Inclusive, explosive, and unforgettable… Don Valley at full tilt.
Once a landscape dominated by dark, satanic steel mills and the thunder of industry, Sheffield’s Don Valley has reinvented itself as a stage for something altogether different. Where smoke once rose from grimy chimneys, the air now reverberates with drumbeats, guitars, and the roar of festival crowds. The Rock N Roll Circus has made its home in this reclaimed ground, the grass amphitheatre offering a natural arena where the city’s industrial ghosts mingle with a new kind of fire and energy.
Across the weekend, three stages, one being the Big Top, hosted over 60 bands who filled the valley with noise and colour, the music matched by the carnival of spectacle: tightrope walkers teetering in the sky, jugglers and acrobats defying gravity, a circus school daring the brave to join in. Around the amphitheatre, stalls brimmed with food and drink, and the whole event pulsed with a sense of tremendous organisation, inclusivity, and celebration. Once a symbol of hard graft and steel, the Don Valley Bowl now carries its rhythm in a different way, one that Sheffield has fully claimed as its own.
My second day at the Rock N Roll Circus had another fantastic line up. I didn’t catch every band, and I ducked out before Bryan Adams closed things off. No doubt he delivered, but with cameras banned I called it early. What I did see before though was packed with killer talent, much of it homegrown.
Deco brought upbeat, infectious indie-pop rhythms from London, sharp and easy to move with. Long Island, from Huddersfield, pushed the emotion harder, lyrics that cut through but stayed catchy.
Charlie Floyd, a Geordie with total creative control thanks to his self-production, felt authentic and raw. Sundress, Sheffield’s own, floated dreamy indie-pop across the big top and it hit perfectly.
Then came Newton Faulkner, back with that trademark percussive fingerstyle guitar and introspective folk songwriting. Technically brilliant, emotionally tight. What a talent. Bethany Grace, another Sheffield gem, connected instantly. Indie/alt/pop with real heart, the crowd bought into every word.
The Crookes brought an eclectic mix, nodding to influences from The Smiths through to the Everley Brothers, and with past collabs alongside Richard Hawley and Jon McLure, they’ve got Sheffield’s DNA stamped all over them, they even took their name from a Sheffield suburb. Well worth tracking down.
Closing my night were one of my favourite bands, Femur. Sheffield again, fierce and untamed. Psych, grunge, punk and something darker all rolled into one. Driven by the pounding drums of Danny Cox and led by the brilliantly theatrical and talented Felix Renshaw, picture Jarvis Cocker on steroids. They tore through their set with wild energy, uncompromising and unforgettable. If you’ve not seen them yet you don’t know what you’re missing, they have all the ingredients to go all the way.
Follow Rock N Roll Circus on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
EP review: Muelas – ‘Bellow’
Hard times create great hardcore music, and Atlanta quintet Muelas are a fine example. This debut EP is described by guitarist Kaemon Maggard as harnessing
Live review: Joan Jett and The Meffs rock the foundations of London’s newest large venue
West London’s latest concert hall – the British Airways ARC – recently opened in the Olympia complex, inviting major artists to play as part of
Agnostic Front/D.R.I., London Underworld, 10th July 2026
It’s been another boiling, sweaty day in London, so the prospect of spending the evening in a packed Underworld is not hugely appealing. However, needs
Pansy Division, London The Lexington, 9th July 2026
Pansy Division are finally back in town after nearly three decades, and they waste no time, getting us pogoing away to the introductory salvo of
Video premiere: Punk trio Gulls come out fighting on new single ‘Womb Raider’!
Brighton trio Gulls bring their own brand of Punk-Rock-Poem-Pop to new single ‘Womb Raider’, which highlights the struggle for bodily autonomy and the political forces
Punk Rock Creatives Podcast – June 2026 Update!
June was a month of getting out there and supporting the Punk community for Punk Rock Creatives Podcast, alongside special guests Trystan O’Connell of Bullitz23
Sheffield based photographer. Festival reviews/photos for Punkuation, Louder Than War, Exposed, Safety Pin Magazine, Derbyshire Times …
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
