Sheffield’s legendary venue The Leadmill has claimed that its future “hangs in the balance” after a court deferred its judgement over their potential eviction.
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The institution has been under threat since its owners the Electric Group issued an eviction notice in March 2022, which sparked an outcry across the music industry and from gig-goers.
Electric Group, a joint venture between Dominic Madden and Jacob Lewis that also owns London’s Electric Brixton, Bristol’s SWX and Newcastle’s NX, bought the site’s freehold in 2017 and shortly afterwards said they had no intention of closing the venue when they ended the current occupiers’ lease.
However, the site’s management soon hit back, arguing that they were being “exterminated by the landlord”. In May, the 900-capacity venue won its first court battle against its landlord, being granted an adjournment to allow them to prepare fresh arguments and to respond to new evidence.
The next stage of legal proceedings took place earlier this week at Leeds Property and Business Court, and as the Leadmill confirmed with a series of X posts on Friday (December 20), the judgment was ultimately deferred.
— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) December 20, 2024
“The fate of The Leadmill remains uncertain as the court defers its judgment in the case that could set a critical precedent for independent venues across the UK,” they wrote.
Recapping the events that led to the current case, they added: “Crucially, no evidence has been provided to suggest that The Leadmill was ever under any threat, until The Electric Group itself created one.”
“Despite their public claims, it has become evident during this process that The Electric Group’s real intention is to capitalise on the goodwill, reputation and trust that The Leadmill has built over 45 years of operation.”
“Can a landlord evict its tenant and profit from the reputation, community trust and goodwill that the tenant has spent decades building?” they added.
They continued that they “earned” their reputation through “hard work, careful curation and community-driven events”, adding: “This case highlights a worrying precedent for cultural venues across the UK. If landlords can remove tenants and profit from their hard-earned reputations, it threatens the survival of independent venues everywhere”.
— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) December 20, 2024
Citing the Human Rights Act, which it claims “extends protections not just to physical property but also to intangible assets such as goodwill”, they also point to the Landlord Tenant Act, which they say should “provide tenants with protections from arbitrary or exploitative actions”.
Concluding, they said: “For 45 years, The Leadmill has been a cultural cornerstone for Sheffield. It is more than a building; it is a space defined by its people, its history and the values it stands for: supporting local artists and grassroots promoters, fostering a sense of community and creativity, building a reputation for quality, trust and inclusivity that audiences have come to rely on.”
— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) December 20, 2024
“The Electric Group’s actions threaten to dismantle this legacy by severing the connection between the venue and the people who built its reputation”.
The Leadmill’s management have previously launched a fresh appeal to fans, asking for support after revealing that landlords were reportedly moving forward with eviction plans.
Electric Group’s Dominic Madden responded by doubling down on claims that they “intend to continue operating the space as a music venue, focussing on a diverse mix of gigs, club nights and comedy events.”
Madden confirmed in his witness statement in May that if he succeeded in his eviction, the space would no longer be called ‘The Leadmill’ and all current staff would be replaced. He also stated that he would be evicting the workshop users if he succeeded, putting an end to the tenancies of those still working from The Leadmill.
The Leadmill launched a ‘Battle For The Soul Of Sheffield’ campaign last summer, in a bid to rally support as the venue fights for survival.
Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker onstage at the Leadmill in Sheffield on August 9. Credit: Tom Sunderland
Since first opening its doors in 1980, the venue has hosted early shows from Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon and The Killers, and remains a popular live music and clubbing spot.
After news of it coming under threat emerged in 2022, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited The Leadmill and encouraged others to “get behind it.
He also echoed the views of countless Sheffield locals, hailing it as “the heart of the city”, as well as the stance held by Arctic Monkeys, Jarvis Cocker and Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes among the Sheffield artists to have spoken out in support of the venue.
Sheffield’s Richard Hawley has also been a vocal supporter of The Leadmill for years now – having played a number of gigs there throughout 2022 to raise money and awareness. Some of his shows also saw him joined on stage by fellow Sheffield artists Jarvis Cocker and Rebecca Taylor (aka Self Esteem).
The Leadmill has said it could potentially move to a new location if it is evicted, describing the potential plans as “hypothetical” and “plan B or plan C”.
Speaking to NME about the history behind the venue last February, Hawley said that the staff who’ve built up the venue over the years should be allowed to continue running it under the same name.
“The upsetting thing is that if it was a failing business, I’d understand that someone would take it over. What angers me is that it doesn’t surprise me that greedy fuckers buy the land from underneath them. If they threw [the venue staff] out and turned it into flats, it would be an absolute tragedy but slightly easier to accept,” he said.
“The fact that what they’ve basically done is bought the land from underneath them, issued them with an eviction notice, and are going to steal their business. That to me is wildly immoral. If I was running a venue, or even a chip shop, I’d think, ‘Hold on a sec, if they get away with it with these, then who’s next?’ It’s just wrong.”
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