The BPI recently published ‘All About The Music 2026’, a yearbook of figures, patterns and trends from the UK’s music industry based on 2025’s market. They use data from the UK Official Charts statistics to reveal the nation’s fluctuating tastes and what it means for both artists and listeners. This year’s edition found that in 2025, rock music accounted for 22.2% of overall single consumption, shy of pop’s 33.3% – a 0.8% increase over 2024 and the highest share rock has had since 2016.

The latest boon in the genre’s performance has been aided by six songs classified as rock entering the UK Top 10 this year, especially compared with only one achieving the feat in 2020. One such single from 2025 was English indie rock star Sam Fender’s BRIT Song of the Year winner ‘Rein Me In’, featuring Olivia Dean. The song broke a chart record by spending 35 weeks in the Top 40 Chart before finally clinching the number one spot this February, becoming Fender’s first UK number one single and his first entry on the US’s Billboard Hot 100.

New acts breaking through were responsible for more growth, such as British metal sensations Sleep Token, whose single ‘Caramel’ was their first in the Top 10, while American singer-songwriters Gigi Perez and sombr had chart success with tracks ‘Sailor Song’ and ‘Back To Friends’ respectively. Other big rock entries this year profited from online trends and nostalgia to climb back up, including Benson Boone’s ‘Beautiful Things’, which endured from 2024 to become the biggest rock song and 7th biggest overall chart single of 2025’s year-end list. Goo Goo Dolls’ ‘Iris’, The Killers’ ‘Mr Brightside’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ all also made the Top 40 final list.

Rock also cemented its place as the biggest genre for album consumption, increasing from a 35.3% share of stats in 2024 to 36.0% last year, handily beating out pop’s 28.9%. Of the four albums they class as rock to make the year’s Top 10 Album Chart, two were a by-product of Oasis’s reunion and their enormously-successful world tour. Their 1995 LP ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ and 2010 greatest hits compilation ‘Time Flies… 1994-2009’ both re-entered the charts, alongside Fleetwood Mac’s 2018 compendium ‘50 Years – Don’t Stop’.

The biggest rock album released last year was Sam Fender’s ‘People Watching’ which won the 2025 Mercury Prize, and had the highest first-week sales of any album for the year. Of the 17 rock albums to top the charts throughout 2025, 15 were by British artists, coming from Aerosmith and Yungblud’s collaborative release ‘One More Time’, Pulp’s comeback album ‘More’, and Sleep Token’s ‘Even In Arcadia’ among others. The news, which the BPI published on the 29th of April, comes in a week where Welsh metal group Skindred have just achieved their first Number One Album after 30 years with ‘You Got This’. Further statistics from the research show that rock accounted for a commanding 54.9% of vinyl sales in the UK, bolstered by modern pressings as well as genre-defining classics such as Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumors’ and Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.

The BPI’s Chief Executive, Dr Jo Twist OBE, says “For decades, rock has played a critical role in maintaining and enhancing the UK’s status as a global music superpower. This was truer than ever in 2025. Rock has long flourished thanks to its incredible foundations built on a deep, exceptional and still-cherished back catalogue. We can now add to that contemporary stars such as Sam Fender, Sleep Token, Wolf Alice, and Yungblud, who hail from across the UK and who are breathing new life into this much-loved genre both at home and around the world.”

You can explore these findings and more in ‘All About The Music 2026’, which is free for BPI members and available for purchase now on their website. The institute is also planning a live ‘insight session’ titled ‘The Long Play: UK Rock in the Age of Streaming’. The event will be a deep-dive into rock’s enduring popularity and where it goes from here, featuring panels of industry experts. The event is today, the 30th of April, held at Liverpool Sound City – click here for more info.

Following the 1979 dissolution of female punk trendsetters The Runaways, in which Jett played guitar and sang backing vocals, she found herself in England starting her journey as a solo artist. Here, she recorded three songs with the Sex Pistol’s Paul Cook and Steve Jones, one of which was a demo version of ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’, before recording a self-titled solo album at London’s Ramport Studios, which was owned by The Who. She then formed The Blackhearts, and later reissued the self-titled album as ‘Bad Reputation’ in 1981.

