The Libertines headlining Tramlines Festival 2017 (Gary Mather / Live4ever)
There are urban festival spaces, and then there are festivals in urban spaces. It’s subtle differences like this that make Yorkshire so fascinating.
If Leeds does one thing, you can be sure as hell Sheffield won’t do the same. So welcome to Tramlines – Live at Leeds it is not.
Now don’t let this suggest one is better than the other, or anymore of that petty malarkey. They’re just different. One does urban festivals with a Yorkshire twist, the other takes a festival and gives it an urban twist. Tramlines these days is a wonderfully strange, hybrid event, offering a bit of everything for everyone both musically and stylistically.
What that means is you get a broad spectrum of music across an equally broad range of venues. Want intimate venues? It has them. Want a muddy field, guess what? That’s also no problem. It’s this strange, elastic scope that makes it stand out, offering a plethora of options all in one place.
And this year, as usual, the venues are not the only things to get excited about. The line-up is exceptional and delivers on every level. Friday brings many things, but a lot of attention focuses on The Libertines, not that that’s a bad thing. They’re a band that always inspired excitement and the years haven’t diminished this, but it’s on Saturday that the festival really kicks into gear.
There’s excitement in every direction throughout the day. It’s just unfortunate that it’s still impossible to be in two places at once. It’s important though to make a decision and stand by it, which is what we do for the evening; starting with Cabbage’s amazingly erratic performance. There’s nothing more enjoyable than watching a band this unpredictable.
But as exciting as this is, it’s even better at events like Tramlines because everyone knows it is only the beginning the evening’s fun. Thus, We Are Scientists later blast through many incredible moments from an astonishing back catalogue, After Hours good enough to finish any festival.
However, tonight even that is out done by the presence of the mighty Primal Scream, their usual insouciance and irreverent brilliance making for something special.
Sunday serves up much more of the same, twofold personal highlights coming from The Big Moon – simple, wonderfully catchy indie-rock, nothing else required – and Metronomy, where it’s less blown minds, more stolen hearts. They are as classy and charismatic as ever, nothing seems to dampen their beautiful sound. And after such a brilliant weekend, it’s just such a satisfying feeling.
And that’s kind of the point of Tramlines. It’s not trying to be controversial; it’s just trying to be brilliant. It’s not trying to be the biggest or most outlandish festival, it just focuses on the music, making sure its line is just the right amount of eclectic and brilliant. Its self-confidence is always self-evident, and its excitement always comes from the music rather than the hype.
The people who come here love it because they know it and trust it.
