Saturday’s Tramlines was gifted with clement weather which saw the occupants of Sheffield drain from the outskirts and the suburbs and into the heart of the city. The main stage predictably saw queues that took on biblical proportions and the participating pubs along the main stretch of the city centre were gridlocked as people and bands tried to stay on target with their various schedules. With any event this size you can expect set times to drift a little, not necessarily because bands overrun but in this instance getting around in any kind of transport other than tram or foot is going to take a little longer than normal.

As a consequence I missed Strange & Partners (in fairness I wouldn’t have been able to see them from my vantage point) but I did manage to catch The Cuckoo Clocks on the New Music Stage. The band deliver a suite of pleasingly summery tunes which do have a festival friendly appeal to them. Lyrically they can display the odd dark twist though as evidenced with songs like ‘Mum’s On Coke’. If you looked around the crowd, young kids seemed to love them which might just speak volumes for young kids.They were a good find, although the copious use of the smoke machine was almost a worry. I thought they were on fire.

Over at Alibi I caught a little of Don’t Sleep Dream. A sharp little acoustic set that showcased Mark Johnson’s songwriting to great effect. Recommend you check these out if you get the chance.

MixedInSheffield decamped to The Washington just behind the main stage to break out the local big guns for a night of beats bleeps and basslines. The venue was one in, one out and to say that made things intimate wouldn’t be an understatement. Excellent vibe throughout the evening though with great sets from Chris Duckenfield, Tommy Vicari Jnr and Coin Operated Boy to name a few, quality stuff.