On track with Tramlines!

My first Tramlines in five years.

My first Tramlines at Hillsborough Park (my previous being 2017’s at Ponderosa).

And my first attending on behalf of the Advertiser.

But I was also at the first festival back in Devonshire Green in 2009 when Reverend and the Makers headlined and have seen The Everly Pregnant Brothers at the festival over the years many a time, too.

So it was great the beloved local band were the first act I saw this year on the Be More Nulty main stage — and that they brought ‘Maker’ Laura McClure on stage for their take on the Human League’s Don’t You Want Me Baby. The lyrics were, of course, changed to Don’t THA Want Me Baby, sung by ‘Big’ Shaun Doane in his trademark South Yorkshire twang.

Other hits by the parody band — whose line-up also features artist Pete McKee and Pulp drummer Nick Banks — included Reggie Cardust (Reggie Sprayed Me Car replacing Ziggy Played Guitar), Stuck in the Lidl with You (what you could call a ‘supermarket own brand’ take on Steeler’s Wheel), and the group’s paean to Sheffield, Amy Winehouse’s Rehab with the lyrics altered to ‘They Tried to Make Me Go to Rotherham (Barnsley, Donny etc), I said no, no, no’.

With their banner backdrop telling both Worcestershire Sauce and the Tories to, well, go forth and multiply, this opening set by the Henderson’s Relish ambassadors was a flavoursome and funny introduction to the festival and set me up perfectly for comedian Russell Kane on T’other Stage.

The award-winning comic and regular host of TV’s Live at the Apollo riffed on the local geography saying Sheffield was “a major industrial heartland, with two universities, two football teams — but within two minutes’ drive you’re into ‘scary as f*ck’ with sheep everywhere, boulders falling down and a witch saying ‘a stranger passes!’”

“There’s literally a place called Hope!” he added.

The London-born comic paid tribute to Yorkshire for being “the most socially compliant during lockdown” but the first to embrace “getting out of it and having a good time — you were like Braveheart!”

Next up on T’other Stage was Kawala, an indie-folk band from north London whose jangly melodies and percussive pop tunes were a perfect accompaniment as the sun came out.

Following them was Tik Tok sensation and recent UK Eurovision entry Sam Ryder, whose alt-glam metal stomp brought the crowds flooding in to the point where T’other Stage had to be closed off due to capacity.

Over on the main stage, Irish rock band Inhaler — fronted by U2’s Bono son Elijah Hewson — played songs from their UK number one album It Won’t Always Be Like This, ahead of indie rockers The Vaccines who played a number of audience-pleasers from their five-album back catalogue, their frenetic pop-punk vibes getting everyone on their feet.

Finally, with it being my first Tramlines in a long time, I wanted to get back to basics and finished the night sampling one of the Fringe acts on offer in the city.

The December Flowers, who played Maida Vale pub on West Street, were a very apt final act — a home-grown local band playing lilting and lovely Americana, blended with indie folk.

What a pleasure to be back on track with Tramlines!