TRAMLINES 2016 PREVIEW

This is going to be my second year of Tramline but my fist attending free events there. I last went in 2014 when the main stage was on Devonshire Green with The Cribs and Public Enemy among those supporting.

ljdinto a lot of the other venues. This year I will be attending the festival and sharing my time across 3 different venues which are all free entry. I feel like the free entry venues this year, have the best line-ups out of all of them, so good the line-ups that I had chosen 3 venues to spend my time at over the course of the weekend and this presented a lot of clashes due to their being so many that I wanted to see as well as having to miss some because of the train home.

The four venues which I think have the best line-ups and ones I am going to are; Crystal Bar which have an event that is being hosted by Aggressive Management and Scruff of the Neck Records, Frog and Parrot which have an event that is being hosted by AMP Live. The Rocking Chair which have a Jack Rocks event that is being hosted by This Feeling and also The Green Room who are hosting their own event.

The acts in which I want to see the most throughout the weekend are the ones that follow. These are all up and coming bands and artists which are quickly becoming my favourite bands and artists to listen to and ones which I very much enjoy seeing live or ones which I have wanted to see in a long time.

Sabella – Crystal Bar – Saturday 23^rd – 17:50

Photo credit to Anne-Marie Holmes

This alternative rock four-piece who have a Britpop infusion of slick. They have tightly executed guitar parts which are entwined with upbeat instrumental backbones and together this creates perfect rock anthems. The band recently supported one of their influences – Milburn.

Sheffield based Sabella take influence from The Beatles, Queen, The Who, Oasis, Thin Lizzy and The Clash etc. I first saw this band a few months ago at the Guinness Festival and they were a band that I knew were right up my street.

As I very much enjoyed seeing Sabella last time, I realised their potential and I have wanted to see them again since. Now I have my chance and as far as live bands go I definitely recommend Sabella are ones you should go to see, especially if you are into bands such as The Cribs and / or The Courteeners.

Vultures – The Green Room – Saturday 23^rd – 18:00.

VULTURES minus new guitarist John Mccullagh
photo credit to Ellen Offredy.

This band are one of the newest to the scene. Vultures have been fast moving, with headline gigs at the likes of The Washington, Social Bar and The Leadmill after only a few weeks of gigging. The fact that after so little time they are already playing a lot of gigs and are now playing shows that people know just how capable they are as a band have high hopes for this five-piece.

When I first saw this band, at their debut gig I thought the rest of the songs they have written kept up with the psychedelic sounding ‘Medusa’. Even though it was their first gig together, it seemed like they had been gigging for ages due to how tight they looked together. If bands that show that hard work and dedication pays off then Vultures are for you, these boys have real talent and if you want to be apart of the next big thing then go to see Vultures this weekend.

The Slow Readers Club – Crystal Bar – Saturday 23^rd – 19:30



Photo credit to Nidge Luhg Sanders of Trust
A Fox Photography

This four-piece come from Manchester and they specialise in dark and brooding indie electro. Their last five singles have enjoyed airplay on BBC 6 Music and XFM. All of their live shows have been getting rave reviews, they have sold out headline shows at the likes of Manchester Gorilla, St Philip’s Church and also Manchester Academy 3.

They recently supported James on their ‘Girl at the End of the World’ tour, this year The Slow Readers Club are playing a whole host of festivals such as Kendal Calling, Tramlines, Castlepalooza, Glass Butter Beach and Ramsbottom Festival.

When I first saw The Slow Readers Club it was at Leadmill a few months ago. I didn’t really know what to expect from a live set by them but I soon found out that they are one of the best up and coming bands that I’ve seen live. They perform excellently and they connect with the audience very well, with the bassist stomping during each song you see the audience mirroring this and this shows that the band get real respect from their fans and their fans very much enjoy their live shows. I feel like The Slow Readers Club are a band you can enjoy even if you do not know their songs, you can still have a stomp or dance around, for this reason alone you should make sure you get to Crystal Bar on Saturday for

October Drift – Crystal Bar – Saturday 23^rd – 20:20

Photo credit to Portia Saunders

These rising newcomers exploded onto the music scene in early 2015 causing them to gain a strong word of mouth following. The Taunton based band have gained a reputation for their high-energy surrounded live shows.

The band sold out their first tour before their first single was released due to loyal fans from their days as The Darlingtons and new fans from this strong word of mouth following. So far they have presented 'a strong DIY ethos' which is own by them recording all their own songs in their own studio and even hand-making their own merchandise.

Throughout 2015, the organic approach of the band caused them to shun all social media which was a brave choice for the band, but the outcome of the following they gained showed that it wasn't really necessary for them to have social media in the beginning.

