This coming weekend is Tramlines 2011, Sheffield's annual free city-wide music festival and we're officially very excited about it. We thought we'd take the opportunity to write this blog post to tell you about the bands and artists we're looking forward to seeing from the Tramlines 2011 lineup as well as letting you know about some fantastic clothing shoes and accessories that will set you apart from the crowd when you're finding your way from venue to venue.



Firstly, there's The Kate Jackson Group. Kate used to be the singer in Sheffield indie-rock darlings The Long Blondes, and when they split up, Kate started work on her own material with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler and more recently with her new band mates. This will be a welcome return for one of Sheffield's finest rock stars and you can check KJG out when they play the Nokia Sheffield Showcase at Barkers Pool on Friday evening.

The perfect attire for such a gig is a pair of rather nice Iron Fist Shoes. We've got a huge range of styles available, many of which are currently at great sale prices, so click here to view our full range of Iron Fist Shoes at The Alternative Store.



Also on Friday, the Washington plays host to hotly-tipped Sheffield two-piece Drenge, who will be turning in several performances at venues across the weekend. They're noisy, garagey, grungey types, and we loves em.

Also on the same bill are local noisemeisters Steel Trees, who make the kind of noise that makes you think it's 1991 and that Mudhoney are number one in the charts. Yep, THAT good.



Fitting for this sort of racket is the fine clothing courtesy of Actual Pain. Death Metal and Horror-inspired tees that make you look like the kid everyone is scared of at school. Click here to check out the full range of Actual Pain Clothing at the Alternative Store.



Saturday night is all about Toddla T for us. Sheffield's hip-hop/electro/dancehall impresario is one of our finest musical exports, and he's taking over The Octagon Centre at Sheffield University during Tramlines to bring a lineup including Shy FX and Ms. Dynamite as well as his own inimitable performance.



Our range of New Eras is better than ever, including the ever-popular snapbacks. Click here to check out our full range of New Era Hats...



One of our must-sees is The Ghost of a Thousand on the New Music Stage at Barkers Pool. These Brighton-based punks are sadly due to disband shortly after this gig, so see them while you still have the chance.



Macbeth Shoes are the chosen brand for many of today's pop-punk and alternative bands, and it's easy to see why. Their mix of style and ethical practice makes them one of our best-loved brands. Click here to check out our full range of Macbeth Shoes at The Alternative Store.



We've shied away from the Tramlines 2011 Main Stage on Devonshire Green until now, but Sunday's lineup is pretty killer. With local indie boys The Crookes and The Futureheads handling things the crowds are going to be spoiled rotten, while pop-punkers Ash are headlining to bring the main stage to a close.



The good news is that Fuse, The Alternative Store's real-life store location in The Forum Shops on Devonshire Street will be open all day Friday and Saturday during Tramlines 2011, so between bands you can drop in and check out the wide range of clothing, footwear and accessories and feel sorry for us that we're shop-bound while all of this festival fun and excitement is going on...

You can browse the full lineup for Tramlines 2011 at www.tramlines.org.uk and you can shop to your heart's content at www.thealternativestore.net