From there Joan Jett and The Blackhearts released their full debut LP as a group, 1981’s ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’, the title track of which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 7 successive weeks and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Jett established herself as one of the most important female trailblazers in rock, both as a singer and guitarist, going on to receive a Grammy nomination for 1989 single ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’ and earn the induction of herself and The Blackhearts into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Jett and the group have just completed a US tour with Iggy Pop, and were due to hit the UK this July supporting former-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar on his star-studded ‘Best Of All Worlds’ tour. Hagar recently announced that these shows would be down-sizing venues to foster a more intimate atmosphere, which sees Joan Jett and The Blackhearts now missing from the current billing.

The vacuum from the Sammy Hagar tour has been filled by Jett’s first headlining UK shows since 2010, and her first trip across the pond since 2011’s Isle of Wight Festival. The tour will visit Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, and Wolverhampton before finishing at the brand-new British Airways ARC venue in London’s Olympia redevelopment project, which is due to open in June. Jett has said of the announcement “We can’t wait to be back on stage in the UK this Summer! I wrote and recorded Bad Reputation, my first solo LP in London. It’s been too long since we’ve been in the UK and we’re excited to see everyone!”

Tickets for Joan Jett and The Blackhearts solo dates go on sale at 10AM on Friday the 24th of April. Essex punk two-piece The Meffs are opening on all dates. Their UK shows conclude with one night supporting emo heroes My Chemical Romance on their Black Parade 20th anniversary tour, hitting Wembley Stadium on the 10th of July. Check the poster below for their headline run:

Earlier this year, Yungblud was awarded his first Grammy for best rock performance in his live performance of ‘Changes’, a cover of Black Sabbath’s song. The proceeds from the single went towards Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s hospice, and Osbourne approved telling NME “He did an amazing job. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”Yungblud and Ozzy Osbourne publicly shared a very close relationship, and ‘Changes’ acts as a testament to this as he stated “Ozzy Osbourne’s about love. Yungblud is about love. You, tonight, are about love.” In his first show, fans were relieved to hear the rendition as a tribute to Osbourne, being a mentor and a friend, 9 months after his tragic passing. ‘Changes (Live From Villa Park/ Back To The Beginning)’ can be listened here.

Over 14,000 people gathered to see the musician, and he showed his appreciation by inviting one lucky fan onto the stage. He opened with confetti canons singing ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’ and closed with a final encore of ‘Suburban Requiem’. The show was especially meaningful following his brief hiatus back in 2025, only months after his album release in June. The English musician told Rolling Stone ‘I’ve been told I have to take it seriously and I can’t fuck around.’ Unfortunately, Yungblud was forced to cancel many of his shows on the advice of his doctors, making his comeback now even more momentous less than a year later.

The UK leg is due to end in Manchester on the 25^{th of} April, although he plans to tour North America very quickly after from the 1^st of May till the 26^thof July. Fans can expect to see opening acts between 7:00pm- 7:30pm, with Yungblud appearing around 9:00pm. With many of his shows initially selling out, last minute resale tickets can still be bought via Ticketmaster and other ticketing sites.

For fans who missed out, the Sheffield setlist can be found here, and is available to stream on all streaming platforms.

The Cockroaches’ Instagram has been posting clips to their Story of the lucky fans who have hunted down the exclusive single, playing only snippets of the song. Yesterday, (10 April) the account posted something of a teaser trailer for ‘Rough and Twisted.’ A short video showed someone queueing up a vinyl and sitting back to enjoy the rousing, guitar-laden intro before cutting off.

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Everything began on April 1, as posters with only “The Cockroaches” printed on a pink background and a mysterious QR code began to appear around London. The code lead to www.thecockroaches.com, which is the band’s site. The Stones played a secret gig at the El Mocambo club in Toronto in 1977 and used “The Cockroaches” as a pseudonym to draw away suspicion. So, fans made the connection between the Stones and the cryptic pink posters fairly quick.

