It's the most wonderful time of the year ... Tramlines have announced the first wave of artists heading to Hillsborough Park for Sheffield's biggest party. I know we say this every year, but this might be the biggest yet.
The festival has decided to follow up 2024's fantastic sun-soaked edition with what must be two of the most requested artists in the festival's history. Tramlines have announced that Pulp and The Reytons will headline The Sarah Nulty Main Stage on Friday and Saturday respectively. The two local heroes will be joined in the headline slot by Kasabian on Sunday to close out the latest addition to Tramlines' storied history.
The announcement of Pulp in particular is sure to be one celebrated across the Steel City as it's favourite suns return for possibly their largest hometown show to date. Formed in 1978, the band rocketed to fame during the Britpop mania of the 1990s and with classic songs like 'Disco 2000' and 'Common People', the 40,000 attendees are sure to be in for one of the biggest celebrations there has been at what will be Pulp's debut at Sheffield's premier festival.
The headline slot won't be Pulp's only contribution to Tramlines this year as they have been tasked with curating the entire Main Stage lineup on Friday, which will include performances by fellow Sheffielders I Monster, Baxter Dury, Oracle Sisters, Spiritualised and a special DJ set from electronic masters Hot Chip among others, including a special guest that is still to be announced.
Following on Saturday's bill, fellow hometown heroes The Reytons will end the day on The Sarah Nulty Main Stage, hot off the back of a sell-out gig to over 20,000 people in Rotherham's Clifton Park in the summer of 2024. Fiercely independent and backed to the hilt by what feels like all of South Yorkshire, The Reytons performance will surely be a standout of their still rather young careers.
Saturday has plenty to offer outside of The Reytons as well though with performances from the legendary Franz Ferdinand, Natasha Bedingfield and Heather Small alongside this years most exciting comeback kings in Rizzle Kicks. If you're in need of more indie rock goodness, you can also catch some of the hottest new bands around on Saturday like Sheffield's own The Rosadocs, The K's, Daydreamers and The Futureheads. There will also be a return for our favourite party starters, Everly Pregnant Brothers.
To close out the Main Stage offerings of this year are Brit-rock stalwarts Kasabian. The Leicester band last performed at Tramlines as Saturday headliners in 2022 with a raucous performance and our first taste of Serge as the band's main man. Since then the band have released a brilliantly eclectic album and continued to sell out arenas across the world with their extensive catalogue of hits.
The band will be supported across the day by a stacked bill including the UK's newest obsession in The Last Dinner Party and the enigmatic CMAT who headlined 2024's Get Together festival to great praise. Sunday will also see a return to the festival for Scouting For Girls who also blew us away in 2022 under a packed T'Other Stage tent. The expected indie rock greatness on this day will be delivered by The Lathums, The Royston Club and of course, another of Sheffield's finest in The Sherlocks.
As ever, Tramlines is about more than music. In what has become a tradition, some lucky Sheffielders got a sneak peak at some of the lineup early this weekend thanks to some cheeky little bottles of Hendersons Relish arriving to a lucky few fans in the post. However, Tramlines put a slight spin on it this year by providing some local independents with some bottles to pass out to customers with their purchases, a brilliant way for the festival to encourage shopping locally, with lyrical hints also appearing on billboards across the city.
Matt Davies, General Manager of Henderson's Relish said: “Henderson's Relish wants to apologise, once again, for failing to keep a secret about the line up at Tramlines 2025. It turns out that the Art student from Athens helping out in the Hendo's office printed the band's names on to miniature bottles and sent them all around the city. Hopefully you'll have forgiven Henderson's by the year Two thousand and Twenty Five? “
This year, the festival has also funded a new row of trees in Hillsborough Park, planted by Sheffield City Council Community Forestry with help from the pupils at Hillsborough Primary School. Tramlines also announced over £30k of grants to 36 local causes in the latest round of funding from the Tramlines Trust. The total raised for charity and charitable causes since 2018 now stands at a staggering £260k. They also continue to ensure the festival remains accessible with hundreds of tickets distributed to local residents and through projects like Tickets for Good.
Timm Cleasby, Tramlines Operations Director, said about the lineup: “It’s absolutely massive to have Pulp headlining Friday, and even more special to have them curating the whole day—it’s a real celebration of what Sheffield’s all about. The Reytons topping the bill on Saturday is another big moment for the local scene. They’ve come so far, and it’s great to see them getting the recognition they deserve. We’ve put together a line-up that’s got something for everyone, and we’re buzzing to welcome everyone back to Hillsborough Park.”
Pre-sale for Tramlines 2025 begins at 6pm on Thursday 28th November, with General Sale going live at 12pm on Friday 29th November. You can sign up for pre-sale now by visiting Tramlines' website so you don't miss out on what is sure to be a historic weekend for both the festival and the city.
Comments