ShareMaximo Park, Flowerovlove, Example and The Human League performing at the Tramlines Festival Sheffield on Sunday 28th July 2024.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
With the sun high in the sky, Sunday at the Tramlines Festival felt like a million miles away from 2023’s offering when the heavens opened up and the ground in Hillsborough Park became just one massive mudfest.
And like last year, the acts were as diverse and as talented as ever making Sunday a great day of music in the sweltering heat.
Up first on the Sarah Nulty main stage was Maximo Park who delivered a high tempo, frenetic set. On the hottest day of the year, front man Paul Smith opened wearing a suit jacket and his obligatory hat as he ran around the stage. And even though the jacket came off after a couple of songs, it didn’t slow him down.
The band has been curating electric rock music for over twenty years and this festival slot allowed them to celebrate their fan favourite hits. Opener Our Velocity sent the crowd into an early frenzy with their hands and drinks held aloft as they belted the words out. Early single Girls Who Play Guitars was also very well received.
Classic Going Missing had it all; the band’s core shaking drums and the central shredding guitar riffs, delivered as Smith embarked upon his extravagant dance moves. They dipped into their back catalogue with hits such as The National Health and Books From Boxes which had the crowd dancing along to the noughties nostalgia.
The instant crowd pleaser Apply Some Pressure with its infectious hook that served as an energy raising, thunderous closer that sent the crowd back to the bars in rapturous delight. With the dynamic energy that Smith brought to the stage, their set was relentlessly upbeat which undoubtedly set the tone for the rest of the day.
There was a carefree breeziness to Joyce Cissie, also known as Flowerovlove that belies her innate confidence for a 19 year old. Her communication with the crowd was astonishing as she walked onto the stage and immediately asked them to sing along with her.
There is a vibrancy to her music that is so incredibly uplifting. And songs like Boys and Next Best Exit fitted really well in a festival environment because of their catchy melodies and memorable hooks. She sang the particularly cool Hannah Montana which showed her thoughtful and unique style before Abba’s Dancing Queen had everyone singing along.
This young British up and comer certainly has an undeniable likeability and an impeccable sense of style that makes her take to the stage like the natural that she is. Her fan base already seems incredibly connected and she is undoubtedly going to be a festival staple in the future based upon how she had worked this festival crowd.
British grime and electro house artist, Elliot Gleave best known as Example, really got the party started and as expected, his high octane set did not disappoint. His short set was a delightful mix of bangers and dance tunes, combining his latest music with his classics. His performance was fully engaging with hits such as We’ll Be Coming Back and Kickstarts, getting the crowd jumping and singing along. Closing with his iconic song Changed The Way You Kiss Me, he finished his set on a high and left the crowd wanting more.
Synth pop royalty The Human League were the penultimate band to take to the Sarah Nulty stage. With almost five decades in the industry, they were not short of song choices for their set. Front man Phil Oakey reminded the crowd that he used to live two hundred yards from Hillsborough Park so this really was a great homecoming show.
With Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall being the original schoolmates discovered by Oakey at the Crazy Daisy Nightclub in Sheffield in 1980, they have been a constant in the line up ever since. As they launched into opener Mirror Man, it was clear that his voice is still as strong and relatively true to the baritone that made his delivery so unique back in the day.
Following up with Heart Like A Wheel and The Sound Of The Crowd, there was plenty of singing along and quite a lot of dad dancing. For their political hit The Lebanon the guitar made its appearance, before things were slowed down for Human and quickly ramped back up for Love Action (I Believe In Love) which saw Oakey at his energetic best, running from one side of the stage to the other for much of the song.
Tell Me When was another great up tempo number and one of the band’s later hits, which was followed by (Keep Feeling) Fascination. Towards the end of the set there was a rousing rendition of Together In Electric Dreams which had the whole crowd singing along.
The opening to their anthemic monster hit, Don’t You Want Me started with two keytar players watching the enraptured audience sing the first verse and chorus whilst Oakey and the ladies left the stage to get changed and when they returned they started the first verse in full again to end a set that had still sounded as fresh and as timeless as ever.
Each year the organisers of the Tramlines Festival try to exceed the expectations of their festival goers, and each year they manage it. With the sun out, the bars doing a brisk business and the food trucks dealing with the queues, it is not surprising that the early bird tickets for next year’s festival will be in great demand.
2025’s Festival will take place between Friday25th – Sunday 27th July
The Early Bird Tickets will go on sale at 12pm on 2nd August.
Ticket prices will be £89.50 + booking fee.
For further information visit www.tramlines.org.uk
