A Dizzy Mag guide to Tramlines Festival

Words: Ellis Barker

PHOTO CREDIT: Carolina Faruolo

It’s that time of the year again. Festival season. There are a few telltale signs to make you aware. The weather is gorgeous, fiery and humid. The type of hot that makes your mum complain about it being too hot, despite her wishes for this exact weather all year. With the advent of the sun, vast swathes of withered-looking men in their late thirties come out of hibernation to earn their keep for the year. Your Wombats, your Vaccines, your Two Door Cinema Clubs. They will haunt the stages of fields up and down the country and then slink back into relative obscurity until the next summer comes along. Fresh-faced teenagers, straight off the back of their GCSEs and A-levels, flood into camping grounds and attack the festivities with the ferocity of a feral animal, fuelled by blue WKD and Monster. It’s the time of year where the dynamic of the live music industry shifts. Much of the grassroots music scene is forced into hibernation, as festivals dominate the attention and time of both artists and crowds. It won’t be until September when local live music can claw back its share of audiences again.  

Tramlines to me seems to be one of those festivals that flies under the radar, undeservedly in my opinion. Despite it winning inner-city festival of the year in 2025, it still seems to get left out of the conversation when discussing the best festivals of the season in the UK. But its lineup delivers year after year, and it's clearly got a loyal fan base, as the event has

completely sold out yet again. Come Friday 24^th, thousands of music fans will be flooding the streets of Sheffield and beyond, following the trams and their lines (I imagine that is how it works) to the seven stages across the city. You’ve got the Sarah Nulty Main Stage up in Hillsborough Park, where the likes of Fatboy Slim, Blossoms and Wolf Alice will be  headlining across the weekend. Not too far away, you have T’other Stage, doing comedy and parties alongside other artists like Gabrielle and The Enemy. The place I’m most interested in is The Leadmill Stage, not only for its icon status amongst cult UK music venues, but for its lineup of acts just breaking out of the underground, all poised to become the next big thing. 

In preparation for the weekend, Dizzy Magazine has compiled a list of recommendations of who to check out across all the stages, spanning all three days. I like to think there’s a wide variety of acts on the list, so there’s bound to be something  for everyone. One of the best parts of any festival is their freedom for you to take a chance on some artists you’ve  perhaps never heard of or wouldn’t normally go see. So, if you like the sound of anyone here, be sure to make the time to  go see them. Your new favourite artists are just around the corner.  

Friday 

Westside Cowboy – In my opinion, the only band that matters right now. The defining British band of the 2020s. If there’s a live performance to catch this weekend, it’s these guys. Truly life-affirming. 

Keo – Yes, they’re a bit like Wunderhorse. No, the aesthetic doesn’t help those comparisons. But Keo have evolved since their first few songs and carved out their own niche in the current UK band scene by somehow making 90’s dad rock cool again? This will be one of the best performances of the weekend for sure. And I really wish I could pull off a backwards flat cap like they do.  

Etta Marcus – Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen these days. It takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. Whilst Etta Marcus has the lyrical and vocal chops demanded of the genre, it’s her songcraft that sets her apart from the rest. A magical understanding of layering and emotional release. 

Maximilian Tanner – 80’s inflected, atmospheric synth-pop. A sonic breath of fresh air that would make for a wonderful  palate cleanser in what is otherwise a very band-heavy lineup. 

Saturday 

Inspiral Carpets – I know these guys look like your average viewer of the TV channel Dave, probably Dave Ja Vu if they were down the pub the night before, but Inspiral carpets are one of the best legacy acts still on the circuit. The music still captivates, and you can be guaranteed a boogie before the night is through.  

The Guest List – Indie rock to float away on. Northern charm, that timeless guitar tone, and some seemingly effortless  style. Everyone’s on the guest list for this one.  

The Slow Country – The Slow Country are one of the acts I’m most excited to see this weekend. Perhaps a band designed for 18-year-old me to fall in love with. Strongly reminiscent of The Last Shadow Puppets' first album, mixed with a little Belle  and Sebastian and some 2017-2022 post-punk sensibilities. What a delicious combination.  

Blossoms – I’ll admit, I’ve still never seen Blossoms live. Criminal, I know. I fell off the bandwagon after Ribbon Around The Bomb sorely let me down, but the boys from Stockport have taken that misstep in their stride and are now bigger than ever. To be honest, this is more of a recommendation for myself. You know Blossoms are going to be amazing. Getting goosebumps thinking about hearing Your Girlfriend live.  

Sunday - 

Bleech 9:3 – I can’t help but be a bit cynical towards a band who so clearly manufacture their image in such a way. But in this instance, Bleech 9:3 can make their hair as funky as they want, because they absolutely have the tunes to back it up.  Up there with Keo and Saint Clair, this is going to be one of the heaviest, heart-pounding sets of the weekend.  

Junk – One of the smallest acts on the lineup this year, but that is surely to change by the time Tramlines 2027 rolls around. Taking the wide, sweeping guitars and melancholy mood of the current range of alt-rock guitar bands, Junk are softer, quieter, but no less powerful. A band made to be drunk in deeply in the intimacy of a venue like The Leadmill.  

Brooke Combe – one of my favourite musical trends of the 2020s has been this 60s Motown soul revival. With the likes of Jalen Ngonda at the forefront, this wave is bringing bright, danceable vintage pop back to the mainstream. Brooke Combe seems poised to be the next breakout star in this scene. A gorgeous voice, lush orchestration and tight drumming, Combe is going to have the whole of T’other Stage crowd levitating.  

Florence Road – I feel like these guys have come out of nowhere these past couple months. This is going to be one of the last times to see them on a stage this small, that’s for sure. We need more modern female-led alt-rock! 

Top-secret bonus recommendation! - 

Now, I have to let you in on a little secret, but you have to keep this one on the down low. One of the most exciting  independent record labels coming out of the North-east right now are Leeds-based Private Regcords. Championing a burgeoning scene that is full of life and sorely overlooked, they’re putting Yorkshire back on the map with their own free festival running concurrently to Tramlines this weekend. Very imaginatively named Reglines, its lineup includes some of the absolute best that the UK underground has to offer. Head to Alder on the Friday to catch the likes of Vehicle, Normal Village and Bathing Suits. Saturday at the Sidney and Matilda sees the band I’m most desperate to see at the moment: Wyatt take the stage, alongside others such as Contrail and Family Art Club. Finally, on the Sunday, you’ll find a more relaxed, softer set of artists at Harlequin, with Sam King, The Fool and Rhiannon Hope being ones not to miss at all.  Whilst I would never want to tear you away from a festival that is sure to be one of the best of the summer, should you find a gap in your schedule this weekend, or perhaps you’ve missed out on a Tramlines ticket and are reading this simply to assuage your FOMO, I highly implore you to check out some of the great acts on at Reglines this week. It’s all free, and I promise you’ll sleep far better at night knowing you’re helping to support UK grassroots music.