Eddie Izzard has joined the campaign to save The Leadmill in Sheffield by announcing two shows at the venue this weekend.
- READ MORE: If Sheffield’s Leadmill – the venue that helped break Arctic Monkeys – closes, we all lose something
The gigs are being held in support of the #WeCantLoseLeadmill campaign and will be held at the venue this Saturday (April 9) and Sunday (April 10).
The first concert will feature Izzard’s stand up show Wunderbar+ and the second will feature her performance of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Tickets for both shows can be purchased here and here.
Upon hearing the news, Izzard previously said in reply to a tweet by Billy Bragg: “Totally agree with Billy. The Leadmill started when I was at Uni in Sheffield. It was a great venue then and remains a great beacon for new bands and rock music in Sheffield and South Yorkshire #WeCantLoseLeadmill.”
I will be performing my Stand-up show Wunderbar+ and my Theatre show Great Expectations @Leadmill Sheffield this weekend in support of the #wecantloseleadmill campaign. Tx & info –
Wunderbar+ https://t.co/d9kFKOACR1
Great Expectations https://t.co/SL2pJpzccP
Photo: @amandasphoto pic.twitter.com/Yj8T2sDm3I— Eddie Izzard (@eddieizzard) April 5, 2022
Totally agree with Billy. The Leadmill started when I was at Uni in Sheffield. It was a great venue then and remains a great beacon for new bands and rock music in Sheffield and South Yorkshire #WeCantLoseLeadmill https://t.co/YeRxly8wvr
— Eddie Izzard (@eddieizzard) April 1, 2022
It comes after a host of artists including Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon, Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker threw their weight behind the campaign to save the iconic Sheffield venue and club after it told music fans of the “devastating news that in one year’s time, our Landlord is trying to evict us, forcing us to close” – leading to an outpouring of upset and support from the music world.
The current bosses of Sheffield’s Leadmill then responded to the owners denying their intentions to close the venue. Leaders of Electric Group, the company who bought the freehold for the site of the Leadmill in March 2017, argued that they’d be removing the current management but keeping the building as a music venue after renovations.
The current management then hit back, arguing that they were being “exterminated by the landlord”.
“They are destroying our business by evicting us,” they said in a statement to NME. “They intend to profit from the goodwill and reputation built up over those 40 plus years. It is a cheap, shabby, sly and underhand way of doing business, by forcing companies to cease trading.
“Millions of pounds have been spent by The Leadmill (not the Landlord) on the fabric of what was once a derelict building. It is the hard-working, dedicated and local family of staff that have put 42 years worth of their blood, sweat and tears into making it the cultural asset it is today. Without The Leadmill, the building we currently occupy would be nothing more than a derelict old flour mill.”
It has since emerged that Electric Group have registered for the trademark ‘Electric Sheffield’. A listing on the UK government’s Intellectual Property Office website shows that the application was filed by the Brixton-based company on February 3, 2022 for services relating to nightclubs, entertainment, live entertainment, hosting of musical events; Provision of live entertainment, as well as bar and restaurant services.
The likes of Sea Power, The Subways, Ash, Joe Lycett, Nish Kumar, Rolo Tomassi, Steve Lamacq, Marc Riley, Paul Heaton and many more have already spoken out in support of the venue , with Manic Street Preachers, The Brudenell Social Club, Enter Shikari, Sleaford Mods and more since speaking out to keep The Leadmill alive.
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