A music venue which has played host to bands including Oasis and Coldplay has announced its closure after 45 years.
Sheffield’s The Leadmill has been forced to shut down after more than four decades, during which time it built up a reputation as a legendary venue.
In a statement, The Leadmill said it was a “heart-breaking moment” and felt like a “betrayal of the cultural fabric of our city”.
In 1980, the venue provided the location for Pulp’s first-ever gig before the Sheffield-based rock band went on to achieve accomplishments including winning the Mercury Prize and headlining Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage twice.
Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker previously came out in public to back the venue, while Oasis singer Liam Gallagher described The Leadmill’s closure as “scandalous”.
Management had no option but to close the venue after losing a lengthy battle with its landlord, Electric Group, which bought the building in 2017 and first issued a notice of eviction in 2022.
The Leadmill’s application for permission to appeal against a court ruling in February was refused by the Court of Appeal at a hearing on Wednesday.
In a statement issued after the decision was delivered, the venue said it would mean the loss of more than 70 jobs.
The Leadmill must now vacate the property within three months, as Electric Group plan to run the 900-capacity venue themselves.
After it won an earlier court case, Electric Group said the venue would continue to be “a cornerstone of the live music scene in Sheffield”.
But The Leadmill said Wednesday’s decision had “ramifications for every business tenant in the country”.
It added: “The judgment in the High Court and in the Court of Appeal confirms that tenants have no rights whatsoever, that if a landlord wants to profit from evicting the tenant and copying the tenant’s business, it can do so.
“If you worked all the hours God sends over years to build a successful business, it can be forcibly seized in the most egregious way.”
It announced a series of farewell events and told ticketholders there were plans to continue scheduled gig at other venues in Sheffield.
It continued: “We are devastated but not defeated. This is not the end of The Leadmill’s spirit – it’s a call to action for everyone who believes in the importance of independent culture.”
His Honour Justice Sir Alistair Norris, who presided over the hearing this week, said the “present intention” is to rename the venue SK 35.