The widely discussed court case involving The Leadmill Ltd against the Electric Group was initially triggered by an eviction noticed served on the former group in 2022, and the case is still unresolved.
Forge Press surveys taken in semester 1 concluded that all students in Sheffield are aware of the club’s presence and significance in the city, with 89% of students visiting the nightclub at least once a term, with Leadmill Fridays being the most popular student night.
The Leadmill first opened in 1980, known for hosting household names such as the Arctic monkeys, the Stone Roses and Oasis.
However, The Leadmill have been fighting to keep their venue since their first court appearance in May 2024, believing they had been wrongfully evicted, and the Electric Group would still benefit from the iconic reputation of being “The Leadmill”, despite any future name changes.
This case saw The Leadmill arguing that Dominic Madden, the boss of the Electric Group, had breached the law by claiming the future renovations needed to transform the venue would cost £2 million when this was assessed as coming to around £4.7 million, including the removal of main dancefloor, a toilet block and an air ventilation system.
Due to the validity of this argument, Leadmill Ltd were granted an adjournment to allow them to gather new evidence, which resulted in the court hearing in the Leeds Business and Property Court between the 16th and 20th December.
In advance of this, The Leadmill reached out to their supporters, including students, to join them at the court hearing, where they had arranged a free mini bus to and from the court. However, only a dozen people actually attended the hearing, many being the venue’s own staff.
During the hearing, The Leadmill’s director Phil Mills reassured that the name of the Leadmill will continue, even if this is in a different location, which could even be outside the city of Sheffield itself. So, even if the Leadmill doesn’t succeed in this case, we can still go to Leadmill Fridays and Abba night, even if we need to commute!
As for now, the date of the Leadmill still remains uncertain, and could still have years until a final judgement is reached. For now, all we can do is enjoy Sheffield’s most popular night club whilst it is still standing.
image credit: BBC/ Oli Constable
