Robert Cooke

It’s always nice to get an award, isn’t it? It’s particularly nice for the Leadmill, which has been awarded at the Live Music Business Awards for the second year running, winning its Best Venue Teamwork category. In fact, Sheffield did rather well at this year’s bash, as the City Hall won the Best Venue Teamwork category for theatres and concert halls. (Okay, so they don’t put on the sort of bands we cover here that often, but it’s always a safe bet if you’re wanting to arrange a night out for your mum and dad.) And let’s not forget The Harley’s Kate Hewett, who was an Indie Promoter Of The Year runner-up and is without question behind a sizeable chunk of the city’s best shows.

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!