As quickly as the Tramlines Festival — one of England’s perennial favorites — was announced, the event sold out. After almost two years of no live music, there was finally something to look forward to. Leading up to the festival, the directors were very communicative, keeping ticket holders, the media, and the bands in the loop, regularly sending detailed email updates on how the festival will operate with Covid-safe procedures. Every. Single. Person. in attendance — working, performing, or spectating — had to produce proof of a negative Covid test each day of the festival. Somewhat unexpectedly and somewhat joyously, there was no pushback on this; everyone was excited to experience some normality of in-person event after such a long time without it.
If there ever was a buzz in the air on the first day of a festival, Day One might become the definition of it. So much visible and audible excitement as people started arriving at Hillsborough Park, in Sheffield, England. Some of England’s most well-known names were performing, with local favorites filling out the bills over the course of the three-day weekend. The Pigeon Detectives’ rock hits and insane stage presence vibrantly resonated with the crowd, a strong appetizer for the evening’s first headliners. On Friday, The Kooks and The Streets shut down the night, with The Streets wrapping up the party with such an incredible performance, it was the primary topic of conversation the next morning.
The crowd was a little bigger on Day Two with headliners Blossoms and on-fire Royal Blood set to play. It was a day filled with friends dancing and singing along to their favorite hits with a renewed vigor, a feeling now cherished, one we should hold on to before it slips away into normalcy again. The side stages were as electric as the main stage early on, with England’s own Sophie Ellis-Bextor putting on a show with her ’70s disco vibes. The Leadmill Stage had some standouts like BLOXX and Sophie and the Giants. The electric duo Royal Blood was still the be-all, end-all to Saturday as the thrilling group brought their unique style of rock to round out the day, which featured over 40 musical acts alone.
Day Three, the last day of the event, was the biggest crowd of the three, knowing the infamous rapper Dizzee Rascal would be taking the stage as a headliner. To set it up, The Fratellis would have the entire crowd swing dancing to their fun ’50s vibe, and Tom Walker’s touching lyrics and soulful, striking voice had most of Sheffield suspended in the moment. True to form, Dizzee Rascal obliterated his venue, lighting up the crowd. The London rapper exploded on stage. The crowd knew every single word. When he played his hit “BONKERS,” well, that’s exactly what the crowd did. Supergrass would go on to close the festival that Sunday, and with such an encyclopedic grouping of genres throughout the event, it perfectly fit the bill.
The entire festival had such a positive vibe, all of us emerging from the pandemic, appreciation seemed to be the theme of things. Each performer thanked the health care workers for pioneering us through the early days, charging forward and creating a path to get us back to this moment. With comprehensive musical tastes on display and an equal appreciation for each in the audience, it was an ideal way to bring live music back into our lives.
