The Leadmill Sheffield: Venue appeals for public support in Music Week awards vote

The venue, which has been facing an uncertain future after it was threatened with eviction from the building where it has operated since the 1980s, is nominated for Music Week‘s ‘Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene’ award, with the public now able to register votes in support of the famous site.

Rose Wilcox, head of programming at The Leadmill said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be representing Sheffield in this category at the highly competitive Music Week Awards. We’ll be proudly flying the flag for the city and all of the incredible artists and organisations that we work with on a daily basis to bring cultural events to as many different communities as possible. Support from the public over the past year has carried our team and winning this award would mean the world."

The Leadmill is on the ballot alongside a host of the country’s best independent venues. Last year it welcomed a number of well known touring acts, including Cassyette, Alfie Templeman and Grace Petrie, as well as local acts such as Minds Idle, VIVAS and Sheafs selling out their biggest shows to date.

As well as live music, the venue also regularly hosts comedians, club nights and cultural events, which have including two performances from Eddie Izzard (one being a stand-up set, the other being a solo rendition of Dickens’ Great Expectations), female-oriented club night She Said, and Slambarz, an open mic event for young urban music performers.

The Music Week Awards are mostly peer-voted and judged by an independent panel of specialist judges. But the Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene award is exclusively decided by the gig-going public.

The Leadmill is launching a nationwide campaign, appealing to those who have enjoyed a night in the venue to give them their vote and help bring home the gold for Sheffield and its fantastic music scene.

Voting is open now and freely available to access through the Music Week Awards website, with the closing date on March 31st. The awards ceremony will take place in London on May 24, with thousands of music industry figures in attendance.

To vote, log onto the Music Week Awards voting page, https://www.musicweekawards.com/grassrootsvote2023.