Photo + Words: Kate Warby

The first day of the festival seems to centre around headliners The Kooks, with a pre-set of indie pop bands playing their catchiest of tunes in hopes of progressing amongst the top stars in the indie pop scene. Festivals such as Rock N Roll Circus give these particular bands a platform that they don’t always get in a city where DJs and dance spaces seem to thrive amongst the younger music crowd, with another festival in the region, Tramlines, also encouraging this young pop talent. Opening act Spanish Horses hit off the weekend on a high, even with the dreary weather, as the crowd made the most of the day. With only around 5,000 followers on Instagram, this small band have made a great start to their August bank holiday weekend, filling the full stage and giving early arrivals something to get excited about from the get go. It’s only up from here for these guys.

Frontman Tom Onezime took control of the vocals and guitar, bringing the main focus to the stage whilst being joined by Albert Cocker on guitar, who added another layer to their sound rather than allowing the vocals to completely dominate. Behind them, Cyril Stephan kept the energy moving on drums, whilst Victor Michee held everything together on bass, giving the band the foundation needed to keep their sound moving. Spike Davis-Yuille completed the five piece on keys and harmonica, adding another element to their already full sound and proving that every member has their own part to play within the group. With the five members filling the stage, they gave the impression of a band much further into their career than their current following would suggest.

Despite being one of the first bands to take to the stage for the weekend, Spanish Horses managed to create an atmosphere that felt much bigger than their early festival slot would suggest. The crowd gradually building around them showed that the miserable weather wasn’t going to stop Sheffield making the most of the bank holiday weekend, and the band seemed to thrive off the attention as they introduced themselves to an audience who may not have arrived specifically to see them. For a smaller band still building their following, having people stop and watch is exactly what these festival stages are designed for, and Spanish Horses made sure they took advantage of the opportunity they had been given.

With the rest of the weekend still to come, Spanish Horses have already set the bar high for themselves. Opening the festival and getting the crowd involved despite the weather is no small achievement, especially for a band still growing their audience. As more people discover them throughout their upcoming shows, their following is only bound to grow, and for those early arrivals who chose to brave the rain and watch them, they may be able to say they saw Spanish Horses before they made it amongst the bigger names in the indie scene. What started as an early festival set could be the beginning of a much bigger journey, and for Spanish Horses, it really does feel like it’s only up from here.

The Birmingham based band The Clause brought their years of experience to Sheffield as they took to the stage with “Nothing’s As It Seems”, immediately setting the tone for what was to come. With the first day of Rock N Roll Circus seemingly centred around giving indie bands the opportunity to introduce themselves to new audiences before The Kooks headline, The Clause were a perfect fit for the festival, having spent years building their following and playing their way across the country. Their catchy guitar hooks and upbeat sound had the crowd engaged from the beginning, showing that this is a band who are no strangers to commanding a stage.

Frontman Pearce Macca took centre stage throughout, providing the vocals and guitar that naturally drew the attention of the crowd, whilst Liam Deakin added another layer through his guitar playing. The two guitars working alongside Jonny Fyffe’s bass gave the band the full indie sound that has become synonymous with The Clause, whilst Niall Fennell kept everything moving from behind the drums. Each member seemed to understand their role within the band, with none overpowering the others and instead creating a sound that works best when all four are contributing. Following the opening track with “Tell Me What You Want” and “I Don’t Care” kept the energy high, giving the crowd three songs in a row that showed exactly what The Clause are capable of.

As the set continued into “White Lifelines”, “Elisha” and “Fever Dream”, it became clear that the band have enough variety within their music to stop the performance from becoming repetitive. They were able to move between the more upbeat and catchy songs whilst keeping the crowd interested, something that can be difficult for bands during a festival set when many of the audience may be hearing them for the first time. Having already built a reputation through years of touring and festival appearances, The Clause seemed comfortable in the environment, with their confidence on stage reflecting the amount of work that has gone into getting them to this point.

