Inside The Leadmill Archives exhibition
The iconic Sheffield venue is opening up its archives to the public through a free exhibition of rare photos, press cuttings and signed setlists, gathered across its 43-year history.

One of the city’s most iconic venues is taking the public on a trip
down memory lane with a new exhibition charting its four-decade
history.
First opening its
doors in 1980, The Leadmill has seen some of the UK’s biggest
musical acts grace its stage on the way to the top. Now the local
institution has opened a unique exhibition showcasing the memorabilia
collected over its 43-year life.
The Leadmill
Archives includes signed setlists, rare photos, press cuttings
and three electric guitars made out of the club’s Canadian maple
wood dancefloor, following its renovation in 2017.
“We
were tidying the archives recently to try and organise it better so
that we are able to access things quickly,” The Leadmill’s Head
of Programming, Rose Wilcox, told
me.
“We decided to start moving with the exhibition so that we could
showcase it all, instead of it being locked in cabinets, to help
remind people just how iconic the venue is and how many events have
taken place here.”

As visitors take a
trip through The Leadmill’s history, including the building’s
origins as a flour mill, video testimonials from the likes of The
Reytons, comedian Suzy Eddie Izzard and the Leadmill’s resident
doorman Nev play, advocating for the importance of the venue to our
nation’s music scene.
In
one video, musician Miles Kane says,
“I have been playing here for about 15 years and I want to be able
to play here for another 15 years.”
Visitors are invited
to stick their own Leadmill memories to the wall, a feature which
illustrates just how ever-present the space has been on Sheffield’s
cultural landscape.
“It
is fascinating for people of all ages to get a glimpse into what used
to happen [at
the Leadmill],
or tap into memories of events that they might have attended before,”
Wilcox explained.
“It
is like a visual reminder of just how many artists have been to
Sheffield through the years and have gone on to become global
successes.”
Wilcox told me the
exhibition will run “for
the foreseeable future – as long as there are people that are
interested in coming to see it.”
“The
exciting thing about the archives is that there is so much of it...
We
are already talking about things we can be adding to the exhibition
and sharing with people, so we see it as something that will evolve.”
The Leadmill
Archives serves as a celebration of the history that has taken place
within its walls, as well as reminder on why it should be preserved,
in the face of threats to its survival.
The exhibition is free and the venue will update opening times on a weekly basis on their website.