[Closed] Leadmill to close 😞

I know I saw this. My formative clubbing years were courtesy of Rise - went religiously for years.

Plus the odd student night and gig. Will be very very sad if it does go

I assumed that as it was the only story on the radio this morning that didn’t involve death, famine, plague, or serious medical issues that it the April Fools joke.

I haven’t been for a long time but I seen some of the best bands of their times absolutely trashed by either the useless sound system or useless sound engineer (never worked out which it was) at the Leadmill.  Still have good memories of the place though.

I lived opposite the Leadmill in my first year at uni back in 2003-2004. Gatecrasher was just down the road as well (before it burned down). Good times, happy memories, but as above the soundsystem was always rather crap. Always prefered Corporation for a good rock night.

I went to SHU in the mid-90s and never went to the Leadmill. I know poor form etc but I was pretty skint.   I did go a couple of times afterwards and never quite understood what all the fuss was about - probably crappy sound didn't help. Best gig I went to there was the Manics at the Sheff Uni NUS in I think late 93?

It's sad that a place so many people got pleasure from is closing but it's part of a wider issue of venues. Wasn't the night Czar Amy Lamé going to sort all of this out?

Interesting

https://nowthenmagazine.com/articles/landlord-behind-leadmill-eviction-revealed-as-major-music-venue-company-electric-group?fbclid=IwAR1_dCDAsyuIYhEG7G83BisXABr9NoOH7TZwvhxyvf1yth7aPaQdSc53AOM

I lived opposite the Leadmill in my first year at uni

Ditto! Met my partner in Leadmill. We even have a piece of original Leadmill parquet flooring on the wall in our house.

I went to 'the' gig the arctic monkeys played shortly before there album release:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2006/02/01/arctic_monkeys_review.shtml

I was more sad about Gatecrasher though. We went and laid flowers the morning after - not even joking!

Interesting

Indeed

I was more sad about Gatecrasher though. We went and laid flowers the morning after – not even joking!

I did the late 80's/early 90's rave scene and then even Progress and the like in the mid 90's, but gatecrasher sounded far too pretentious for me

I did the late 80’s/early 90’s rave scene and then even Progress and the like in the mid 90’s, but gatecrasher sounded far too pretentious for me

Early 'Crasher was far from pretentious. Simon saved that for Bed. Just gave another option for when you bored of still being in someone's house after Rise. Did get up its own arse a bit later on and then ultimately it just became a pre-club for Insomniacz 😀

I always preferred Rise to 'Crasher but had some brilliant nights there. TdV played a belter and when Miles Elliot tore up the upstairs bar when they used to have a DJ there as well as the main dancefloor - that was something special. Never got above 110-120bpm but played such funking tunes people were up on the tables to it.

Still, never as good as Rise 🙂

My uni years were in York, most of them spent clubbing in Leeds at Back to Basics, Up your Ronson or Orbit, but also went to Gatecrasher and Leadmills a number of times...

Did i imagine it, or was there a club called Niche, that opened about 6am sunday morning and went on to midday, funny place full of people in a right state and bodybuilders?!

Yep. Airport style body scanners on the way in at one point. It was ace.

Ah Niche - yes. The original Bassline/Sparage club. Started off mainly as an after club for the townies and chavs from Capitol but the Rise lot soon found out about it so went there as an after-club. so you had this fantastic mix of the Capitol lads and the shiny happy Rise folk. Each were very tolerant, if a little amused, of each other.

It then got really quite shady and wasn't the safest of places to end up by accident.

I am guessing I must have crossed paths with a few people in this thread. Probably wouldn't recognise them these days. I barely recognise myself in old clubbing photos! 😀

Went to Love 2 B at the Music Factory (Palais?) a few times - that seemed OK

I didn't have a massive catalogue of clubs tbh

Started at Shelleys, Stoke

Then Donny Warehouse (BYO)

Eclipse at Coventry (once) - horrible place

Ended up at After Dark (Morley?) once

DiscoVery a few times - somewhere near Stoke (I think)

Progress, Derby

L2B, Sheff

Maybe a couple of others, but the drugs started being rubbish and the scene wasn't what it was

I remember going there… but nothing about being there.
My step sister was a regular though I think. I’ll tell her.

I'm trying to work this story out. It's been bought by a company that runs gig venues. they've already got three and they've now bought the Leadmill - presumably because they think it's a profitable venue and worth the purchase price.

It seems *really* unlikely that they're going to turn it into anything else. A bit shit for the company that leases it at the moment. I suppose electric group could have bought that company, but probably figured they didn't need to if they were going to own the freehold. Very likely most of the staff will end up still working at the same venue. Not really any different to a company buying a pub,.

Interesting to read that nowthen article. Hope it’s not an April fool…
My 20 year old’s response to it?:

Ahhh big business bastards tryna muscle in

I’m 52 and been visiting The leadmill since I came to Sheff for uni. So prob first went in 1989.
I’ve got so many good memories from there. The most recent being working mens club a few weeks back. Best gig probably spiritualised in about 96. Self esteem acoustic in the small room January 2020 also memorable.
Jazz for lunch on Sundays in the 90s. Comedy gigs. A pub quiz night in masks all seated during the pandemic.
Yep we’ve got a bit of the old floor too.
We used to go to Thursday nights student nights. Beat club I think. 60s I think. I was never much of a clubber. Got refused entry to the music factory when it was at the old locarnos once. Wrong shirt or something. That’s a sainsburys now.

This and John Lewis? There will be nothing left except the ring road next…

FWIW https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60946120
"will remain a music venue, landlord pledges". Presumably that isn't the April Fool.

