Tramlines 2022: Sam Fender, Kasabian and Madness shine at South Yorkshire's summer party

And while the weather might not have been anywhere near the sizzling 40c heat of Monday and Tuesday, 40,000 music lovers descended on Sheffield’s Hillsborough Park to enjoy a superb three day line-up which included the likes of Sam Fender, Kasabian, Madness, James, The Vaccines, Declan McKenna and many, many more across a host of stages.

From humble beginnings in 2009, Tramlines has grown and grown each year, attracting an increasingly stellar line up to one of the country’s biggest urban festivals.

Here’s our look back at an incredible three days of music, fun and some weird and wonderful moments from across the weekend

FRIDAY

A torrential downpour at the start of the festivities threatend to put a dampner on proceedings, but us northern folk can cope with a bit of rain, so there was no chance the party was going to be ruined.

Kicking things off were York Britpop favourites Shed Seven who drew a decent sized crowd, despite a relatively early billing, delivering energetic versions of crowd pleasers such as Chasing Rainbows and Disco Down.

Lead singer Rick Witter still has what it takes to have the crowd in the palm of his hand as he took Sheffield back to the 1990s with a lively set.

The joy of Tramlines is that as well as attracting big acts from across the country is that it also likes to shine the spotlight on local upcoming musicians with Doncaster’s August Charles among them.

The soul star, who has supported the likes of disco king Nile Rodgers and Chic charmed the T’Other Stage. Watch out for this guy. He’s going places and could well be elevated to the main stage in years to come.

Up next on my personal odyssey was London indie guitar star Declan McKenna.

Since his arrival with debut single Brazil in 2015, McKenna has made sure but steady progress across the festvial stages of the UK and Europe and fresh from a bloody and bruising, energetic set at Glastonbury, the 23-year-old arrived at Hillsborough full of youthful exuberance for another amazing set.

Kicking off with Beautiful Faces, McKenna mixed tracks from his two albums - Isombard and the aforementioned Brazil receiving a raucous reaction, with flares and smoke bombs going off around the park to accompany its performances.

Of course, it was down to British Bombs, the spiky anti-war anthem to close things down – by which time McKenna had Sheffield at his mercy as moshpits opened up before him.

Then it was the turn of iconic 90s Britpop stars James, bigger now than back then, according to charismatic lead singer Tim Booth – and it’s easy to see why.

Once more, it was a mix of classics and favourites from across the decades, Sit Down of course receiving the hugest cheer. Laid, Born of Frustration and Come Home were all of course there too. Booth was keen for his trademark audience walkabouts but security had other ideas, pulling him back by his ankles as he attempted to crowd surf across the heads of the adoring masses.

Headline status was reserved for Geordie rocker Sam Fender whose star has gone stratospheric in the last year, with a string of arena dates, huge outdoor shows, and of course, a slot on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage to his name. But this was his very first festival headline slot.

A 15-song set began, as is Fender’s usual style, with Will We Talk? before delving into a catalogue of guitar and sax-fused singalong anthems, all served up with lyrics drawing on his Newcastle childhood and adolesence.

Mantra and Better Of Me, both from his latest album took things down a notch after the high energy of Dead Boys but from then on, it was into arms in the air, throaty shout out territory with hits such as Spice and Howdon Aldi Death Queue. There was even space in the set for newly released song Alright, which was given a rapturous welcome on its debut.

Of course, some of the biggest and best were saved until last for the audience, many sporting the black and white strips of Fender’s beloved Newcastle United.

Get You Down, Spit of You, Seventeen Going Under and a triumphant Hypersonic Missiles, backed up with flame cannons and fireworks meant a delirious and slightly damp Sheffield audience headed off into the dark and drizzle armed with songs to keep them singing long into the night at the end of an energetic first day.

SATURDAY

The weather gods decided to be nicer on the middle day of the festival, the rain showers of Friday giving way to a largely dry, if slightly muggy and warm day.

Opening up the main stage was Pixey, the Liverpudlian, indie guitar pop favourite littering her early set with infectious hooks and playful lyrics as she dashed through songs such as The Mersey Line and Just Move.

No Tramlines of course would be present without Sheffield’s own Everly Pregnant Brothers, the comedy ukulele band drawing one of the biggest crowds of the day with their risque and humorous romp through a series of well-known favourites, the traditional lyrics of course being dumped in favour of course of the band’s own take on Sheffield like.