To round off their time in Sheffield they went into “In My Element”, a song that has been part of The Clause’s journey since their early years and felt like an appropriate way to finish the set. From their Birmingham roots to now playing festival stages across the country, the four piece have clearly come a long way from the school friends who first formed the band. With the combination of Pearce’s frontman presence, Liam’s guitar, Jonny’s bass and Niall behind the drums, they have created a sound that feels ready for the bigger stages, and after their performance at Rock N Roll Circus it’s easy to see why The Clause continue to be tipped as one of the bands to watch within the indie scene.

The Kairos continued the energy of Rock N Roll Circus as they took to the stage, kicking off their set with “Suspend” before moving into “Keep It On the Low” and “Tell Me Twice”, keeping the crowd engaged from the first note. With their already established discography giving the audience something to sing along to, it was clear that the front row fans had been waiting out for them in particular, bringing an energy that only continued to grow as the set went on. The Liverpool based band have already begun to make a name for themselves across the UK, and their ability to keep a crowd entertained throughout a festival set shows exactly why.

After keeping the pace high for their first three songs, they slowed things down slightly with “Rat Race”, a track that has become one of the more recognisable songs within their set. The change in pace gave the crowd a chance to take in a different side to the band, whilst still keeping the atmosphere that had been created from the opening songs. It was a nice contrast within a relatively short festival set, showing that The Kairos don’t need to rely on constant high energy to keep the audience interested.

Before getting to one of their final songs they also treated Sheffield to “Never Met a Mess Like You”, an unreleased track that gave fans a glimpse into what is still to come from the band. For a band that have already developed a strong following, being able to introduce new music to an audience that are already familiar with their existing songs is a good indication of just how much more they have to offer. With the song still to be officially released, it gave the crowd something new to take away from their time at Rock N Roll Circus.

To round off their set, The Kairos brought one of their nearest and dearest onto the stage to join them on guitar for “Punchline Fistfight”, turning their final song into a moment that felt more personal than the rest of the set. Beforehand they also made sure to promote their upcoming shows supporting The Snuts later in the year, giving the fans who had already been following them another reason to see them again. With their touring schedule continuing to grow and more fans bound to discover them along the way, it feels like Sheffield was just another stop on what could be a very big journey for The Kairos.

Miles Kane brought the energy to Sheffield as he took to the stage at Rock N Roll Circus, proving why he has become such a recognisable name within the indie scene. Following a day that had already introduced the crowd to a number of up and coming bands, Kane brought years of experience to the stage without losing the excitement that comes with playing to a festival crowd. There is something about a Miles Kane performance that makes even the biggest stages feel like a small sweaty indie venue, with his swagger and confidence immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

From the moment he steps on stage, Kane seems to have an almost natural ability to command a crowd without needing to constantly speak to them. Instead, it is his movement, guitar playing and the way he throws himself into each song that creates the connection, with the audience often doing just as much of the work as he is. Tracks such as “Rearrange” have become fan favourites for a reason, with the instantly recognisable chorus allowing the crowd to take over whilst Kane feeds off the energy being thrown back at him. It is this relationship between the performer and the audience that has continued to make his live shows so memorable throughout his career.

As the set continued, Kane showed that he is not reliant on just one era of his music to keep a crowd entertained. His mixture of older favourites and newer material gave both long-term fans and those who may have only discovered him more recently something to enjoy. “Inhaler” in particular brought the kind of energy that has become synonymous with his performances, with the crowd bouncing along as Kane gave every song the same level of enthusiasm. Even after years of performing these tracks, there is no sense that he is simply going through the motions, instead appearing just as excited to play them as the audience are to hear them.

For a festival that has spent the day giving smaller indie bands the opportunity to show Sheffield what they have, having Miles Kane amongst the line-up feels like a reminder of where that journey can lead. From playing smaller rooms to commanding festival stages, Kane has managed to maintain the same rockstar attitude and connection with his audience throughout. His performance at Rock N Roll Circus was another example of why, no matter the size of the room, Miles Kane knows how to create an atmosphere, and after a day full of new talent, he showed exactly what it takes to become one of the names at the top of the bill.

