TRAMLINES FESTIVAL 2025 - SUNDAY // HILLSBOROUGH PARK, SHEFFIELD
Kasabian Deliver a Lionesses After Party to Remember at Tramlines
★★★★★ (5/5)
KASABIAN HEADLINE SUNDAY AND CLOSE TRAMLINES FESTIVAL 2025 AT HILLSBOROUGH PARK IN SHEFFIELD
PHOTOCREDIT: JOHN HAYHURST
By the time Day 3 of Tramlines 2025 rolled around, the energy across Hillsborough Park was that perfect mix of euphoric exhaustion and stubborn enthusiasm. The final day of the festival had the kind of lineup that balanced rising stars, leftfield surprises, and heavyweight headliners, with enough genre variety to keep every corner of the park buzzing. After two days that saw Pulp reclaim Sheffield and The Reytons stake their local hero status, Sunday felt like the closing chapter of a story told with heart, swagger, and a lot of sweat.
Kicking things off at the Leadmill Stage, Cowz were undeniably too brash and too loud for a Sunday early slot, this duo pack a bratty girlz together vibe that would sit better in a late night club where we have all had a few, not for the early morning ‘hair of the dog’ crew, but consider ourselves suitably woken up.
Over on t’other stage, Luvcat brought something more tender and offbeat. With swirling synths and glitchy beats, her set felt like stepping into a dreamscape, a welcome moment of calm amid the afternoon bustle. “Vicious Delicious” and “He’s My Man” stood out for their emotional pull, and there’s something distinctly cinematic about the way she constructs her songs—lush, hazy, and emotionally charged. While the crowd was smaller due to bucket hat lads indie on other stages, those who found their way there were treated to a truly immersive set and witnessed something out of the ordinary.
Cliffords followed that in the Leadmill with one of the sets of the weekend for me, all sharp edges and bright-eyed urgency. Hailing from Cork, their blend of jangly guitars and kitchen-sink lyrics felt completely at home here in Sheffield. Tracks like “My Favourite Monster” and “Bittersweet” had the kind of youthful storytelling and snappy hooks that hinted at much bigger things ahead.
here’s a confidence about them—not arrogant, just sure of their place—and Iona Lynch has one of the biggest voices, ready to claim a major place in your record collection (or streaming playlists) they set a strong tone for the final day, reminding everyone that Ireland’s next generation of bands have already turned up. They only have 1 EP under their belts but showed so much more today, I fully expect them to be playing bigger venues in the next two years so catch them in the sweaty clubs now while you can.
CMAT followed over on t’other stage with a wildly entertaining and musically tight set that proved exactly why she’s one of the most exciting voices in alt-pop right now. Dressed like a country-glam fever dream, she delivered witty, emotionally complex songs with both humour and heart. “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!” was theatrical and cathartic, while “Whatever’s Inconvenient” had the crowd both laughing and lowkey devastated. She’s funny, fierce, and totally original—a performer you can’t take your eyes off as she climbs the stage columns threatening to jump.
As golden hour approached, The Last Dinner Party stepped onto the Main Stage with the kind of theatrical flair that’s already become their trademark. Dressed like time-travelling rock aristocrats, they delivered a set that was part art-pop spectacle, part emotional catharsis. “Nothing Matters” was a shimmering anthem, full of drama and tension, while “Sinner” showcased their ability to blend baroque instrumentation with fierce modern storytelling. They’re one of those rare bands who feel both meticulously curated and completely spontaneous. By the end of their set, they had converted skeptics and thrilled fans in equal measure.
Over the weekend we saw many ‘lads indie bucket hat brigades’ and whilst I’m personally tired of it all, you can’t deny that they all have a certain following. The Royston Club are top of the tree for me and they stormed the Leadmill Stage next, bringing a scrappy, anthemic sound that hit somewhere between The Kooks and early Catfish and the Bottlemen. Tracks like “Mrs Narcissistic” and “Shallow Tragedy” had the kind of punch and precision that kept the crowd bouncing, and it was packed in here. They’ve clearly built up a strong following, and live, they channel the chaotic optimism of a band hungry for bigger stages. On this showing, they won’t be confined to the small print much longer.
Then there was a dillema, the Lionesses Euro Cup Final against Spain was on, and it had gone to extra time, penalties were looming, Tramlines put the end of the match on the huge screens at the main stage where Kasabian were about to play.
On t’other stage Sigrid was about to play too. We stood and watched the penalties, Kasabian were looking on backstage as they delayed their set until Chloe Kelly put in the final spot kick to win the tournament. Then Kasabian took to the Main Stage to close out Tramlines 2025 with a ferocious, unapologetically anthemic performance. Charged by a winning performance from England – Serge Pizzorno, now fully established as frontman, led the charge with the swagger of a man who knows exactly how to work a crowd. From the moment they launched into “Club Foot,” the energy didn’t drop once.
At the same time Sigrid on t’other stage, was providing one of the purest pop moments of the weekend. Her set was full of joy and power, with that crystalline voice soaring over danceable, synth-heavy production. “Don’t Feel Like Crying” and “Mirror” turned the area into a joyous dance floor, while “Strangers” felt genuinely euphoric. Sigrid has a rare gift—she makes massive songs feel personal and intimate. There was a sense of togetherness in the air, the kind that only really happens when pop music and emotion collide just right.
Meanwhile Kasabian launch into “Underdog” dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne, and “Shoot the Runner” kept the tempo breakneck, while “Empire” brought out every phone light in the field. By the time they closed with “Fire,” the park was a heaving, ecstatic sea of limbs. It was everything a festival headliner should be—loud, tight, explosive, and utterly unifying.
As people slowly made their way out of Hillsborough Park for the last time this weekend, there was a sense that Tramlines 2025 had been something truly special. Day 1 gave us a poetic, Sheffield-soaked masterclass from Pulp, Day 2 was driven by indie grit and local pride with The Reytons, and Day 3 struck the perfect final chord—balancing fresh artistry with festival-shaking spectacle, and that ending with England winning the Euros and Kasabian’s bombastic performance was nothing short of a festival fairytale. Across three days, Tramlines proved it can be both fiercely local and expansively global, a place where you can discover tomorrow’s favourites and lose your voice to the classics.
And now, as the dust settles and the sore feet kick in, one thing’s for certain—We’ll be back next year !!