Tramlines 2016 will mark my 6th time seeing this band. Each time I see them, they give better performances which are stronger and tighter each time. During their performance, having little conversations with those in the front but not putting themselves off at all just shows how focused this band is. I know that if you like high energy shows and appreciate great music then you will love October Drift and should definitely get to Crystals later today to see them in action for yourself.

  RINSE – Crystal Bar  - Sunday 24^th – 12:00

Photo credit to Chris Brian Hollingworth

In 2014, this four-piece from Stroke-On-Trent formed. They have in 2015 shared bills with that of The Horrors, Gengahr, Professional Green and Palma Violets, all of which helped to create a buzz among a growing network of fans. Towards the end of last year they released their latest EP ‘Lude Jaw’.

Their which their latest EP was ‘Lude Jaw’ was given airplay from BBC Radio 6 Music with Steve Lamacq and this song showcases the band’s exploration of the band’s sound perfectly, this is sound being summer grunge.

I have become to like the ‘summery grunge’ kind of music recently and this is why I am really looking forward to seeing RINSE. I am sure that this band due to their feel-good sounding music will be a great band to go and see during the Tramlines weekend so if you are free at that time get to the free entry venue that is Crystals Bar and see the boys of RINSE do what they do best.

Jekyll – Crystal Bar – Sunday 24^th – 13:40



Photo credit to Nidge Luhg Sanders of TrustA Fox Photography

This alternative rock band from the North West of England started out in 2011 and decided to add a new member in 2013. Since then the Jekyll have been unrelenting in their dedication to music and the sound which they are wanting to create.

They have both an energetic and perfectionist approach to every performance they play, this performance has attained acclaimed recognition from the audiences that they connect with and this has come with them gigging throughout the North West at venues such as The Ritz, The Cavern Club, Night & Day Café and Sound Control.

Mid 2014 the band released their initial demos, got airplay and also an interview all under BBC Introducing Lancashire and this led to multiple opportunities in 2015 such as a BBC Introducing live session and an invite to record with award-winning producer Phil Gornell from Steel City Studios in Sheffield. On 3^rd December 2015, Jekyll released their first four title track EP which was titled ‘Wounds’.

I first saw Jekyll back when they came to play Broadcast II for Sheffield BBC Introducing DJ Christian Carlisle. I had listened to these boys before that but not a lot, when I saw them I do not know why I hadn’t listened to them more beforehand. I was very glad to find out that they were playing Tramlines this year. Jekyll do have a real potential to go far and with them getting bigger in terms of people knowing their name they are a band which you should definitely get down to Crystal Stage this weekend to see, this is the first time that Jekyll will be playing Tramlines and it is free entry all weekend so you should definitely catch them for free while you can so make sure you are down at Crystal Bar on Sunday. 

Scarlett & Saffron – The Rocking Chair – Sunday 24^th – 14:50



Photo credit to Leo Baron



This three-piece indie rock band originally from Grimsby who are now based in Sheffield. After relentlessly gigging up and down the country this band have been drumming up a large fanbase. Due to them being based in Sheffield Tramlines is perfect for them to play.

When I first saw that Scarlett & Saffron were playing Crystal Bar I was very happy due to them having played The Rocking Chair a few weeks ago and me not being able to get there. Due to them being an indie rock band they are one which is right up my street and if indie rock music is something you love then you should definitely get on down to see Scarlett & Saffron this weekend, you won’t regret it.

Our Saving Day – Crystal Bar – Sunday 24^th – 15:20

Photo credit to Jess Umney

This alternative rock band from Chesterfield made their name known in 2015 as they shared the stage with Kerrang coverstars Young Guns as well as Room 94, Nothing But Thieves and ROAM.

Before the start of 2016, Our Saving Day had a quite few months which was followed by a brand new EP which was recorded with Drew Lawson at Steel City Studios (worked previously with Bring Me The Horizon, While She Sleeps and ROAM) and they helped to get their name known even more by touring all over the UK.

The main reason as to why I want to see Our Saving Day is due to the fact that they are definitely going to be bringing some diversity to the line-up as they bring some alternativeness to the table. If the new Bring Me The Horizon sound and Young Guns are what you enjoy then you should definitely come down to see Our Saving Day at Crystal Bar on Sunday.

The Barmines – The Rocking Chair – Sunday 24^th – 16:30

Photo credit to Will Island

This Leeds based band take their name from an anti-tank landmine and this is just what The Barmines are, explosive. In 2015, this band headed out on two UK tours as well as that they released their first single and played a few festivals such as; Live at Leeds, Tramlines and Party in the Pines. This year they have already played Isle of Wight festival and they will soon be playing Party in the Pines and Blackthorn Festival as well as Tramlines.

