The Leadmill have released a rousing video in support of their crucial campaign to save the venue as part of a last push for signatures before the petition closes on October 25th. The video features iconic talent from the Steel City and beyond, as well as the brilliant staff members, telling us just what the venue means to them.
Video Director – Neil Summers / Detail Creative
The video is a wonderful celebration of everything that The Leadmill stands for: community, inclusivity and opportunity. Stars like Eddie Izzard, Miles Kane, The Reytons and more do a fantastic job of encapsulating what the venue means to this city and the people within it. Miles Kane, in the video, says “I’ve been playing here for 15 years, and I wanna play here for another 15 years”.
It’s not just the many, many great entertainers that sing The Leadmill’s virtues here though. Community groups also lend their voice in support, showing just how much The Leadmill would be missed if it was to close. Members of SaYiT, Under the Stars, and Sheffield Children in Care Council feature in the video, championing the work that The Leadmill does and what it offers to communities outside of the entertainment space. Heather from SaYit - who provide practical support to LGBTQ+ young people – sums it up perfectly: “It’s far more than a music venue, it’s heritage”.
Public support for the venue and its campaign has been overwhelming since it was announced that the venue’s landlords had served them with an eviction notice at the end of March. Since then, the campaign has received support from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Blossoms and Jarvis Cocker. Cocker joined Richard Hawley at his four-night residency in support of the campaign, proclaiming The Leadmill to be "more than this building and this stage, it's something that's grown over years and it's a feeling. It's like a form of magic."
It would be a tragedy beyond measure to lose The Leadmill. As beloved doorman Nev states in the video, “There’s nowhere else in the country like it”. It’s a part of the fabric of the city and has been for 42 years, to remove it would be like removing a heart while it’s still beating. Perhaps Sheffield’s most iconic adoptee, Eddie Izzard, put it best: “For me The Leadmill IS Sheffield, and its creativity”, if The Leadmill goes, Sheffield isn't Sheffield anymore.
The Leadmill is a place for new talent to be heard, a place everyone to be seen and feel safe, and a place of perpetual celebration. If you haven’t already, please sign the petition before the 25th October, because we really cannot lose this iconic slice of Sheffield.
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