Tramlines 2026 was everything you could have expected and more. Classic sing-a-longs with Headliners Courteeners in 'Not Nineteen Forever' to the iconic 'A Thousand Miles' by Vanessa Carlton and enjoying a laugh with festival favourites The Lottery Winners as Thom forgets lyrics and demands a hot dog from a vendor.
Day one of festivals always feel exciting, but you could immediately feel a different buzz around the Hillsborough site on the Friday as thousands of fans walked around in their Fat Boy Slim shirts. But starting the day off over on The Leadmill stage was local artist Bethany Grace who captivated her crowd early on and it just brought a small sense of joy to the start of the day.
The Clause hammered home an incredible and lively set over on the Sarah Nulty stage and they're a band who will only climb higher on the bill, followed by an iconic band with The Vaccines who had the crowd bouncing and singing from the moment they hit the stage.
A new band for me was KEO who I'd heard a lot about but never managed to see them, well. Next time they definitely won't be on T'other stage, as the crowd flowed out of the tent and into the fields themselves. The band were so full of energy and their fans matched it all the way to the end of the set. Probably one of the highlights of the weekend.
Next up for me was legendary band Kaiser Chiefs, who with 20 years in the game know how to get a party going with their set full of absolutely bangers as the crowd sing back to every song and we even have a moment where Ricky climbs up the side of the stage. The man gets more wild and energetic every time I see them. A band I love to watch and will probably see many more times.
Headliner for day 1 was the infamous Fat Boy Slim. I'm not one for DJs, I don't get overly excited by them, I feel they are all very much the same. It's also nice to be proven wrong.
As much as a DJ set is everything you expect, Norman Cook has absolutely perfected the art in what he does. He has full control of every little thing and the crowd eat out the palm of his hands. He manages to superbly interact with the crowd and make it feel like it's an intimate show rather than a field in which you're stood among 30,000 people.
Day one was busy, crazy, super fun and just the start of an amazing weekend.