Due to the interest surrounding Barmines from others it caused me to take a listen to them a few months back and since then I have been looking forward to seeing them at Tramlines this year. This band is another indie rock band which if you love indie rock music you should definitely get down to see and with them being at a free entry venue you have no reason to get down to The Rocking Chair on Sunday 24^th.

ALLUSONDRUGS – Crystal Bar – Sunday 24^th – 17:00

Photo credit to James Akbar photography

In the Summer of 2012, this five-piece band from Castleford formed. They have an individual take on psych-pop-grunge and this is something that has allowed them to catch the eyes of Kerrang, Radio One, NME and Rock Sound as well as audiences up and down the UK. In late 2014 the band began building themselves a solid live fanbase and this followed their support tours of Enter Shikari, Marmozets and Lonely The Brave and they have also been carrying out extensive headline tours which has only helped the buzz surrounding this band grow.

The name ALLUSONDRUGS is a smushed together grammatically incorrect way of saying that ‘everyone is on drugs’. In this case, the ‘drugs’ are a metaphor for trivial rubbish that distracts the population from paying attention to important things like people dying of easily treated diseases in undeveloped countries. Basically what they are trying to say is that they as a society we are just mindless drug addicts who all need to wake up.

This band are one which to me seem like they would be full of energy and give a great performance. Due in the past having them come to my hometown but with me not being able to go to see them when they did I am even more excited to see them at Crystal Bar. As far as psych-pop-grunge bands go, ALLUSONDRUGS are at the top of their game and that is why I believe that they are definitely the ones to see at Tramlines this year, the chances to see them live for free are not going to be available for very long and so you should definitely head down to Crystals this weekend on Sunday at 17:00 you definitely will not regret this.

Kassassin Street – Crystal Bar – Sunday 24^th – 17:50

Photo credit to Lewis Evans

This band who come from Southsea have in the past few years been building up their fanbase, this is shown by them playing the same festival for years in a row but having the stages in which they played bigger stages each time, for example at the Isle of Wight festival.

I first heard of this band when I saw them on the line-up for Crystal Bar however I did not listen to them until I was recommended to do so by a friend and she gave a pretty good recommendation for them. When I listened to them I knew straight away they were a band I liked, their psychedelic pop-rock sound is one which I am very much a fan of.

That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing them on Sunday, I hope that they sound they achieve on their tracks is represented in the same way when they perform live. They are definitely a band which could potentially put on a rather good show and I’m sure that this will be the case so you should be at Crystal Bar on Sunday so you can catch Kassassin Street.

No Hot Ashes – Crystal Bar – Sunday 24^th – 18:40

Photo credit to Justin Gardner

This four-piece band from Stockport formed back in 2012 and since then they have gone from an Arctic Monkeys influenced indie sound to now being a funk-rock ensemble. This happened gradually and over the years they have had a range of different sounds like one of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers with a hip-hop overlay. This band are original and are something different which is why I like them.

This band are one which I heard about a few months ago and are one which I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for this blog. They are definitely a band which I can see myself enjoying live, due to their funkiness they are one which make you want to dance around. If seeing bands which have a dancey vibe about them but one which still have the guitars and drums then No Hot Ashes are definitely the one for you. Even if funky styled music is not one that you usually listen to I feel like No Hot Ashes are still a band you will like due to them having a mixture of sounds within their tracks at different points.

Make sure that you get yourself down to Crystals Bar this Sunday (24^th).

Trampolene – The Rocking Chair – Sunday 24^th – 21:30

Photo credit to Gideon Marshall

London-based band who originally come from Swansea are an alternative rock band. Since they started they have released three-download only mini LPs and three limited edition 7” vinyl through Mi7 Records, however they have not yet been signed. They are due to release their forth mini LP on 12^th August 2016 and this is to be followed by the release of the bands full-lenth debut album.

Trampolene have supported Carl Barat and the Jackals in the UK and Paris, the punk band Buzzcocks in London, Reverend and the Makers, Catfish and the Bottlemen and The Enemy. Last year they had sets at both Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight festival. On top of this, they have headlined venues all across the UK including places like London, Manchester, Yorkshire and also the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket.

The bands frontman Jack Jones, performed spoken word poetry solo when he was supporting The Libertines on their 2016 UK Arena tour and he also did this on the final date of their European Tour in Vienna. During May 2016, he supported Peter Doherty on his Eudaimonia tour on which he also played guitar for him.

The amount of huge bands they have had the pleasure of supporting just shows how much potential this band has. They are one which I have wanted to see for a while but previously I never got the opportunity to do so but with them now playing The Rocking Chair and it being a free entry event I am really glad I’m able to see them now. If any of the bands that they have supported are ones that you like then you should definitely go see them at The Rocking Chair this Sunday.


I hope everyone attending the festival has a great weekend.
Written by Sophie.