The Leadmill launches Battle For The Soul Of Sheffield campaign in bid for survival
The Leadmill has launched the new ‘Battle For The Soul Of Sheffield’ campaign in a bid to rally support as the venue fights for survival.
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Last year, the venue’s future came under threat after the owners of the building issued them an eviction notice, sparking an outcry across the music industry and from gig-goers.
The premises is owned by Electric Group — who also own London’s Electric Brixton, Bristol’s SWX and Newcastle’s NX. They bought the site’s freehold in 2017 and previously told music fans that they had no intention of closing the venue when they end the current occupiers’ lease in 2023. “The management may change but the song stays the same,” Dominic Madden, CEO and co-founder of Electric Group, wrote on Twitter.
The management, however, then hit back, arguing that they were being “exterminated by the landlord” before launching a fresh appeal to fans, asking for support after revealing that landlords were reportedly moving forward with eviction plans .
Madden then responded again, doubling down on claims that they “intend to continue operating the space as a music venue, focussing on a diverse mix of gigs, club nights and comedy events.”
Now, taking to social media and their website, The Leadmill has launched the ‘Battle For The Soul Of Sheffield’, calling on Sheffield residents and music fans from further afield to sign up to the latest campaign to fight eviction.
“This isn’t just about The Leadmill,” said a spokesperson in the venue’s new message. “Everything that’s made our city what it is today is now at stake.
“This hostile takeover risks fundamentally and forever changing the course of our great city, our heritage, and our culture. It may start with us at The Leadmill, but it goes much further than that.
“This hostile takeover threatens to kickstart a race to the bottom of a corporate barrel, putting at risk over 43 years of cultural heritage, history and community work from across our city, its people and businesses.”
The venue went on: “The battle we are facing is whether, in the years ahead, we have more or less independence; whether London property developers can close local businesses for profit; whether some of the greatest artists of all time can still be discovered and find a platform; whether cinema fans can come together for a showing of their favourite film; whether comedians can keep our city laughing; whether our nightlife can remain fun, safe and secure; whether all the culture, arts, music and heritage that our city has developed over its life can continue to thrive.”
A spokesperson for The Leadmill continued: “If we don’t stop this hostile takeover, the very soul and character of our great city is at risk.
“This landlord is exploiting a legal loophole to evict and destroy a highly regarded, independent, Sheffield success story, forcing us to cease trading, all for profit. But it’s even worse than that. The venues run by this landlord have a disturbing history of violent crime, public disorder, sexual assault, overcrowding, understaffing and overlooking racist, sexist, and physical abuse.
“It couldn’t be clearer. This is not just about The Leadmill. This is a fundamental Battle for the Soul of Sheffield. That’s why we’re asking you to help us win this battle. We need you to sign up and back our campaign.”
NME has contacted a spokesperson for The Electric Group for a response to The Leadmill’s latest bid.
Defending their move back in May, Madden said: “As we have always maintained, we intend to continue operating the space as a music venue, focussing on a diverse mix of gigs, club nights and comedy events. We’re an independent music venue operator which is committed to music and investing in venues. We have been running licensed venues since 2003 and have never had any issue or license review.”
“Our venues in London, Newcastle and Bristol host hundreds of gigs and events every year for thousands of music fans. Our team has many years of experience running venues, producing theatre and promoting gigs. When we purchased the freehold for the Leadmill in 2017 it was threatened with redevelopment into flats. We didn’t want that to happen, so we stepped in to buy it and save it – something the leaseholder was not prepared to do.”
He added: “The current Leadmill campaign is unfortunately misleading people into thinking we want to close the venue with no regard for its history. That is not the case. In fact, we want to invest in the future of the space – albeit one which will mark the start of a new chapter for a building which has many generations of history with a variety of different operators since it was first a flour mill.
“We hope to be a great custodian of the venue for the next generation. We recognise the roots of the Leadmill within the community and we are determined to see it succeed and thrive.”
Posting on The Leadmill’s website, management wrote that the “general public are able to object to a premises licence application if they are aware of any relevant reasons as to why it should not be granted”.
First opening its doors in 1980, the venue has hosted early shows from Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon and The Killers, and remains a popular live music and clubbing spot.
Last year saw former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visit The Leadmill and encourage others to “get behind it“, echoing the views of Sheffield locals hailing it as “the heart of the city” and the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Jarvis Cocker and Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes among the Sheffield artists to have spoken out in support of the venue.
Sheffield’s Richard Hawley has also been a vocal supporter of The Leadmill – having played a number of gigs there over the last year to help raise money and awareness. His shows at the venue back in December saw him joined on stage by fellow Sheffield artists Jarvis Cocker, and Rebecca Taylor (aka Self Esteem).
Speaking to NME earlier this year, Hawley said that the staff who’ve built up the venue over the years should be allowed to continue running it under the same name. “It doesn’t take a genius to work it out – it’s our Cavern or Hacienda,” he said. “It’s as important as those places. It’s not just a Sheffield thing because it’s on the circuit for bands to play and it’s such a great venue. It’s run so well.”
Hawley continued: “The upsetting thing is that if it was a failing business, I’d understand that someone would take it over. What angers me is that it doesn’t surprise me that greedy fuckers buy the land from underneath them. If they threw [the venue staff] out and turned it into flats, it would be an absolute tragedy but slightly easier to accept. The fact that what they’ve basically done is bought the land from underneath them, issued them with an eviction notice, and are going to steal their business. That to me is wildly immoral.
“If I was running a venue, or even a chip shop, I’d think, ‘Hold on a sec, if they get away with it with these, then who’s next?’ It’s just wrong.”
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Andrew Trendell
NME