The Cockroaches’ website depicts a bedroom, outfitted in 70s regalia: a mod patterned quilt, vintage concert tickets on a corkboard, a rotary phone, ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and other iconic records resting on a shelf. There is also a poster, similar to the ones seen around London, for The Cockroaches. And on the wall, a clock which reads Saturday April 11, 2026 at 1:41 PM.

Many secrets were hidden in the site including links to mailing lists, the words “Mr. Charm” and a poster for the recently released ‘Live at the El Mocambo’ album embedded in the code. But fans also found a photo of the ‘Rough and Twisted’ vinyl, with GPS coordinates printed on its back, directing fans where to go to pick up this exclusive white-label release.

The Times confirmed the release of the single before April 11, saying they had heard the song. They reported that on it, Mick Jagger sings about driving “down a rough and twisted road all the way to Puerto Rico, where the tide ebbs and flows and you do feel that something sexual may be happening along the way.” The Times also reported that ‘Rough and Twisted’ is the lead single of a new album coming in July, the name of which has yet to be unveiled. It also reported that the upcoming release will not be the last one from the rock legends, and there are at least 10 songs written for a separate release, coming at some point after the July release.

The July release will be produced by Andrew Watt, who previously worked with the band on their 2024 release, ‘Hackney Diamonds.’ Watts has also previously worked with Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osborn and Pearl Jam.

There is no word on a tour to support the unnamed July release. NME reported that a spokesperson for the band told The Times, “The Rolling Stones will play when they decide to, not before. There are no concerts planned.”

Since their inception in 2003, vocalist Rou Reynolds, guitarist Rory Clewlow, bassist Chris Batten and drummer Rob Rolfe have continuously evolved their sound. Enter Shikari is best known for a lively fusion of rock, hardcore punk, and electronic dance music. In the early days, they leant heavily into the hardcore and rave elements, but ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ saw them embrace a vibrant synth-pop style while still maintaining a strong rock presence. The band has also been lauded as one of the top British live acts of the last 20 years, since their breakthrough as rowdy rave-rockers through to their current era of arena-crushing rock with a heart.

Since announcing their tour dates for the UK, Europe and North America back in January, Shikari returned to radio silence. The group had not released any material since ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’, which was a UK Number One Album in 2023, and its remixed companion piece ‘Dancing On The Frontline’ in 2024. Last night however, their Instagram account was again cleared of content, save for one post revealing the surprise release of ‘Lose Your Self’, which had snuck its way onto the internet at midnight.

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In a newsletter, Reynolds explained the rationale behind its low-key launch: “We’re delighted to present LOSE YOUR SELF, and give people the chance to hear a Shikari record like never before – as a cohesive whole. We want people to go on a proper journey with this album, and see where it takes them. No lead up, no singles, and no explanation. Forcing the listener to actually listen, without being drip-fed ideas out of context, or spoon-fed explanations. We simply present it all, for the listener to immerse themself in. Releasing in this way was also a decision to not be distracted by chart races, or accolades and things. We got the No.1 album on our last record. This is simply about the music being presented in a natural way.”

Enter Shikari have always packed their albums and live shows with messages of hope, critiques of the state of the world and urgent pleas for causes like environmental sustainability and peace. The theme of this one seems to be a stark look at the current affairs around AI, with a heavy emphasis on introspection and a cultural loss of humanity. Reynolds finishes the post with the statement “Despite turning out to be one of our darkest and heaviest albums to date, it also preaches hope and offers answers. Shikari will always offer hope, because without hope there is no action. We’ll just always offer it with a dose of realism.”

