this is a homecoming show of massive proportions as ‘Sound of the Crowd’, ‘Tell Me When’, ‘Human’ and ‘The Lebanon’ all delivered with impeccable sound. Highlights were a stunning version of ‘Love Action’ with that synth opening 30 seconds designed to take all the Mums and Dads here on a nostalgic trip back to the discos and clubs in the early 80’s – when they all had cool hair and fashionable clothes.
Then came what I would suggest is the pinnacle of Tramlines 2024, the entire audience singing and clapping along to Electric Dreams, “We’ll always be together, However far it seems” Oakey sings as if this is a homage to his hometown and the people that have come to see them today. Then the opening to ‘Don’t You Want Me’ starts with two keytar players watching this massive audience sing the 1st verse and chorus while Oakey and the girls are still getting changed, they must have heard us because we were loud.
They return to the stage and start the 1st verse in full, thankfully none of this holding microphones out for us to sing nonsense, I hate that – we’ve paid to hear you sing, not the other way around. Another few choruses were sung with gusto and it was all over “Enjoy Snow Patrol” Oakey quips as he leaves the stage knowing that the band have just played a set that deserved to be headlining status, and the mass exodus to food vendors, toilets and breakout areas was very noticeable at the end. For many that was the end of Tramlines 2024 – lets get an early bus or tram and beat the crowds.
Over on the Leadmill stage The Magic Gang were billed as playing their final ever gig and had an introduction from a shirtless guy with a pint in his hand probably befitting ‘The End’. Its a shame because they produced some of the best guitar pop with catchy hooks just this side of Weezer, but for whatever reason it hasn’t worked out for them. That said, they had a decent audience at the Leadmill to witness it, and tears were shed by the front row when it ended.
You have a choice of final headliner as they are both on at the same time, although if you have any energy left then you could manage 3 songs of Snow Patrol and then ‘Run’ to t’Other stage (see what I did there) to catch Yard Act, which is exactly what I did. Snow Patrol are great and I would suggest they were the only valid headliner but shouldn’t be going on after The Human League in Sheffield, that was a travesty! However, no one can deny that Gary Lightbody & Co have some tunes up their sleeve and crucially they know how to work a festival audience – when to feed in your big hits ‘Run’, ‘Chasing Cars’, ‘Shut Your Eyes’ and ‘Chocolate’ all meticulously spaced out in the setlist – (Jamie T – please learn) and they don’t insult their audience (Jamie T – please learn)
Then Yard Act know how to get the party started as James Smith is everywhere, it’s like he is on some massive invisible rubber band which pulls him from one side of the stage to the other, he nearly spills his can of guinness at one point. ‘The Trappers Pelts’, ‘Trenchcoat Museum’ and other crazy named tunes have lyrics that are not designed to be sung back, but this audience in Yorkshire does just that, Yard Act might be from Leeds but Sheffield are happy to claim them as Yorkshire, no football club rivalry will stop that. During newish song ‘Down By The Stream’ the key lyrical subject Jono Steadman actually crowd surfs in the audience here, in the song Smith admits to bullying Steadman but “We were all good in the end though, I think, He never held it against me”. Then ‘The Overload’ title track of their first album brings hysteria to t’Other stage, I love it, anyone of their songs should be a poem studied at GCSE level, the wit and the delivery live is second to none in this game. This made it a worthy ending to a brilliant weekend.
I know the weather can make or break a festival, but Tramlines sees through all that, it is really a shining beacon of how a metropolitan festival should work, plenty of great up and coming artists playing live on stage, lets face it – aside from Jools Holland Where is the live music on TV?, thats why these festivals are crucial to the industry, a chance to show real talent in a live setting to a potential new audience. Replicate this in all the major cities in the UK and the music industry here will soar. Tramlines 2024 has been another fantastic weekend of discovery, influence and nostalgia, long may it continue and of course I’m coming back next year – no matter who is headlining!
