Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield 2026
Rock N Roll Circus has carved out its own slot in the Steel City’s festival calendar, and this year’s bill proved why it’s worth a trip under the big top. Thursday didn’t get off to the smoothest start, with a lengthy queue at the gates. However, that issue was fixed for the rest of the weekend, and I found the whole experience seamless.
Liverpool’s The Kairos made up for lost time on the outdoor stage, bringing a youthful energy and a full, well-mixed sound that got the day moving properly. Miles Kane continued the Scouse indie with an energy-filled set, ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Rearrange’ among the standouts. Cruz Beckham and the Breakers were the low point of the day, a pretty standard indie set that leant on a cover of ‘Hey Jude’ rather than anything memorable from their own material.
Things picked back up with Milburn, who brought a real personable energy and had the crowd locked in from the start, claiming they couldn’t believe it was 20 years since they started out. A joke about ‘Do You Wanna Build a Snowman’ landed well, and there was a real sense of Sheffield history running through a busy, engaged crowd. Next up on the outdoor stage was Day We Ran, a New Zealand band who impressed with great vocals and a really mature sound that sat somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Royel Otis, their song ‘Naked At Your Door’ a festival highlight.
The circus element of the event was out in full force, with aerialists, fire breathers and contortionists all performing together in a circus spectacular before the main act of the day.
Indie legends The Kooks closed things out in the big top for day one, sounding great from the first track and leaning hard into the hits. ‘Always Where I Need to Be’ and ‘She Moves in Her Own Way’ got the whole circus singing along.
Friday kicked off with Hak Baker, funny as ever and delivering a real crowd-pleaser with ‘Conundrums’. He also dealt well with some questionable heckles from the crowd. Brit-winning masked rapper CASISDEAD and Ellur both delivered, the latter a great indie set on the outdoor stage. Babyshambles were the next act I caught that day under the big top, with Pete Doherty and co delivering a set packed full of fan favourites, even throwing in a short cover of Stone Roses’ ‘Waterfall’ that went down well with the crowd. Doherty also spent the day roaming the tent, casually chatting to anyone who wanted to.
The Streets closed the night with A Grand Don’t Come for Free played in full. Often albums performed in full can feel like nostalgia-baiting gimmicks, but this showcased Mike Skinner’s immersive storytelling perfectly. A selection of hits followed, with ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’ truly memorable live.
Saturday opened with Fat Dog, who brought amazing energy and had the crowd whipped up early in the day for the massive ‘King of Slugs’. Having seen Bleech 9:3 at Tramlines the previous month, I was prepared for the crowd to be energetic. However, this was another level, the crowd fluid from the first track. As was the case last time I caught them, they sounded huge live too, their talent far exceeding the size of the stage they occupied and the time of day they played. The ever-eccentric Baxter Dury followed in the big top, delivering a quirky, energetic set that kept a crowd who’d probably come for dark-fruits indie fully on board with his dance moves.
Wunderhorse were the highlight of the day. I hadn’t heard much from the Cornish indie outfit, but from opening track ‘Midas’ the entire tent was locked in, me included. The passion from the crowd was immediate, with every song being received as if it was a major stadium anthem. Singer Jacob Slater was bursting with passion from the first second of the set, and the crowd matched it Even album tracks such as ‘July’ were screamed back to them. I couldn’t help but think that might be the last time they play to a crowd that small.
Embrace were the first act of Sunday for me, with ‘Ashes’ getting the day going nicely and the crowd in fine voice once again. The Fratellis were next up, their cover of ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ going down a treat, with ‘Whistle for the Choir’ and ‘Chelsea Dagger’ getting the biggest reaction of their set, as it always does. Villanelle, featuring Gene Gallagher, were surprisingly good considering the other nepo-band that played the outdoor stage over the weekend.
Richard Ashcroft closed the festival„ his instantly recognisable voice still sounding as great and powerful as ever. The crowd loved everything he threw at them, and big hitters like ‘Space and Time’, ‘Lucky Man’ and ‘Sonnet’ proved that the Verve songs haven’t lost an ounce of their power.
