Sheffield Leadmill’s new owners reveal new venue name and opening date
The new operators of The Leadmill in Sheffield have announced the new name for the venue and its official opening date.
The beloved live music space in the Steel City closed its doors last month after 45 years. This came after its owners were denied an appeal against an eviction notice from Electric Group, and given three months to vacate the premises on Leadmill Street.
Friend of the venue Miles Kane played the final-ever live show at The Leadmill on June 27, before ‘The Last Dance’ closing club night the following evening (28).
New owner Electric Group – which runs various venues across the UK, including Brixton Electric – has shared that the new iteration of The Leadmill will open its doors in February 2026.
A specific date has not yet been revealed, but Electric Group has launched a new page where fans can sign up for updates and make booking enquiries via email.
The website also confirmed the new name for The Leadmill – it’ll be known as Electric Sheffield.
Electric Group had previously vowed to keep the building as a music venue – which would “continue to be a cornerstone of the live music scene in Sheffield, supporting artists, fans, and community projects for the next 100 years”.
The new bosses said around the same time that they planned to refurbish the building and offer current workers jobs at a new venue in the premises, according to The Star.
The previous owners had operated on the site since 1980, welcoming local stars including Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Bring Me The Horizon and Self Esteem, as well as the likes of Muse, Coldplay, The Strokes, Oasis and many more.
Led by director Phil Mills, the old operators are required to move out before a deadline of August 14.
Ahead of Electric Group winning the court ruling, the previous owners’ planning application to demolish certain parts of the venue, if evicted, was rejected. Mills had previously said he intended to “gut” the premises of its current fixtures and fittings – including the dancefloor and stage – if forced to vacate the building.
After being told to leave, the old operators called it “a heartbreaking moment not just for our team but for the entire Sheffield community”.
“We’ve fought tirelessly to protect this independent venue which has supported countless artists, musicians and creatives for over four decades,” the statement said, adding that “today’s decision feels like a betrayal of the cultural fabric of our city”.
The venue was first served an eviction notice in 2022 – resulting in an uproar from music fans and artists alike – when it emerged that Electric Group had bought the freehold for the site of the Leadmill in March 2017.
This May, Sheffield native Richard Hawley talked to NME about his “overwhelming sense of sadness” over the loss of the original Leadmill, pleading for the government to change the law to stop it from happening to other venues. This came ahead of the singer-songwriter’s final show at The Leadmill on June 18.
“Something very beautiful has been stolen from this city, and nationally,” Hawley added. When asked if he thought that loyal Leadmill regulars would boycott the new iteration of the space, he replied: “It’s yet to be seen. I can’t speak for the city – that would be wrong – but I know that I and a lot of people I know will never step foot over that threshold again.”
Then, last month, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker spoke to NME about the situation.
- Read More: If Sheffield’s Leadmill – the venue that helped break Arctic Monkeys – goes, we all lose something
“It’s a bit like when Starbucks first started and they would close down all the coffee bars to open theirs. Leadmill was already a successful venue but now someone has bought it,” he said. “They’re not turning it into flats, which is what usually happens.”
Cocker continued: “It’s a weird thing: that idea that you can invent a scene… This is the first place that Pulp played in Sheffield, it’s developed over a lot of time, and to create a place with that kind of history and atmosphere to it is not something that you can buy.”
He also revealed that he wanted to take a black plaque from outside The Leadmill that commemorates Pulp’s first gig there: “I vowed that’s what I’d do if it was to close, and now it is.”
Arctic Monkeys expressed their support for the landmark Sheffield venue in 2022, after its landlord was issued the eviction notice. The band played two hometown shows at The Leadmill in 2007.
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Tom Skinner
NME
