Jarvis Cocker: Sheffield singer wants to salvage Leadmill Pulp plaque before iconic venue closes
Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker hopes to salvage a plaque that was fitted at the Leadmill, before it is taken over by new owners.
The singer from the famous Sheffield band, currently riding high in the charts with a number one album, says he would like to take a plaque that was fixed at the Leadmill before it closes, to be replaced by a new venue run by the Electric Group.
The plaque was installed to commemorate Pulp’s first gig, which was at the famous Sheffield venue, which dates back to the early 1980s.
Pulp legend Jarvis told the NME: “My main thing is trying to figure out how to get that plaque outside off the wall before the new owner moves in.
“I vowed that’s what I’d do if it was to close, and now it is. If the next thing you read about me is that I’ve been arrested trying to crowbar off a plaque from the outside of The Leadmill, you’ll know why.”
The Electric Group says that the venue will remain a music venue.
Miles Kane is due to be the last artist to play The Leadmill, on Friday, June 27, the nightclub says.
The business must be out of the building on Leadmill Road by August 14 after its lease expired and operators lost a court fight to stay.
The Leadmill first opened in 1980 as an arts venue in the city, and has hosted a succession of big name music stars since then.
Phil Mills, who runs the business, took over in 1994, turning it from a charity into a profit making business.
The building was bought in 2017 by The Electric Group, which runs a number of music venues.
It served an eviction notice after The Leadmill’s lease ran out in March 2023.