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Leadmill operators have nineteen shows scheduled in beyond March 2023 eviction date
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 24 November 2022
Although the war of words between the operators of the Leadmill venue in Sheffield and their landlord the Electric Group has not been so prolific of late, local newspaper the Sheffield Star has noted that those current operators have announced a number of shows that are due to take place at the venue beyond the date when they are meant to be leaving the building.
The existing Leadmill team announced in March that they had been given a year to vacate the premises by their landlord. That landlord, the aforementioned Electric Group, is a venue operator, and intends to continue running the building currently used by the Leadmill as a venue, but with new management in place.
Nevertheless, the decision to evict the current Leadmill team has proven very controversial within the Sheffield music community, and more widely, with a plethora of musicians and artists coming out in support of that current team.
Many of those musicians and artists have been publicly supporting a campaign launched by the current management seeking to pressure the Electric Group to reverse its decision.
However, to date it has not, and the plan remains that new management will take over at the Sheffield venue next year, which may or may not continue operating under the Leadmill name, depending on what the Electric Group’s lawyers advise in that domain.
Whatever it’s called if and when the current Leadmill team vacate the premises, there will presumably need to be a period of downtime as the new management take over. Not least because the current team have pointed out that they own all the kit in the building and will take it all with them, basically leaving an empty shell.
Despite all that, a number of shows beyond next March have already been announced. The Star reported yesterday: “Bosses at the famous music venue in Sheffield city centre are continuing to defy their landlord by lining up an array of gigs well past 25 Mar, when their 20 year lease is set to expire”.
“[The venue is currently] advertising a total of nineteen events at the premises on or beyond 25 Mar next year”, it added, “with its latest listings running all the way until 26 Oct 2023, when the comedian Kae Kurd is scheduled to appear”.
The newspaper went on: “Neither The Leadmill nor Electric Group would comment when contacted by The Star. The Leadmill said any communication would be made via its official channels and declined to answer when asked if there was a contingency for gigs scheduled after 25 Mar next year should it be kicked out”.