The title track ‘Lose Your Self’ is a classic Enter Shikari opener, blasting in with big riffs and an EDM feel reminiscent of the band’s live cover versions of Faithless’s ‘Insomnia’. Later songs like ‘Find Out The Hard Way’ are upbeat anthems, while the darkness and negativity comes through in ‘I can’t keep my hands clean’ and both parts of ‘The Flick Of A Switch’. The peak of the album is its genius three-part closing suite ‘Spaceship Earth’, where the feelings of hope begin to flutter up and the boys really get to show off their composing chops on a progressive-rock movement.

Shikari played their first live show of the year in Manchester this week, making an intimate return to the 400-capacity venue Satan’s Hollow on the 9th of April. Their last show there in 2006 stuck with the members as a significant milestone in their ascent to the big leagues. Last night, they announced an April run of small-venue launch shows, which they promise will “give fans a unique experience to see the band up close and personal, and a chance to see the brand new songs live for the first time.” Then, they’re back on the road for their North American tour through the summer, before finishing in November for their Europe, UK and Ireland headlining dates.

‘Lose Your Self’ is out now on streaming platforms, as well as on physical releases available from their official sellers. Catch Enter Shikari touring the album this year on these dates:

April Release Shows:

• 21 – The Academy, Dublin
• 23 – The Cavern, Liverpool
• 24 – The Fighting Cocks, Kingston
• 25 – Signature Brew, London

November UK Tour With Holding Absence & The Callous Daoboys:

• 13 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
• 14 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
• 15 – Connexin Live, Hull
• 18 – Hydro, Glasgow
• 19 – Co-op Live, Manchester
• 20 – Alexandra Palace, London
• 21 – Alexandra Palace, London

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White will land in the UK at the end of August with two shows at London’s Eventim Apollo. Then, he will head to the fairly new Bristol venue, The Prospect Room, before heading on to O2 City Hall in Newcastle. He will then spend a night at the Telegraph Building in Belfast before finishing off the UK/IE run of with two nights at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin.

Before hitting the UK, White is set to spend his summer touring Europe. On May 30^th the former White Stripes frontman will play in Latvia at the Sigulda Castle. He will then stop in Poland for shows in both Warsaw and Krakow, then on to Germany, playing in Berlin and Hamburg. Then, there will be a jaunt to Scandinavia for a show at the Northside festival in Denmark, and appearances at both the Grona Lund and Liseburg concert series in Stockholm and Gothenburg Sweden, respectively.

More European highlights include two nights at the L’Olympia in Paris as well as at two nights at Ancient Belgique in Belgium. White will close the European leg with a headline slot at the INMusic Festival in Croatia.

But White is set to stay on the road until well into November, playing shows across a variety of US cities. He was also recently added to the Coachella bill, where he will play the Mojave tent at 3pm Pacific time on April 11. Fans can catch a livestream of that on Coachella’s website.

Just last week, White released two singles ahead of his appearance on SNL (US). The first of the two, ‘G.O.D And The Broken Ribs’ transforms biblical imagery, putting Adam and Eve in an apocalyptic version of Eden. The second, ‘Derecho Demonico’ (translating from Spanish to “demonic right”), is the awaited studio version of the song which he debuted live in 2025 while touring his last album, ‘No Name.’

The singles were available on both tri-color and black 7” vinyls at White’s own Third Man Records shops in Nashville, Detroit and London. Third Man Records posted videos of excited fans lined up outside all three shops—including the London location—ahead of the release. The records sold out soon after.

White performed both  ‘G.O.D And The Broken Ribs’ and ‘Derecho Demonico’ live as the musical guest for the April 4th SNL (US) show. He also joined host Jack Black during the show to perform a version of The White Stripes hit, ‘Seven Nation Army.’

Tickets for these new dates of Jack White’s forthcoming tour go on Vault pre-sale Monday 13 April at 10 AM local time. Laylo pre-sale commences on the same day but at 12 PM local time. Fans can sign up for access here. General sale begins on Friday 17 April at 10 AM local.