The crowd for Cruz Beckham and the Breakers had already accumulated before the band had even stepped foot on stage to show Sheffield what they have. As soon as their frontman, Cruz, ventured on stage it was clear that audience interaction is of the utmost importance throughout their live shows, encouraging a call and response interaction from the second he walked on stage. It’s evident as much as he may want to separate his career from that of his parents, their charisma has been passed down. This is further highlighted by the band being shadowed in the background allowing Beckham” showmanship to take centre stage. However, they did still find enough time in their limited set to allow each member of the band to have their own member in the spotlight, having an array of musical interludes where they each freestyle some solos for the crowd to jig to.

Being a reasonably new band they have managed to gather lots of attention in a rapid manor, some may argue that this is undoubtedly due to his parents standing, however he has been time and time again proving to both the world and himself that however he got their attention is almost irrelevant as he has continuously hypnotized crowds across the UK through his melodic voice and lyricism over this year’s summer festivals. 

The crowd gathering around them brought a level of confidence and giddiness that radiated between each member on stage which only grew when they played the first note of a fan favorite cover, to the audience’s dismay it was not by the Spice Girls but the Beatles “Hey Jude”. Seeing the whole audience sway encouraged them all to leave Sheffield on a high, as Cruz received his “fun guitar” for their final song “dumbed down”. In which they all bounced around in celebration at the positive and upbeat environment that their band brings to any room. 

Watching them bounce around the crowd on a Thursday afternoon brings only anticipation for not only what’s to come in their weekend of playing Reading and Leeds, but also just the future of the band that is already on a liner line to success.

The band came on and enticed fans of all ages, with some even being more than a decade younger than there band itself, which is celebrating 20 years of being together this summer, by playing their debut album from the top. Beginning with the title track “Well Well Well” which had fans moshing in the front rows as if it were a small crowd. Milburn showed that they still had it as they sang their hearts out to the album that launched it all for them back in the early 2000. With a band that has been around for a long time, even passers by are destined to know a few songs here and there and having so many people sing their songs back to them gives a real big room feel that doesn’t often occur at these smaller festivals that aim to give smaller bands with original songs exposure. 

Milburn suited this festival to a t, as they had the perfect combination of harnessing the rowdy crowd and playing songs that all the younger kids would know from just listening to their parents music around the house, or in the car, and now they can boast that they’ve seen them live. The band even played a song for them specifically when the lead singer told an anecdote of his three year old daughter asking if he were going to play any Elsa on stage? As he introduced a slightly rockier version of “do you want to build a snowman”, except it’s not the lyrics you’d think…

This band is a band that even listening to the background it is evident that younger bands have taken inspiration from some of their music, some that came to mind are Two Door Cinema Club and The Lilacs, showing the impact that they’ve had throughout their career on younger bands who have looked up to them. 

To round off the set “it wouldn’t be a Milburn gig if we didn’t roll out the barrel”, with the performance of this song being what the lead singer judges every location he plays by Sheffield put their all into their attempt of the call and response part off the show, that rounded it all off for their time at Rock and Roll Circus 2026.

With the band originally taking the stage and kicking off the set with some of their already developed and high energy discography such as “Naked at your Door” and “Carolina”, they captivated the crowd from the first strum of a guitar and beat of a drum. The brothers have a way of communicating amongst themselves that is almost seamless to the audiences eye, portraying a closeness between them as a trio, as well as allowing them to have smooth set.  WE can just hope as they reach their peak, they don’t follow in the footsteps of some other famous brother duos within the industry. However as they started to interact and introduce themselves as the unit of “Day We Ran” it wasn’t the lead singer chatting to the crowd that we’ve gotten so used to seeing these days, but the bassist, Daniel Lough, who took centre stage. An almost refreshing change for the band to have an USP, keeping a mysterious image up that seems to thrive in this world of artists having to show so much and be so transparent with a lot of aspects of their life, these boys seem to be striving towards keeping their personal worlds separate from their careers, with their seemingly private social media profiles backing this up. 

