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Sheffield Leadmill plea for huge names to come forward for their final months before closure: “No act too big”

By Max Pilley May 26, 2025 | 3:44 AM

The Leadmill in Sheffield has called for big name acts to come forward to play at the venue before its owners are evicted.

Earlier this month, the iconic Steel City venue was denied an appeal against their eviction notice from Electric Group and given three months to vacate the premises on Leadmill Street.

The current owners have operated on the site since 1980 and have played host to local legends including Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Self Esteem and Bring Me The Horizon, as well as the likes of Muse, Coldplay, The Strokes, Oasis and many more.

The venue was first served an eviction notice in 2022 – to the uproar of music fans and artists alike – when it emerged that Electric Group had bought the freehold for the site of the Leadmill in March 2017.

The Electric Group runs a number of venues across the UK, including Brixton Electric, and has vowed to keep the building as a music venue that will “continue to be a cornerstone of the live music scene in Sheffield, supporting artists, fans, and community projects for the next 100 years”.

The venue has now called for any acts who would like to play at the Leadmill before the eviction to come forward. “Following our devastating eviction news, we look to our final weeks to host some very special farewell events – and this is where we want to hear from you,” they wrote.

“Get tagging your favourite artists/comedians/creatives, let’s make these final weeks the best in 45 years. No act too big.”

One gig to have been announced since making the plea is a show by The K’s on June 21 to celebrate the launch of their new album ‘Pretty On The Internet’ – find tickets for that from Tuesday (May 27) here.

One Leadmill veteran to have had their say on the venue’s eviction is Liam Gallagher, who replied to the venue’s post on X announcing the news by writing simply: “SCANDALOUS”.

The Leadmill have also been sharing memories of some of their biggest shows from across the decades on social media in recent weeks – see a selection of those below.

Last week, Sheffield native Richard Hawley spoke to NME about his “overwhelming sense of sadness” over The Leadmill’s closure, pleading for the government to change the law to stop it from happening to other venues.

“I’m trying not to get angry, but it’s very difficult because they say I’m the musician that’s played there the most by a long, long way,” said Hawley. “It’s probably true. I don’t want that to stop, and not just for me but other people. It’s a rite of passage. The people running it now are best placed to do so.”

He continued: “There desperately needs to be a change in legislation. If someone comes along and buys the land under your business and building and throws you out and turns it into flats – which happens all the time – or if they kick you out but steal your business, we’re talking about a serious moral issue.”

Last year saw the UK lose one music venue every fortnight, with warnings that the rate would increase to one per week in 2025 without urgent government action – only adding to regional areas suffering from what has been called “the complete collapse of touring”.

Over the last few years, there has been an increased call for music venues to own their own buildings to prevent them from being kicked out by landlords. As a result, the Music Venue Properties scheme has been buying up buildings for beloved gig spaces and is now stepping up its efforts in what’s been described as a “National Trust for music venues” scheme.

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