Jack White Live Tour UK/IE Dates

25/8 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK

26/8 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK

28/8 – The Prospect Building – Bristol, UK

29/8 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle, UK

31/8 – The Telegraph Building – Belfast, UK

1/9 – 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin, IE

2/9 – 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin, IE

While the Gallagher brothers and Oasis had already broken through with debut ‘Definitely Maybe’ in 1994, which brought with it singles like ‘Supersonic’, ‘Shakermaker’ and ‘Live Forever’, their legendary status was sealed with follow-up ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’. The album released at the height of their britpop rivalry with Blur, selling over 22 million copies since 1995, making it the best-selling British album of the 90s. It features the Manchester rock group’s biggest hits, including acoustic anthem ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, and ‘Champagne Supernova’.

Following Noel’s departure in 2009 which led to Oasis’ split, he had a high-profile feud with brother Liam until they confirmed they had reunited in 2024 and announced tour dates the following year. Their 2025 world tour became a monumental event, shifting over 2 million tickets and taking in nearly £398 million, while boosting the profile of the band and their music higher than ever before. If ever there was a good time to sell a piece of the band’s history, it might be now.

Noel’s Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic guitar is signed by him, and was used in the famous 15-day writing and recording process of ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’, coming with a certificate of authenticity to prove it. The story goes that Gallagher gave it to a member of their road crew, who then sold it onto the current owner who is putting it on auction. The owner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, is described by Sotheby’s New York pop culture specialist Craig Inciardi as “a huge Oasis fan. He was in the social circles of people who were around the band at the time.”

Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone EJ-200 guitar. (Photograph: Sotheby’s)

The guitar is listed in Sotheby’s Rock & Pop Sale, alongside Gallagher’s Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, which he used for over 10 years with Oasis, and a hand-written manuscript lyric sheet for Oasis’s hit ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, their first single to feature Noel on lead vocals. Other lots going on auction include a unique floor tom drum owned by The Who’s Keith Moon, a travel bible belonging to Elvis Presley, as well as Presley’s Hagstrom electric guitar, which is anticipated to sell for between $1 million and $2 million. Noel Gallagher’s last guitar to go on auction was his custom Silver Sparkle Les Paul, which sold for over £226,000 in 2024.

Sotheby New York’s Rock & Pop Sale opens for bidding tomorrow, the 9th of April and running until the 23rd, with Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone guitar expected to go for between $60,000 (£45,000) and $80,000 (£60,000). If you don’t have that kind of cash lying around but want to live through Oasis’ history all the same, the band are also releasing memorabilia for the 2025 live tour, including a feature-length documentary with no release date, and a photo book which is up for pre-order and will release this May.

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‘everyone for ten minutes’ is due to release on 22 May. The band recently released the third single from the album, ‘the van’ which looks retrospectively at the band’s beginnings in New Jersey. It joins previously released singles, ‘you and forever’ and ‘dirty wedding dress.’

On 3 April, Bleachers stopped by the BBC Radio 2 studios to premiere the ‘the van,’ and record a cover for Jo Whiley. Antonoff cut a low-key folk-inspired rendition of Hayley Williams’ ‘Love Me Different.’  He wrote about the experience in a message attached to the tour announcement, “something special is happening with UK / EU Bleachers. I feel that outside of America, the understanding of American music is crystal clear. The elements we’re playing with, all inherently political, make perfect sense without the emotions and fear of what part we play in it.”

That crystal clear understanding of American music shows as the band is about embark on their biggest European headline tour to date. It will kick off in Milan on 5 November, hitting Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and France before landing in the UK.

Bleachers will appear in several cities across the UK and Ireland including Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham, Dublin and Manchester. They will cap off the tour with a show at London’s Eventim Apollo on 3 December.

Bleachers has not been back to the UK since the 2024 Reading and Leeds festivals, where they played in support of the self-titled fourth studio album. The critically acclaimed album, ‘Bleachers,’ received a 9/10 from Clash Magazine and 4/5 stars from NME. NME called the album “the collective’s most quintessentially “them” release yet.” Saying that, “it evolves into new territory, of course, but is equally deeply connected to past releases – a by-product of spending a decade honing their dynamic and sound.”

