Rock N Roll Circus, Norwich

Rock N Roll Circus (Thursday-Friday)
Earlham Park, Norwich
14th-Fifteenth August 2025

Sunburnt Singalongs and Indie Bedlam: Rock N Roll Circus arrives on the town bringing Warmth, Heroes and Headliners to Norwich.

Earlham Park glistened underneath two days of golden sunshine because the Rock N Roll Circus pitched its tent on 14th and Fifteenth August. With pints already sweating in plastic cups not lengthy after the positioning opened as much as the general public, the competition was a riot of riffs, funk, glitter, and the sort of communal pleasure that solely arrives when each the climate and the line-up are outrageously on level.

Youth Killed It bounded on first, all cocky grins and bass grooves that swaggered tougher than a lad in new trainers. Their indie-funk allure hit early with choruses designed for pint-raising, shout-backs, and the sort of banter that made you want the set was twice as lengthy. Mama Oh No adopted, a band who sound like they’ve hotwired a Cadillac on Route 66 and by some means steered it straight into Earlham Park.

Their swampy, blues-drenched riffs rattled round inside the large high tent. Jack’s stunning growl and fuzzy guitar meant every observe stomped across the park like they owned it. Caswell shifted the temper into widescreen, her velvet vocals wrapping round deep woozy beats like a haze over the sundown. Clean, sultry, and cinematic, it was the sort of set that demanded sun shades and sluggish head-nods.

Rianne Downey then breezed on with the simple allure of a mate who’s simply picked up a guitar at a home get together and stolen everybody’s coronary heart. Acoustic-led, however with a cheeky lyrical chunk, making even the too-cool-to-care lads in bucket hats break into smiles. The Excessive Factors arrived subsequent on the electrical carousel stage delivering a punchy, guitar-driven set that showcased their knack for tight riffs and infectious grooves. Their songs moved effortlessly between funk, soul and pop like catchy hooks, every observe layered with tight instrumentation and refined prospers that saved ears as engaged as our ft.

With the solar melting behind the large high the larger weapons began to roll out. The Hoosiers proved they nonetheless had extra hooks than a bait store, with Goodbye Mr A and Apprehensive About Ray triggering crowd-wide flashbacks to Myspace and thin denims. Frontman Irwin Sparkes bounced throughout the stage with a smile, effortlessly participating the group because the band ripped by way of each classics and deep cuts. Reminding everybody why they had been as soon as a staple of the mid-2000s indie charts, nonetheless enjoyable, nonetheless sharp, and nonetheless not possible to not transfer alongside to. Up subsequent had been Woman Of Mars, fronted by the magnetic Neve Bowen. They introduced a pointy, turbocharged blast of latest wave rock to Earlham Park. Every tune hit like a shot of adrenaline, melodic but pressing, brooding but quick, holding me hooked from the primary chord.

Then the Lottery Winners bounded onto the large high stage with their common cheeky allure, however frontman Thom Rylance wasted no time letting the group know the reality, the band was operating low on power and urgently wanted Norwich to elevate them up. The viewers answered in type, singing alongside and bouncing from the primary observe, giving the set a frenzied, communal cost. By the top, the band had been absolutely revitalized, and the group left feeling like they’d simply shared a secret inside joke with one of many UK’s most infectiously enjoyable indie-pop outfits. DOLDER, the twin-sister duo Dani and Zara Dolder from Newcastle, introduced a commanding but intimate power to the electrical carousel stage. Mixing tight harmonies with shimmering guitar traces the pair showcased a cultured however emotionally charged set.

Sam Ryder then arrived like a human firework, his otherworldly vocals taking pictures throughout the park with such pressure they most likely startled seagulls in Cromer. Equal components powerhouse and golden retriever power, his set was not possible to not love. Deco saved the synth-pop dream alive, pumping the park with shimmering ’80s nostalgia that felt like a John Hughes soundtrack gone technicolour rave.

McFly closed out Thursday with a full-blown pop-rock spectacle, effortlessly proving why they continue to be one among Britain’s most enduringly beloved pop rock bands. They powered by way of their very own anthems, every tune an ideal mix of polished musicianship and crowd-pleasing hooks, together with launching right into a raucous cowl of Twist & Shout. The gang went completely wild for this and so it was not possible to not be reminded of the long-lasting parade scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the place sheer enjoyable and rise up take over the streets.

Their arsenal of hits 5 Colors In Her Hair, Clearly and All About You had each era bellowing alongside, proving that generally probably the most enjoyable you possibly can have at a competition is unabashed, wall-to-wall pop-punk pleasure. They left the stage like conquering heroes, grins plastered throughout their faces, sweat dripping, guitars nonetheless ringing.

