Former home of Sheffield's The Leadmill to relaunch as live music venue

Electric Group, the building's landlord and operator of the new space, evicted the team behind Sheffield's longest-running venue earlier this year

The former home of Sheffield's The Leadmill is set to relaunch as a new live music venue, Electric Studios.

Once Sheffield's longest-running venue, the team behind The Leadmill were evicted by landlord Electric Group earlier this year after losing an eviction appeal to continue operating at the Eyre Street premises. 

Electric Group - who also operate venues Electric Brixton, Electric Bristol and NX Newcastle - have now announced plans to relaunch the space under the name Electric Studios. 

According to Music Week, Electric Studios will open in spring 2026 as a "subsidised creative hub" with "live music and club programming", having undergone a £2 million renovation — which includes a new d&b audiotechnik PA system, advanced lighting and production installations.

Read this next: Sheffield venue The Leadmill denied eviction appeal following years-long legal battle

In 2017, Electric Group acquired the building within which The Leadmill had been operating since 1980. The new owners issued the long-running venue with an eviction notice in 2023.

The Leadmill underwent a lengthy legal battle in an attempt to preserve the long-running nightclub, which culminated in it being ordered to vacate the premises by a judge in 2024. 45 years after it first opened, The Leadmill was officially ordered to close in May 2025, and has operated under Electric Studios Sheffield since August 2025. 

“The ruling means we must vacate the premises within the next three months, marking the end of an era for a venue that has been a cornerstone of the city’s cultural life since 1980,” the team behind The Leadmill said in a statement following the decision. 

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In a statement to Music Week, promoter and former member of The Leadmill Arts Cooperative Alan Deadman said: “There’s a cyclical thing… just as The Leadmill venue was a very powerful stimulus in 1980 in the morale of the creative community, the Electric Studios will do that again.”

Electric Group co-founder Dominic Madden referenced the "historic" legacy of The Leadmill, while alluding to a "modern vision" for the new space. 

“Having discussed the ethos of the original Leadmill cooperative with the founders of the Leadmill Arts Cooperative, the one thing that resonated with me was their demonstrable success in providing opportunity to young people at the time," he told Music Week. 

"We can now step up and provide support to young creative Sheffielders at the start of their journey," he continues. "Work here so far is creating over 100 jobs, as it is being finalised for opening next Spring when we look forward to welcoming music lovers to the latest addition to the Electric circuit of special music venues.”

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter

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