Tramlines 2026

By markontour, July 27, 2026

Tramlines is a knowingly northern festival, celebrating all things Sheffield and Yorkshire (except Leeds). Spread over three days in spacious Hillsborough park setting, across the road from Sheffield Wednesday football ground, Tramlines is more north’s answer to British Summer Time in London’s Hyde Park, and so much better.

Yes, a 10pm curfew to avoid disrupting the sleep of residents in the terraced streets that surround the park means Tramlines lacks the hedonistic late-night edge of Glastonbury or even Latitude (it also doesn’t have the cosmopolitan all-arts programming of those mega-festivals either). But the vibe at Tramlines was happy and upbeat throughout, and cheaper ticket prices made it feel much more local and inclusive.

Every second band sounded like the Arctic Monkeys and seemingly half the line-up hail from Sheffield, but with a lineage that also boasts Pulp, Def Leppard, ABC, Richard Hawley, and The Human League, a festival that celebrates the music of Sheffield makes perfect sense once you are there.

With a shout-out to the lovely people on the Henderson’s stall (there can’t be another festival where the most visible headwear promotes a condiment that is almost exclusive consumed in one English county..), here follows markontour’s review of Tramlines Festival 2026

Wolf Alice, 7.45pm Sunday, Sarah Nulty Stage
Sounding amazing and exuding leather-clad cool amidst a nightclub stage set, Wolf Alice were so astounding that their one and half hours on stage packed more punch than every other act put together at what has been a wonderful Tramlines festival. With a rockier set than when we saw them ‘The Clearing’ tour last year, a lively mosh-pit peaked during a raucous ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ encore. There were also huge sing-a-longs, including for ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’, ‘Bros’ and ‘How Can I Make It OK’, alongside a sentimental ‘Just Two Girls’ (with two young teenage girls joining Ellie Roswell on stage). With the whole band on top form this was a headline performance to savour.

Westside Cowboy, 4pm Saturday, The Leadmill
This is a band on the rise and visibly more polished than at Green Man last year, including sashaying on stage to Hot Chocolate’s ‘You Sexy Thing’. Blasting straight into a high tempo ‘Kick Stone’, the band shared 3-part harmonies and swapped lead-vocal duties throughout, finishing on an a Capella ‘In The Morning’. The band seemed surprised by the formation of a mosh-pit mid-way through their half-hour set (“This is rare for Westside Cowboy, but great as long as it’s safe and happy”), but it was the instinctive reaction of a crowd lapping up a band that promise to become something special.

The Lottery Winners, 1.30pm Sunday, Sarah Nulty Stage
The perfect, effervescent band to wake up a third-day-of-the-festival main stage. Lead singer, Thom Rylance, on chatty form means almost as much banter as songs, although it was guitarist, Robert Lally, who got the biggest laugh observing “I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been totally distracted by how big that Hot Dog sign is over there”. Queue free hot dog delivered to the stage. Rylance reveals his biggest wish is to be a guest on Graham Norton, in between leading the crowd in excerpts of ‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Ring of Fire’, alongside their own excellent, self-reflective, aspirational songs.

Blossoms, 6.45pm Saturday, Sarah Nulty Stage
I know Blossoms have been around for a decade and, indeed, markontour saw their first festival ‘headline’ gig in the tiny ‘Tim Peak’s Diner’ tower stage at Festival #6, but I felt like I was discovering the band at Tramlines. For someone reason they haven’t clicked for me before, but I’ve had their latest album, ‘Gary’, on repeat for a few weeks now – especially enjoying the clever lyrics and ear-worm melody of the eponymous track about a stolen fibreglass gorilla. Judging by the high proportion of the 30,000 crowd who joined in the sing-a-longs for ‘Charlemagne’ etc, I am the last to the party but glad to be there now.

The Everly Pregnant Brothers, 1.15pm Saturday, Sarah Nulty Stage
Sheffield’s answer to Half Man Half Biscuit on top form in front of a home crowd. ‘Stuck in the Lidl With You’ was a highlight, as expected, but ‘You’re Yorkshire’ to the tune of Babybird’s ‘You’re Gorgeous’ was a glorious singalong. And a re-working of Amy Winehouse’ ‘Rehab’ (“They try to make me go to Barnsley but I say No No No’) culminated in a Tramlines Moment, 20,000 people shouting “Leeds – fuck off” after being made to rehearse three times, “so you’re really shouting it from your belly”.

Radio Free Alice, 5.45pm Friday, The Leadmill
Great band name and some decent songs including a seemingly Smiths influence ‘Kick in the Shins’. I thought there was a big of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions in the lyrical style too. I will be purchasing.

Reverend and the Makers, 4pm Sunday, Sarah Nulty Stage
Another local lad revelling in the celebration of a home crowd. This set was top entertainment and required full participation – hands in the air and pogoing throughout (“I’m an old bastard with two broken ribs and I can bounce, so you lot have got no excuse not to fuckin’ bounce“). Lead singer, Jon McClure, described the band’s career as “U-shaped”, and so it was unsurprising that the biggest cheers were from debut single, ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’, but their ability to engage a crowd means McClure may get his wish to headline Tramlines one day.

Sleeper, 3.45pm Saturday , Sarah Nulty Stage
A reminder of how much I listened to Sleeper’s debut album, ‘Smart’, in 1995. Louise Werner’s witty lyrics and the bands jangly guitars made Sleeper a guaranteed markontour favourite when Britpop testosterone fuelled square-offs were getting boring. Thirty year’s later, songs like ‘Delicious’ and ‘In Betweener’ sound just as fresh and relevant, and it was still a bit of a relief to see a female band leader on stage, although to be fair to Tramlines, Sunday’s line-up benefited from a much better gender balance.

The Vaccines, 4.45pm Friday, Sarah Nulty Stage
Never a band to miss an opportunity to repeat a catchy chorus, The Vaccines seem made to induce festival singalongs and delivered in spades at Tramlines. That’s not meant to sound sniffy – I’m a Vaccines addict too.

Wet Leg, 5.45pm Sunday, Sarah Nulty Stage
Looking fantastic and sounding sharp, Wet Leg don’t have to rely so much on their one huge hit, ‘Chaise Longue’, any more and this was an accomplished set. There is still a strange lack of connection with their audience, for my money, but probably that is a product of being suddenly thrust from pub-gigs to headline slots.

Matilda Shakes, 2.15pm Sunday, The Leadmill
Sheffield indie-rock from a band whose latest release, ‘Adrenaline’, positively defines them. Lively enough to rouse markontour from torpor induced by wearing a mirrorball suit in a sweaty tent in the mid-afternoon of the final day of a festival.

Starsailor, 7pm Saturday, T’Other Stage
I was surprised to find myself watching the proggy early 2000’s band, Starsailor, and even less predictably really enjoying them (thank you Dr. Gallier). Happy-to-be-here vibes from the stage and gorgeous melodies.

Etta Marcus, 2.45pm Friday, The Leadmill
Americana via Brixton with a sometimes Alanis Morisette vocal delivery, I really enjoyed Etta Marcus’ short set. My contemporaneous note says “go back and watch again in a year” and “listen to the rain song”, which I will do.

The Coral, 3.15pm Friday, Sarah Nulty Stage
Every song has an instantly recognisable melody and is likely to make the listener smile. It feels churlish to say that it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the songs, but the overall sound and feel was perfect for supping a pint of pale and enjoying the sunshine.