One of Yorkshire's most legendary gig venues, The Leadmill, is facing closure after being served with an eviction notice.
The Sheffield gig space has been widely considered one of the world's best live music venues since it opened in 1980.
But now this live music institution says it is being 'forced to close' after its landlord served it with an eviction notice.
The landlord has today insisted that the building will remain a 'special music venue' but the 'management may change'.
The Leadmill in Sheffield is facing closure. Credit: The Leadmill
The Leadmill has issued a heartfelt plea for support on social media, writing: "Today we have received some devastating news that in 1 year's time, our Landlord is trying to evict us, forcing us to close.
"Since 1980 The Leadmill has spent millions of pounds on what was a derelict warehouse, transforming it into one of the U.K’s most respected venues where countless acts from across the globe have performed over the years.
"Please show your support by sharing this news & sharing your best memories that we can gather to help show them reasons why #WeCantLoseLeadmill."
Since posting last night, some of the biggest names in music have thrown their weight behind the campaign.
Kaiser Chiefs wrote: "We played @Leadmill in our early days and not only do we have very fond memories, it really helped us, too. It would be a huge loss not just for Sheffield and Yorkshire, but the whole UK music scene. #WeCantLoseLeadmill."
Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess added: "Such a brilliant venue. Let’s do all we can to stop The @Leadmill from closing."
Barnsley band The Sherlocks wrote: "This venue is such a special place for so many reasons. We genuinely can’t imagine Sheffield without The @Leadmill. We as a band have so many special memories there! Get behind the venue everyone #WeCantLoseLeadmill"
And The Cribs posted: "The Leadmill is a wonderful and important venue. These are the sort of places that cities cannot afford to lose, the platform they give young musicians is invaluable. Great Leadmill memories are stagediving to Radish (@benkweller) in ‘97, hanging with the White Stripes in 2002."
Landlord Dominic Madden, from Electric Group, said this morning: "I’ll be making a statement regarding @Leadmill shortly. For avoidance of doubt, we are music people, we spend our lives running independent music venues and the Leadmill will continue to operate as a special music venue. The management may change but the song stays the same."
Featured image: The Leadmill
Sheffield
Sheffield put on official flood alert by Environment Agency as torrential rain hits city
After months of dry weather, heavy rain has fallen on Sheffield raising concerns.
If you're out and about today, we hope you've got a rain coat and umbrella with you.
Because after what seems like months of nonstop hot and dry weather, the flood gates have well and truly opened on Sheffield.
So much so that experts at the Environment Agency have issued flood alerts for nine areas in and around Sheffield.
The flood alert includes Blackburn Brook, the Lower River Rother, the Porter Brook Catchment the River Doe Lea catchment, the River Holme Catchment, the River Sheaf Catchment, the Upper River Don catchment, the Upper River Rother catchment and the Whiston Brook catchment.
Image: Environment Agency
The alert states: "Rising river levels today may lead to flooding. Flooding is possible on August 27 2026 due to the heavy and thundery downpours expected today.
“Locations most affected will be low lying land and roads near rivers. We are closely monitoring the situation as river levels may rise suddenly and cause surface water flooding.
“Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.”
Maps gave been issued by the agency that show the areas covered by the alert, including land near the Don and parts of Kelham Island, Hillsborough College, Hillsborough Stadium close to Penistone Road and land near Holme Lane and Rivelin Valley Road.
The alert comes as The Met Office states: “A broad band of thunderstorms and heavy rain will move north across England and Wales on Thursday, perhaps becoming slow moving in the afternoon and evening. Accumulations of 20-30 mm in an hour is possible locally, while 30 to 40 mm can be expected fairly widely and up to 50 mm in a 12 hour period in places."
Beloved bookshop Novel is finally reopening – but this time, there’s booze
Clementine Hall
Sheffield's much loved bookshop is reopening with a brand-new look.
You may remember back in January when Novel sadly had to close its doors due to circumstances beyond the team’s control.
Since opening in Crookes in 2024, co-owner Katie and the team had experienced ongoing intimidation and harassment, eventually leading to the decision to close the much-loved bookshop and bar indefinitely.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for a business that had quickly become a much-loved part of the Crookes community. Katie, alongside her husband and business partner Joe, had ‘tried everything’ to keep Novel open, but with their safety becoming a growing concern, they were ultimately left with no choice but to step away.
At the time, it felt like that might be the end of Novel. Thankfully, it seems it wasn't.
Daisy Jackson -
1st April 2022 
