Tramlines Day One: The Round Up

Words: Ruby Corrigan

The sun has set on day one of Tramlines 2024. Thousands of people flooded Hillsborough Park on Friday afternoon, all anticipating a cracking day of music, and it totally lived up to the hype. The pints were flowing, the sun was shining and the atmosphere that filled the festival arena was absolutely electric. As always with festivals, day 1 offered some incredible sets, but also some that were rather disappointing, read on to hear my opinions on all things Tramlines Day 1.

It’s undeniable that the Friday lineup was absolutely stacked, ranging from smooth jazz to high intensity post punk, there really was something for everyone. Setting the bar high early in the afternoon was alternative rock band Coach Party, and they absolutely blew me away. Sometimes I worry that when bands are given earlier slots in the lineup, they won’t bring as much as energy as possible, but Coach Party proved me completely wrong. Smashing through banger after banger, the band set the stage ablaze, with front woman Jess Eastwood, front and centre like a phoenix, basked in the roars of the crowd, who were all responding to her phenomenally powerful vocals.

Next to grace the main stage was iconic northern rocker Miles Kane. Donning a particularly interesting denim style poncho emblazoned with his name on his back, tight fitting white flared jeans and his signature heavy gold chain, Kane strutted onto stage like he owned the place, and to be fair to him, after such a stellar performance, all of that ego is well earned. Now if you have followed the page for a long time, you will know that when I last saw Miles Kane, I wasn’t overly impressed, however he has completely turned that around. Between encouraging crowd participation, absolutely shredding on his guitar and overall, just emanating an obscenely cool aura, Kane is the definition of a rockstar. Ending his set with the banger ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ which he dedicated to his mum and aunty (who actually attended the festival as his guests), you could tell that this was a real ‘I’ve made it’ moment for Kane, as he smiled down at thousands of people singing his own song back to him.

I was able to catch Sophie Ellis Bextor very briefly, however I’ll be honest I didn’t hang around for too long. Ever the party girl, she looked incredible, however poor sound tech meant that she was incredibly difficult to hear, and she often sounded rather tinny, as if she was singing through a can. It was due to this that I decided to move on to discover other acts happening at the same time, searching for better sound quality.

Now don’t shoot me, but before this weekend I had never heard of Dylan John Thomas before, but I am so glad that my companion encouraged me to go and see him. Playing to a full crowd in the ‘T’Other Stage’ tent, the Scottish lad labelled ‘the next Gerry Cinnamon’ blew the roof off with his set full of beautiful lyrics and upbeat melodies that you just can’t help but dance to. While I see the similarities between him and Cinnamon, Dylan John Thomas has a certain authenticity that really makes him stand out against the rest. He is not simply a carbon copy of another Scottish icon, but he is a legend in the making, and his phenomenally engaging set yesterday proved that entirely.

It would have been wrong to attend day one of tramlines without seeing Corella. The indie four piece have set the world on fire this year, what with the release of their debut album along with multiple tour dates across the UK and mainland Europe, it seems like these boys don’t stop. Yet, all of their activity did not hinder them from delivering a full-on performance. Not a single song was lacking in energy, and they constantly kept the crowd engaged, delivering an extremely memorable set that got everyone energised for the rest of the long evening ahead.

Headlining the Library Stage was the beautiful Hannah Rowe, Fresh from graduating from Leeds Conservatoire with her friends/ band mates, Hannah Rowe performed an entrancing set of magical jazz inspired tunes that perfectly fit the hazy summer vibes of the early evening.

A real highlight of the day was The Mysterines’ phenomenal set in the Leadmill tent. As an avid Mysterines fan, they were high on my watch list, and as always, they never disappoint. Front woman Lia Metcalfe kept crowds entertained with her amusing tambourine tricks while the rest of the band warmed up. Every single song the played was electrifying, but their opening tune ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ really blew the crowd away, as every member of the band radiated their infectious energy, passing it into the audience members.

Ending the night was the mythical Paolo Nutini on the Sarah Nulty Main Stage, and honestly, he fell a little short. While he had the crowd onside at times, for example when he played ‘Last Request’ as an acoustic number, most of the time, audiences seem disinterested. I will never criticise an artist for playing whatever they wish, including newer, more experimental songs that perhaps aren’t as popular as their older, more iconic tunes. Yet, it was slightly disappointing to hear his older songs completely reworked, to the point that they were unrecognisable, and it was clear that the crowd agreed. Rather than hanging on his every breath, people were instead wandering off to get food, drinks and explore other acts such as The Charlatans. Vocally, Paolo was on point, yet he just didn’t blow me away.

In total, it was a day full of great music, great weather, and great vibes, and we at Rockstars cant wait to see what day 2 brings!