TRAMLINES DAY ONE: ACTS SERENADING FANS IN THE SUN

FESTIVAL REVIEW | TRAMLINES DAY ONE, SHEFFIELD | 24th July 2026 by Morgan Hermiston

The first day of Tramlines 2026 was a scorcher. The sun was shining, pints were being poured, and it was the perfect way to begin such a memorable weekend of music. From start to finish, I saw indie-rock, pop, and electronic/dance music, so there was truly something for everyone.

The Clause

My weekend started off with a trip to the Sarah Nulty Main Stage as the first of four back-to-back sets I’d watch on this stage that day. The Clause were the opening act of the weekend, and the bar was set high. The Birmingham quartet drew in a huge crowd who jumped and sang along with all seven songs in their electrifying setlist. Opening with ‘Nothing’s As It Seems‘, which was followed by ‘Tell Me What You Want‘, the set was full of tracks taken from their 2025 debut record Victim Of A Casual Thing. ‘In My Element‘ brought the striking set to a close, and to see such a massive crowd greet The Clause, it was clear that their once intimate sound has officially made its mark in momentous main stage appearance. 60s swagger met the attitude of 90s rockstars, and this mixture methodically made them one of my favourite sets of the weekend!

The Coral

Following on from the 90s attitude of The Clause, The Coral were up next, a band that has survived the turbulent world of music since 1996. This was a highly anticipated set, for me at least, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Their twelve-track performance was packed with fan-favourites, new material, and an uplifting sound that was perfect for the scorching summer day. They opened with 2003 track ‘Bill McCai’, and later on played ‘Lover Undiscovered‘, from 2021 record Coral Island. This is one of my all-time favourite songs and to finally hear it live was such a dream. Everyone in the huge crowd was singing along, especially with the two closing tracks, ‘In The Morning‘ and ‘Dreaming Of You‘.

The Vaccines

Friday’s special guests were The Vaccines. Celebrating 15 years of What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?, the band’s setlist was primarily formed from this record, amongst some of their other huge hits. Frontman Justin Hayward-Young covered every inch of that stage, fully immersing the invigorated crowd further into the performance. They played ‘Ten Years Too Far‘, which is yet to be released. Even though the majority of the crowd hadn’t heard this before, there was still quite a few people singing along with the choruses, which is impressive considering the song’s unreleased status. Fan-favourites like ‘If You Wanna‘ and closing track ‘All My Friends Are Falling In Love‘ created a lively atmosphere, and it was a set I didn’t want to end. If, somehow, you haven’t managed to see The Vaccines, I cannot stress enough how incredible they are live.

Kaiser Chiefs

This set from Kaiser Chiefs was one I was looking forward to for months, and when I say it exceeded what I thought I’d see, this is an understatement. I saw the band ten years ago among some other huge names, and I truly didn’t think it could get better than that. They walked on to Tom Robinson Band‘s ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway‘, and quickly gave fans the show they’d come to see. Ricky Wilson, the group’s frontman, is genuinely a force to be reckoned with.

When I thought other vocalists had the stage covered, Wilson took it one step further, or rather higher. The pillars/scaffolding holding the stage up weren’t safe from his antics as he scaled one of them later into the set. Newer material like ‘Hole In My Heart‘ intertwined with a setlist full of their long-lasting legacy of hits like ‘Ruby‘ and ‘I Predict A Riot‘, as well as tracks including ‘Everyday I Love You Less and Less‘ and closing song ‘Oh My God‘. There are few bands that leave as much of a lasting impression as Kaiser Chiefs. There’s definitely a reason they’re still around and this live set evidences this.

The K’s

Visiting T’Other Stage for the first time this weekend, I caught The K’s headline set. Off the back of huge headline shows at the likes of the Castlefield Bowl, then four-piece continued to demonstrate their momentous showmanship in his incredible performance. The tent was packed to the brim, and it quickly evident why. The K’s 2024 album I Wonder If The World Knows? formed the majority of the songs played, including opening track ‘Icarus‘, ‘Heart On My Sleeve‘, and later tack ‘Hometown‘. The two closing tracks, ‘Sarajevo‘ and ‘Dacton & Wanderella‘ also came from that same record. From start to finish, there was singing from the fully-packed crowd that, at times, was louder than the band. This was the same for tracks taken from 2025’s Pretty On The Internet like ‘Gravestone‘ and ‘Helen, Oh I‘. It was one huge sing-a-long, and with the addition of flares from within the audience, it was an atmospheric extension to an already memorable day.

Fatboy Slim

We returned to the Sarah Nulty Main Stage for the final time on Friday to catch the end of headliner Fatboy’s Slim‘s set. Walking to this area from T’Other Stage, you could hear the bass, and remixed renditions of hits like The Killer‘s ‘Mr Brightside‘. Fusions of electronic, acid house, and extensive sample usage filled the entire park, signifying the genius and popularity in Norman Cook‘s work. Even if you, somehow, didn’t know his material, it was clear that the uplifting end to the first day of Tramlines 2026 was successful. Everywhere I looked, groups of people were dancing, and I barely saw a phone in the sky. Songs like ‘Praise You‘ and ‘Right Here, Right Now‘ could be heard on the walk to the tram stop, extending the atmosphere beyond the physical boundary around the park.

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