Robert Cooke

The sun is shining, the water is calm, the riverbanks are flush with foliage… is this heaven? Er, actually it’s a village near Doncaster called Sprotbrough. It’s early in the afternoon and we’re here to see shoegazing, Sheffield five-piece Blessa play aboard the Wyre Lady as she sails up and down the River Don. Who said rock ‘n’ roll was dead?

A funny thing happened the other night. DIY label Tye Die Tapes were putting on a gig at their recording studio, and after great sets from Pet Rock and Avida Dollars, Cardiff’s Joanna Gruesome were doing their thing. Unfortunately their set was cut short when the noise police showed up, and we can obviously have a debate about whether or not TDT should be putting on gigs when it pisses off the neighbours, but something pretty great happened as a result.

Welcome to the ninth instalment of Drowned In Sheffield - the unexpectedly bumper-sized summer edition. Hooray!

For many at Sheffield’s free festival Tramlines this year, the weekend started with a queue – specifically the one to see Alt-J at The Bowery, which was forming six hours before the band played. Plenty of fans wrote the show off, never imagining they’d get in, but those who made it witnessed something special. 

For some people, the biggest event in Sheffield’s social calendar starts this week, when the World Snooker Championship begins another year at the Crucible Theatre. For the rest of us though, there’s Tramlines. The first bands for this year’s festival have been announced and the list, as ever, includes tons of DiS-friendly acts such as Field Music, 65daysofstatic, Alt-J, Beth Jeans Houghton, Clock Opera, Esben And The Witch, Frankie Rose, Future Of The Left, Mazes, Peace, Rolo Tomassi and Toy, with shitloads more to come.

Other than the fact that they’re all blokes with guitars, it’s not too clear what brings the bands on tonight’s bill together.

Last time this column went online, we were pleased to hear that The Leadmill had bagged itself a prestigious industry award. Well, now every other venue in Sheffield can celebrate too, because this year’s Tramlines festival, which they all helped to make happen, has won a gong of its own. The enormous three-day event was named as Best Metropolitan Festival at the UK Festival Awards. Although it’s only three years old, it beat the likes of The Great Escape and Camden Crawl to the prize, thanks to its mind-bogglingly diverse bill of local, national and international acts, it’s incomprehensible scale and the fact that it doesn’t cost you, the discerning live music fan, a single penny. Roll on 2012!