For a band of such young ages, their lyricism excels beyond their years, with the ability to have a catchy melody and beat within their music for fans new and old to sing along too, makes them appealing in the same way so many other household name bands took a lifetime of work encapsulating. Seeing a band of this standing and this ability it makes perfect sense that them, along with Cruz Beckham and the Breakers, have a packed weekend with Reading and Leads being on their the both of their rosters in the upcoming three days. 

With being given just half an hour to show Sheffield what they have they rounded out there set expressing their own excitement towards being the final set before headliners the kooks, setting people on the lookout for the up and coming pop stars as they would be amongst the crowd for the headline act. As well as making mention to their upcoming tour at the end of the year across the nation. To round off the first set of their long bank holiday weekend they went into their final song that started this all off for the band back in 2023, “Foaming” which reflects the type of music that was scouted for tis festival that allowed smaller bands more exposer within their genre of music.

After a full day of live music, it was finally time for The Kooks to take to the stage and show Sheffield why they had been chosen to round off the opening day of Rock N Roll Circus 2026. With the crowd already warmed up from a day of indie favourites and upcoming artists, the band had a lot to live up to, but from the opening notes of “Sofa Song” it was clear that they had no intention of letting the energy of the day drop. Following this with “Always Where I Need to Be” and “Eddie’s Gun”, they immediately took the audience through some of the tracks that have helped them remain such a recognisable name within the British indie scene for so many years.

One of the strongest aspects of The Kooks’ set was how naturally they were able to move between different periods of their career without losing the crowd along the way. “Stormy Weather” and “She Moves in Her Own Way” brought out the more familiar singalong side of the audience, whilst “Bad Habit” and “Sweet Emotion” allowed them to showcase some of the slightly grittier sounds that have developed throughout their career. It is easy for a band who have been around for this long to rely solely on the songs that originally made them successful, however their set showed that there is still plenty of room for the newer material to sit alongside the tracks that fans have grown up with.

There was something almost nostalgic about watching such a large crowd singing along to songs that have been around for nearly two decades, with “Westside” and “Sunny Baby” keeping the set moving before “Junk of the Heart (Happy)” gave the audience another moment to come together. The mixture of generations within the crowd was particularly noticeable, with some having grown up listening to The Kooks whilst others have discovered them much more recently, showing that their music has managed to continue travelling between generations rather than becoming something that belongs solely to the 2000s indie scene.

As the set progressed into “See Me Now”, “Jackie Big Tits” and “Seaside”, it became evident just how much of their back catalogue they were able to pull from. “Seaside” in particular brought a change of pace, giving the audience a chance to take everything in before they went straight back into the more energetic side of their set with “Sway”, “Gap” and “See the World”. This constant movement between slower and more upbeat tracks prevented the performance from feeling repetitive, whilst also giving different songs their own moments to stand out rather than attempting to make the entire set one continuous singalong.

The final stretch of the set saw the band continue to bring out some of the songs that have helped establish them as one of the UK’s recognisable indie bands, with “Matchbox”, “Do You Wanna” and “You Don’t Love Me” leading into the encore. By this point it was almost inevitable that the audience would be expecting the two songs that have become so closely associated with The Kooks, and they did not disappoint as they returned to the stage for “Ooh La” before closing the entire first day of Rock N Roll Circus with “Naïve”.

Ending on “Naïve” felt almost like the only way they could have finished the night, with a song that has remained a fan favourite being given the final spotlight of the evening. After a day that had seen newer artists such as Day We Ran and Cruz Beckham and the Breakers share the stage with established acts including Milburn and Miles Kane, The Kooks rounded off the Thursday by proving why their name still carries the ability to bring such a large audience together. They may have been one of the more established names on the bill, but their performance showed that there is still plenty of life left in the songs that first made people fall in love with them.