‘CURATED AND CONQUERED’ |TRAMLINES DAY 1 WRAPPED
REVIEW | TRAMLINES FESTIVAL – DAY 1 by Gracie Erskine
Curated and conquered; Jarvis Cocker‘s carefully chosen lineup for the Tramlines 2025 opening night proved a spectacle for the masses.
Whilst diverting slightly from its strictly indie for takings, Hillsborough Park opened its gates not only to a field of adoring Pulp fans, but an eclectic and dazzling array of acts.
As the Friday lineup was hailed from the plucking’s of Sheffield star and headliner Jarvis Cocker; one must only pass a baton to one of South Yorkshire’s finest, Dr John Cooper Clarke, to gear the audience up on ‘T’other Stage’. His astonishingly quick wit and admirations for his own telling’s, induced a vivid escape drifting not too far from reality. Fan favourites ‘Twat’, and Sheffield nod ‘Beasley Street’ proved chuckling heart warmers for the crowd, stunned in a humorous admiration.
Over on the Sarah Nulty Main Stage, Cocker gave a nod to his son’s (Albert Cocker) four-piece, Spanish Horses. Their Smiths-esque transcendence opened the main-stage, recruiting early birds and pricking ears with their melancholic vibrance.
Also on the main stage, Europe’s visionary concoction Oracle Sisters showcased their dreamscape talent in a set that reared the sun from behind the clouds. Intertwining graceful melodies with sun kissed riffs, the trio laced their set with passion amongst the peace. Whilst crowd pleaser ‘Asc.Scorpio’ evoked tender movement from the field, tracks from their ethereal and recent studio album ‘Divinations’ set the Parkwood Spring Hills into an otherworldly escapade, contrary to anything expected of the steel city.
A heart-gripping, eye-glueing and ear tantalising set came from the poignantly aggressive Fat White Family, on The Leadmill Stage. Their sound oozed like crack, with an addictive spasm that captivated your bones, melting and clawing at your body in the most pleasurable way possible. Transient with the crowd, the energy permeated in a ripple of a raucous. Frontman Lias Saoudi, patrolled the stage in a triumphantly unhinged manner, with such lack of control he had ultimate presence. The band dominated their instruments, dissecting each song into roaming chaos.
After a day of sifting through ‘Common People’ adorned merchandise and earwigging debates of their early work, alas Sheffield starlings Pulp made themselves at home. The dazzlingly groovy ‘Spike Island’ alighted the stage as Cocker bolted his hips and glued his feet. His juxtaposing kinetic stability jolts like shutter speed, with his swift and rugged movement that captured the audience, whilst a vista exploded across the stage.
Paying homage to their home, live debuts ‘Sheffield: Sex City’ and ‘The Last Day of The Miners Strike’ spotlighted themselves in the heart of the city. South Yorkshire accomplice Richard Hawley joined the party with his gun of fire, layering his velvet melodies between the rich texture of the set.
Of course, the dynamite of ‘Do You Remember the First Time’ and ‘Disco 2000’ exploded all the way to Rotherham. From toddlers on shoulders to long standing fans, no age could despair the pure ecstasy of the set, even when they weren’t playing ‘Sorted For E’s and Wizz’.
Whilst Tramlines induces a crowd for the masses, it’s Friday sound was held in it’s Sheffield pride. A day in the festival and it’s evident to see its success is in its sincerity. The camaraderie within the field goes beyond the witty ‘Be Reyt’ merchandise, but to a truly Northern and warm environment. From the festivals early day lying a free city-wide gigs to the outdoor expansion it is today- Tramlines are proud of their roots. Proud to have grown and proud of the steel city that it has grown in. And the opening night only teased at it being no different, in its distinctly gorgeous, distinctly Sheffield and distinctly Tramlines attitude.
