Rock N Roll Circus at Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield, The Kooks, Milburn & Miles Kane

Desh Kapur
8 hours ago
1 min read

Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield – Thursday 27th August 2026

IMAGES DAVID JOHNSON / WORDS DESH KAPUR

Rock N Roll Circus

Rock N Roll Circus landed at Sheffield’s Don Valley Bowl for the first night of its expanded four-day 2026 festival, and right from the off it was clear this was no ordinary gig. The whole concept is a glorious collision of live music, circus and spectacle, with the huge Big Top creating the centrepiece while aerialists, acrobats, tightrope walkers, fire performers and roaming characters kept the entertainment going between sets. It is an event that manages to feel both enormous and intimate at the same time, and the organisation, production and attention to detail make the whole thing work beautifully.

Thursday's musical line-up was a proper celebration of British guitar music, with Brighton indie favourites The Kooks headlining and marking the 20th anniversary of Inside In / Inside Out, while Sheffield heroes Milburn brought their own hometown swagger to the Big Top. Miles Kane added his trademark rock'n'roll energy, with The Kairos, The Clause, Spanish Horses, Day We Ran and Cruz Beckham & The Breakers bringing a younger generation of artists to the festival across the main and Discovery stages. These are the moments I captured throughout the evening — from emerging acts finding their feet to established artists commanding the Big Top, all played out against the wonderfully chaotic backdrop of Rock N Roll Circus.

THE KOOKS