Sheffield's famous Leadmill music venue celebrates 40th birthday with record release

Sheffield’s iconic music and entertainment venue the Leadmill has released a special compilation record to celebrate its 40th birthday.
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The record, Forty, features artwork from Sheffield artist Pete McKee and contributions from city music star Richard Hawley and Leadmill favourites such as Enter Shikari and The Orielles. It will be limited to just 500 copies.

The Leadmill celebrated its 40th birthday in May 2020 and the record is released during Independent Venue Week, marking a tough time for the entire live music and entertainment sector.

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The doors have mostly stayed shut, although the venue did manage to stage a socially-distanced gig with new band Working Men’s Club in October.

The Leadmill's record release Forty, with artwork by city painter Pete McKeeThe Leadmill's record release Forty, with artwork by city painter Pete McKee
The Leadmill's record release Forty, with artwork by city painter Pete McKee

Staff were furloughed but The Leadmill also employs a lot of independent contractors.

Speaking on radio station BBC6 Music on January 27, assistant manager Rebecca Walker said that many highly-experienced staff were being lost to other industries as they couldn’t afford to hang on until venues can open safely again.

Pete McKee’s cover art features his take on a typical Leadmill crowd enjoying a live band.

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“The Leadmill was pivotal to some of my most memorable nights out, looking at the small flyer with the upcoming bands and cherry picking potential history-making gigs. Every city needs a Leadmill,” said Pete.

A queue outside The Leadmill in Sheffield below the red neon sign that inspired the colour of the vinyl for the 40th anniversary recordA queue outside The Leadmill in Sheffield below the red neon sign that inspired the colour of the vinyl for the 40th anniversary record
A queue outside The Leadmill in Sheffield below the red neon sign that inspired the colour of the vinyl for the 40th anniversary record

The track listing features artists who have created relationships with the venue over the years, including Enter Shikari, Patawawa, city indie band Milburn member Joe Carnall Jnr’s latest project Good Cop Bad Cop and October Drift.

The record also features an insert with a foreword written by Richard Hawley, talking about his own experience of The Leadmill.

The vinyl itself will be a bright red colour, to match the venue’s iconic neon sign.

A party atmosphere inside the venueA party atmosphere inside the venue
A party atmosphere inside the venue
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“We’ve really tried to bring together a bunch of faces from across the venue’s history, while incorporating all different genres, to achieve a true representation of what The Leadmill is about’ said Sam Feeley, live promoter at the venue,

Shipping in early May, the record was available for pre-order via The Leadmill’s online store alongside limited test pressing bundles at leadmill.co.uk/product-category/record but quickly sold out.

Full track list:

1. October Drift - Like The Snow We Fall

2. Enter Shikari - Torn Apart (Live In The Studio)

3. Wings Of Desire - Be Here Now

4. International Teachers Of Pop - Miss Lollipop

5. Good Cop Bad Cop - Sharp Shooter

6. TRASH - Give Up

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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