Tramlines Superstruct: Festival pens open letter after backlash against partner's alleged ties to Israel

Superstruct became a Tramlines partner in 2019 to help grow the popular event in the Steel City, which is getting bigger every year and important to Sheffield’s economy.

Festival giant Superstruct’s parent company, US multi-billion dollar private equity firm KKR, is allegedly “linked to housing developments in the illegally occupied West Bank” and has other business interests in Israel, according to a report in The Guardian.

KKR is a US investment company which acquired Superstruct for £1.1bn in June 2024 and thus a controlling interest in 80 music festivals across Europe and Australia.

The future of a some Superstruct festivals this summer appear uncertain, with boycotts by some artists threatening events like London’s Sonar festival.

There is no suggestion of anything similar happening in Sheffield.

Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival has written an open letter responding to the backlash, making its postition clear.

In a statement published on May 28, the Tramlines team called the treatment of Palestinian people by the Israeli government “unconscionable” and called for an immediate end to military action.

The letter reads: “We recently found out that a fund who invested in Superstruct in 2024 has separate investments which have been criticised as unethical. We want to make it clear to everyone that such associations are directly in opposition to our ethos, aims and values. While we have no control over the decisions made by outside investors in Superstruct, we will continue to use our platform to make our position heard and understood.

“If there’s a profit, it remains entirely within Superstruct, for the development of their festivals and nothing else.”

Open letter by Tramlines Festival in response to Superstruct and KKR controversy

Here is the full open letter published by Tramlines on May 29:

Like so many of you in Sheffield and beyond, the team here at Tramlines has been following with horror the appalling situation in Gaza and the unconscionable treatment of its people by the government of Israel. The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel is in breach of humanitarian laws including, plausibly, on genocide. We would like to publicly add our voices to the calls for an immediate end to their military action, the unrestricted resumption of vital aid deliveries and adherence to international law.

We’re far from being experts, and we know there will be debate about why we are commenting on this now, or even if we should. Some will see this subject as outside our ‘lane’, others will think we’re not saying enough.

As a team, right now, we simply want to see an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and stand with those demanding their fair treatment as the starting point for long term peace in the region.

Our own discussion of this issue has been brought into sharp focus by recent questions around the ownership of a company called Superstruct, who became our partner in Tramlines in 2019. For those who don’t know, Superstruct is a company founded by people with enormous experience of creating and running independent festivals, who invest in teams like ours working hard to give you the best possible festival experiences for a long time to come. In short, we run Tramlines independently as we always have, making our own creative and commercial decisions, and they can offer help when we need it.

We recently found out that a fund who invested in Superstruct in 2024 has separate investments which have been criticised as unethical. We want to make it clear to everyone that such associations are directly in opposition to our ethos, aims and values. While we have no control over the decisions made by outside investors in Superstruct, we will continue to use our platform to make our position heard and understood.

We wanted you to hear about this from us first. It is important for us to be clear about where your money goes when you buy a ticket for Tramlines. We can absolutely reassure you that your ticket pays for the festival and artists you love, the incredible staff and freelancers who put on the show every year and our Tramlines Trust community initiatives here in Sheffield. If there’s a profit, it remains entirely within Superstruct, for the development of their festivals and nothing else.

Thank you for your support over all these years and we can’t wait to see you at Hillsborough Park in July.

Love,

The Tramlines Team.

KKR has referred media organisations to a statement issued by Superstruct.

That statment reads: “What’s happening in Gaza and Israel has deeply impacted our community. We are horrified by the scale of suffering and the ongoing crisis. These events have rightly raised urgent questions, and strong emotions, including from our artists, our people and our audiences. We join those calling for an immediate end to the conflict, and for humanitarian aid to reach those suffering in Gaza without delay.

“We are aware that there is a significant amount of debate and discussion around our festivals, and our ownership, in relation to these events.

“Our owners, made up of our promoters and several investment firms, support us to achieve the highest standards and best experience that fans and artists rightly expect. Operationally, Superstruct is independently run, and makes its own decisions based on what is in the best interests of our fans, artists, partners, and colleagues. Festivals are also empowered to make their own commercial decisions to reflect the changing world in which they operate.

“All revenue and profits from Superstruct events and festivals remains entirely within our business and goes towards the ongoing development and staging of our festivals across the world.

“At Superstruct, our purpose is to create and sustain music experiences that resonate globally. We believe music should bring people together — it has the power to connect across borders, backgrounds and beliefs, and we’re committed to building spaces that reflect that. Our focus remains on creating live experiences that unite people through music, not divide them.”