Kelham Island Jazz Festival

For a city with Sheffield’s musical pedigree, it’s surprising there hasn’t been a dedicated jazz festival until now. Kelham Jazz Festival arrives this March to change that, turning one of the city’s most characterful neighbourhoods into a one-day celebration of live music and grassroots culture.

The festival spreads across 10 venues in Kelham Island and neighbouring Neepsend, including Yellow Arch Studios, Peddler Warehouse and Neepsend Social Club. Across three main stages and a wider fringe programme, more than 40 performances are planned, alongside outdoor sets, jam sessions, DJs and workshops.

Crucially, the festival has grown from within the scene itself. Local artists, promoters and independent venues have shaped the programme, with around 90% of the lineup coming from Northern musicians and stretching across jazz, blues, fusion and contemporary styles.

Among them is Luke Una – stalwart of the underground and founder of Manchester’s cult Electric Chair club night – bringing decades of record-selecting instincts and dancefloor experience. Leeds collective TC & The Groove Family bring a very different energy, blending Afrobeat, jazz, jungle and UK bass in a high-powered live show led by drummer Tim Cook and MC Franz Von.

Other artists push further into exploratory territory. Jonathan Enser’s project Matters Unknown draws together spiritual jazz, blues, West Coast beats and African diasporic influence, while harpist Marysia Osu threads classical, ambient and jazz traditions into her work. DJ Millie McKee moves between rare spiritual sounds, and saxophonist and composer Faye MacCalman blends experimental songwriting with improvisation and folk-inflected melodies.

Across breweries, warehouses and bars, Kelham Jazz Festival marks a big moment for Sheffield’s music scene, bringing the city’s and the wider North’s jazz community together for the first time.