15 hours later, Earlham Park was again at it. Friday’s line-up was much less about easing in and extra about lighting the fuse right away. Gabby Rivers opened Friday with a glowing set that completely showcased her knack for heartfelt indie-pop. Her vocals had been each heat and commanding, chopping by way of the summer season warmth with a readability that immediately drew the viewers in. Then got here Pleasure Inc, the native heroes of disco-funk sleaze. Their set was equal components dancefloor filth and tongue-in-cheek swagger, basslines wriggling like they’d been smuggled out of Studio 54 and lyrics that raised eyebrows as a lot as they raised coronary heart charges. They didn’t simply heat up the group they flipped it into get together mode, changing informal passers-by into full-blown devotees by the top of their set.

Arthur Black dropped the temperature again down with cinematic brooding, atmospheric, shadowy, and textured like a black-and-white movie performed on full quantity. Their Gothic people, powered by hauntingly private emotive songwriting and fantastically uncooked vocals, will translate to a lot larger phases than this one. Brooke Combe arrived simply in time for her set, admitting to solely arriving onsite 10 minutes in the past because of a nightmare journey. This didn’t cease the Scottish singer songwriter as she immediately raised the cool issue along with her soul-infused set brimming with vocal energy and charisma.

Ashley Singh dialled issues into hushed intimacy, heartfelt crooning that hushed the chatter and pulled each ear in the direction of the stage along with his acoustic efficiency. Then got here The Lemonheads, barely frayed and imperfect, I suppose a bit like a denim jacket with holes in all the suitable locations. Their jangly melodies and weary supply had a ramshackle allure that solely they’ll pull off.

After that, October Drift who handled the stage like a trampoline and half the group like an extension wire. Their excursions into the viewers blurred the road between performer and punter, leaving everybody buzzing. Reverend & The Makers adopted with festival-season confidence, mixing big-beat stomp with political chunk and reminding everybody why Jon McClure stays among the finest rabble-rousers within the sport. Their anthemic choruses had the group chanting alongside, guaranteeing the power stayed excessive because the solar began to set behind the large high. The Rosadocs blasted by way of again on the electrical carousel stage with full-throttle indie rock urgency, their set felt easy but participating.

The Lathums sauntered onto the large high stage like they owned Earlham Park and, in equity, for the following 50 minutes, it felt like they did. Frontman Alex Moore’s vocals had been uncooked, earnest, and simply the suitable facet of bratty, bouncing over riffs that had been each jagged and ridiculously catchy. The Lathums had the group buzzing, laughing, and swaying all of sudden leaving a path of euphoric singalongs and a crowd primed for the night’s headliners. The Clause arrived subsequent swaggering with simply the correct amount of cool bravado, guitars chugging with infectious grit, and a rhythm part hitting tougher than a sudden sunbeam on this sticky and sweaty Norwich night. Tearing by way of their set with propulsive indie-rock, tightening the stress and getting everybody hyped for the evening’s grand finale.

Cue the DJ whipping the group right into a frenzy with What’s The Story Morning Glory earlier than The Courteeners strode on. They closed the evening like solely a real indie establishment can, with swagger, melody, and a contact of managed chaos. The set was a masterclass in Mancunian indie-rock, however the second Not Nineteen Perpetually kicked in, Earlham Park erupted. Flares shot up like mini-supernovas, the group surged, and all semblance of order went out the window.

Pint’s thrown round all over the place and never all of them simply contained booze as one among my mates sadly came upon. It was half soccer terrace, half rock gig, and fully sensible. An ideal storm of anthemic choruses, sweat, and sunburned pleasure. Frontman Liam Fray soaked all of it in, telling the group, “We’ve been doing this nearly 20 years and now and again it actually hits, tonight has been one among them,” and also you believed him, as a result of inside that circus tent it was a boiling cauldron of euphoria. Each riff, each singalong, each little bit of chaos felt like a love letter to the band’s legacy, messy, superb, and completely unmissable.

Two days of sizzling solar, hotter units, and a metropolis that embraced the circus wholeheartedly was over for me. From the allure of native heroes to the festival-slaying brilliance of McFly and The Courteeners, Norwich proved itself greater than able to internet hosting huge occasions like this one. Now ofcourse I do know there was another day to this competition however that went on with out me. I used to be miles away chasing sunsets in Cornwall however, for me, if Earlham Park was a movie, I’d already caught one of the best scenes earlier than the credit rolled. God bless the band.

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All photographs and phrases by Adam Williams. You could find Adam on Instagram and X.