As per last link, the Leadmill will continue to be a music venue just without the people who built it from scratch and run it for the last 40 years.

I have a lifetime of sympathy for the current people but this is a massive wake-up for anyone in a similar situation... Protect your brand. 40 years of solid hard work then big business swoops in and steals it all off you.

And waits for the current management to navigate the pandemic before doing so

Yeah exactly. Alex turner donated £125k from the sale of one of his guitars to keep the leadmill afloat during the pandemic. Countless punters donated and supported by buying tickets and bits of memorabilia. For some brand managers to come and pinch it from under our feet.

I know I saw this. My formative clubbing years were courtesy of Rise – went religiously for years.

Ahh Rise. Went there many times in the 90s.

My sister used to go to the Leadmill in the...oooh... early 90s I reckon. I was amazed she was allowed to (we lived in sleepy Chesterfield) so it became a legendary venue to me when I was barely a teenager.When I later moved to Sheffield we used to go on a normal Friday night, got lucky a couple of times in there including use of the classic line "wanna get out of here?". Remains legendary for my own reasons.

Liefelong Sheffield resident here. First went to see a folk band as a kid (would have been about 8 or 9) on a Sunday with my hippy parents. Throughout my university life I was there pretty much every week either at the Rise club nights or seeing bands.

I’m sure SCC will make some ham fisted attempt to prevent it but fear the landlord will win out. Sad times (felt the same when the Palais in London road closed, it’s now a supermarket 🙁 )

Ps I suspect a few Of us commenting on here must have rubbed shoulders in there given we’re all of that same age..

And just on Gatecrasher, at its best in my opinion, and vague recollection, when it was at the Arches down at the Wicker and then when it moved to the Adelphi at Attercliffe.

The purpose built venue in town was bloody impressive in its day but got so up its own arse toward the end I stopped going.

As per last link, the Leadmill will continue to be a music venue just without the people who built it from scratch and run it for the last 40 years.

You can't just remove the people who run a business and carry on with their business as if nothing happened.

The landlords only have rights to the building, not the business, equipment, staff, goodwill, future bookings etc., relating to that business.

There must be some-sort of buy-out deal as well.

Ah @tuboflard the Palais on London road, that was the previous name! I think I went once under that name, a few times as locarnos, never as music factory. Not been since it became a sainsburys either funnily enough.

Edit. Quick Google shows I got that wrong. It was Locarnos before it was the palais.

 First went to see a folk band as a kid (would have been about 8 or 9) on a Sunday with my hippy parents

Dunno if it was a folk band, but my earliest memories of the Leadmill would have been similar - late 70's probs(?) with hippy parents

Ahh, the Shedmill, home of jagermeister in plastic testubes and cheeky vimtos (port and blue wkd if my hazy memory serves) I'll miss it.

The palais, was that where bed was?

seen some of the best bands of their times absolutely trashed by either the useless sound system or useless sound engineer (never worked out which it was) at the Leadmill.

This could be the intention, lack of available money to invest in a complete refurbishment, so the site owners want to gut the building and rebuild it with better facilities, lighting, sound, etc. Their Bristol venue, which was originally just a dance club venue is a really nice mixed music/clubbing place, seen a couple of bands there, including Big Thief.
The Scala in London is another place that could do with a makeover, the sound is truly dreadful there - I saw Maria McKee there and she complained about the poor sound through the whole gig. I also saw her at St Bonaventure’s in Bristol, an ordinary little room attached to a Catholic Church, and a couple of times she said she hoped someone was recording it, because the sound was so good, yet both venues are roughly the same size and shape. It can be done with a bit of care.

There must be some-sort of buy-out deal as well.

Nope, looks like their plan is to just walk into the current operation and try take everything off them.

Doesn’t work like that - it’s not the Landlord’s business.

They could hoof them out and start their own venue. But the current tenants have every right to strip the place and hand back an empty shell.

They are literally planning on turfing out the current live music business tenants so that they can run their own live music business.

I don't think being able to keep the fixtures and fittings will be much consolation.

I Might* have managed a 2:1 without Thursday nights at the Leadmill! Usually started in Frog & Parrot then staggered in to 60/70s night Friday was often a haze if we made it in at all ( 86-90 Poly times) sunday jazz was a bit more sensible I bet those parquet blocks stuck themselves to the wall?
* who am i kidding

The Limit was betterer IMHO but had some great nights at the Leadmill from ‘83-89. Definitely remember some bloody cold walks home.

Was a staple night out during Uni in the late 90s/early 00s, between there and Music Factory/Bed. Even went there on my stag do. Went to Republic a few times but never really gelled with the place.

Best thing about the Leadmill: Bar staff with weird rules - "Can I have 16 vodka/oranges please?", "No.", "Alright can I have 8 vodka/oranges for me and 8 for my mate?", "Sure thing".

Best gig: wandering around town looking for somewhere to go in the No Man's Land between Christmas and NYE, ended up at the Leadmill for want of a better option and LTJ Bukem was doing a surprise set and absolutely tearing the place up.

Worst thing about the Leadmill: queueing for the cloak room in a light coloured top and getting all that "sweat/nicotine/whatever" dripping down on you from the pipes above.

I played there in the 80s, such a great venue.
When we turned up to soundcheck on the Saturday afternoon, there was some kind of 'alternative' workshop going on, people whizzing around on unicycles, juggling, magic trickery, that sort of stuff. Probably quite usual stuff now but was a bit of a culture shock back then.
It was a great gig and even though it's the only time I've been to Sheffield, it left me with a really positive feeling about the city.