Nearly a decade since Natural Rebel, and over thirty decades since The Verve’s formation, Wigan-born singer songwriter Richard Ashcroft continues to present audiences across the world why his back-catalogue is one of the most celebrated in British indie music. Returning from a triumphant stadium-filled world tour supporting the Oasis’ reunion in 2025, and following the release of his seventh solo album ‘Lovin You’ – the heartfelt, genre-blending collection of new works, Richard Ashcroft is far from calling it a day.
NDR were delighted to be invited to the newly anticipated Rock N Roll Circus event at Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield. From the 27th to the 30th August, Richard Ashcroft alongside some of the biggest names, The Kooks, The Streets, Wunderhorse, English Teacher and many more are joined alongside the weird and wonderful world of circus, featuring aerialists, stilt walkers, fortune tellers for one of the liveliest, most unforgettable experiences this year.
Upon arrival to Don Valley, there was an indescribable buzz in the air, a combination of the bank holiday and the four-week pending, and of the day of music that lays ahead. After arriving just in time for our first act of the day, Cast, another of Oasis’ reunion tour supports, and unfortunately missing local Sheffield hero’s The Everly Pregnant Brothers, we eagerly rushed inside the Big Top tent. From start to finish, John Power and the band ignited the bank holiday magic with timeless Liverpudlian hits such as ‘Alright’, ‘Sandstorm’ and ‘Walkaway’, captivating the audience in sing-along-long hits and a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
After a short interval over run by cirque-de-soul performers claiming the stage, West Yorkshire’s very own Embrace were next up and their euphoric anthems quickly elevated the audience, combining emotion-filled anthems, iconic piano-led rhythms and Britpop vocal-swagger to provide the perfect Sunday afternoon soundtrack for the bank holiday and warm-up act for Richard Ashcroft.
I have to admit, I’ve never fully managed to click with Embrace’s studio albums, but their live performance put everything into perspective for me. The pure energy, love and passion shared across the band radiated from the stage infecting the audience, as couples, groups of friends, arm-in-arm, sang their hearts out, in a pure loving embrace.
As crowds disperse from the Big Top Main Stage tent, elated and fulfilled from the nostalgic trip of Embrace, the circus returns on stage. As I stand and watch the crowd wash away from the stage, it’s apparent the mix of generations in the audience – the artists are still relevant to younger generations, just as much as they still are to the older generations. There’s a defying unity across the festival, where people across all generations are brought together by a shared love of live music. There’s a shared energy in the crowd that is fed from the performances, and circus excitement across the field, that is unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
The Fratellis storm onto the stage, delivering a hit-filled set of songs that belong so perfectly to a bank holidays summer evening. As the opening notes rang out, there was an audible anticipation among the crowd that quickly turned into a mass celebration. As only next door to Don Valley Bowl stands Sheffield Arena, the host to the Premier League Darts, if you’ve ever been, and seen the response that Chelsea Dagger gets for walk-outs or for 180’s you’ll understand exactly where I am coming from. The whole tent turned into a party, as singer songwriter Jon Fratelli couldn’t resist smiling at the chaos under folding before him.
I don’t care what anyone says, Costello Music was an immediate classic when it came out in 2006, and definitely played a distinct part in summarising and soundtracking those times. I remember seeing them live on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury 2006 when it was released and it felt so perfect for the times. Although, Chelsea Dagger might have outshone the full songwriting abilities of the band, with its gimmick-like chorus, but tracks like ‘Whistle for the Choir’ and ‘Henrietta’ still sound as fresh and powerful as ever, two decades after its release. The Fratellis had the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout their set, orchestrating the crowd into a frenzy with a combination of old and new songs.
As The Fratellis left the stage to a monumental roar of applause from the crowd, the grand finale of the days circus events began to unravel into a spectacle of cirque-de-soul magic as aerialists flew from one side of the stage to the other. Fans took their place inside the Big Top tent, drinks in hand, friends at either side, eagerly awaiting the main act of the evening, one of Britains most celebrated songwriters of all time.
From the opening moments, Ashcroft understands the brief. Play the hits and give it some bollocks, which he does, simply from his persona on stage. The signature Ray-Ban sunglasses and his Jagger-esque haircut has devised one of the most iconic looks in British rock history. He remains the imposing, biblical frontman that he has always been. Although, the restless swagger associated with his year years may have disappeared, by mostly being armed with his acoustic, his snarl and relentless energy allows the songs to speak for themselves. As the audience bellows into the roof of the tent ‘You and me, we’re History’ as Ashcroft stands back, looking onwards, knowing he has achieved everything he set out to.
Throughout the set, Ashcroft finely balances old and new solo-tracks, ‘Break The Night In Colour’ and ‘Music Is Power’ from the 2006 ‘Keys To The World’, combined with a mixture of Verve classics, ‘Sonnet’, ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ and ‘Lucky Man’ that keep the audiences fixated on the stage, preventing any toilet or drink break in fear or missing a hit.
As the set comes to a close, the audience knows exactly what is to come. As the first chords ring out, the crowd breaks out into harmony to ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ as Ashcroft orchestrates the ballad across the Don Valley Bowl. Everywhere you look, friends, couples, old friends and new, stand arm in arm, arms in the air, drinks in the air, giving it all to the euphoric British anthem. A communal sense of unity, connection and joy radiates across each and every individual present, making a perfect closing to one of the best weekends in Yorkshire this year.
Photo: RNRC 2026
