Leadmill: iconic Sheffield music venue ‘not going anywhere’ as petition to save it passed 46,000 signatures

A petition to save the legendary Leadmill music venue in Sheffield has surpassed 46,000 signatures. Back in March, the venue was served an eviction notice from landlords who said that they planned to keep it as a music venue.

In April, the venue’s landlord, The Electric Group, served the current management team notice and will take over running the club next year, with plans to invest £1m and preserve the building as a music venue.

In a statement at the time, head of music Mike Weller said it was “absurd and disingenuous” to say the venue was closing, apart from shutting its doors for what was described as “a quick tidy up”.

The fight to keep the venue open has been supported by many famous faces in the last few months, including comedian Eddie Izzard, Greater Manchester band Blossoms and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The petition is now closed, and has finished up on 46,054 signatures. In a statement posted on the venue’s Twitter page,the Leadmill thanked all those who had signed the petition and encouraged fans to keep on coming to events.

They said: “After six months, our online petition is now closed, reaching an incredible 46,054 signatures. During this time, there have been people from every single constituency within the United Kingdom who have signed - from Orkney and Shetland all the way to St Ives. We are so grateful to every one of you that has helped to spread the word of our current situation.

“To know that there are so many of you fighting in our corner truly means everything to us. For now, it’s business as usual, with a range of super fun events up our sleeves. We’ve seen record attendances since April so please keep coming down and support us, let’s continue that into next year!

“Although the petition is now closed, this doesn’t mean that things are over, so please continue to spread the word as to why. Your stories and memories don’t just uplift us, they help to show exactly why venues like ours are so important. We’re not going anywhere without a fight.”