Their latest music also sees Antonoff coalescing lessons learned over the bands’ career. Clash Magazine wrote in review that ‘you and forever’ displays “an almost stand-up comedic style of songwriting which Antonoff has tapped into for a while […] but now appears to be embracing entirely in his songwriting.”

Antonoff writes of a childlike creativity in the Instagram-posted message to fans, “I heard music and then I tired to play it. And those early days – 11 or so years old, sitting at the piano – I went somewhere very far away.” Antonoff promises, “that’s where I am right now and that’s where I’ll be touring from.”

Pre-sale for Bleachers Forever Tour begins on Wednesday 15 April at 10 AM local time. Fans can sign up for pre-sale here. General sale will begin on Friday 17 April at 10 AM local time.

Bleachers Forever Tour UK/EU Dates

EUROPE

5/11 – Alcatraz – Milan, Italy

7/11 – Tonhalle – Munich, Germany

9/11 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany

10/11 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany

12/11 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway

13/11 – Annexet – Stockholm, Sweden

15/11 – Sporthalle – Hamburg, Germany

17/11 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands

18/11 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands

20/11 – Cirque Royal – Brussels, Belgium

21/11 – Salle Pleyel – Paris, France

UK/IE

24/11 – O2 Academy – Bristol, UK

25/11 – O2 Academy – Glasgow, UK

26/11 – O2 Academy – Leeds, UK

28/11 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK

30/11 – 3Olympia – Dublin, IE

2/12 – O2 Apollo – Manchester, UK

3/12 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK

The shows will take place in some of the UK’s largest arenas, treating fans to an all-encompassing and mammoth celebration of the band’s career. In their Instagram announcement below, the band expressed their excitement to set out on the tour saying, “It’s just 257 days until we grace the stage of the Glasgow OVO Hydro Arena to begin our tour of Britain’s finest arenas!”

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The Darkness sky-rocketed to popularity with ‘Permission to Land’ which was certified quadruple platinum in the UK with over 1.4 million units sold. And in the very next year, the band scooped up three awards at the 2004 BRITS: Best British Group, Best British Rock Act and Best British Album.

The I Paper described the band’s unique allure in 2023: “here was a band taking cues not from 70s New York or arty 80s post-punk but from classic and glam rock like Queen, AC/DC and Aerosmith; with an extravagant singer armed with every affected move in the rock manual and an eye-watering falsetto; singing fun, expletive-filled songs about genital warts and mythical East Anglian dogs that were melodically pop enough for any radio station.”

And nearly two decades later, The Darkness proved their longevity with ‘Dreams on Toast’ reaching No. 2 on the charts as well as receiving 4/5 stars in a review from Classic Rock. The review described the single, ‘Walking Through Fire’ as “the kind of fist-in-the-air anthem that reminds you why we fell in love with The Darkness in the first place.”

Regarding the forthcoming tour, lead singer Justin Hawkins says, “The very bestest of The Darkness! Imagine yourself, luxuriating in the warm sonic and visual embrace of the best ever Darkness songs, played by the best ever Darkness band, in the best ever rock music venues of mainland Great Britain! You will float with us on the soft whoopee cushion of undulating rock tones, swim with us in the warm seas of loquacious balladry, jump with us in the heady miasma of pop rock, and also do the head bang with us in the electrical thundery storm of HEVY METUL… Roll up, roll up – the Darkness Carnival is coming to town!”

The Darkness will be supported on the tour by Grammy winning, multi-Platinum selling American American country rock band, Brothers Osbourne. As well as by rock set, A, who have streams racked up by the multimillions.

Calling at seven areas across the country, The Best of The Darkness UK Tour will kick off on 8 December in Glasgow and close out with the band’s debut headline appearance at London’s O2 Arena on 16 December.

Tickets are now on sale at thedarknesslive.com and the full dates are listed below.

The Best of Darkness UK Tour

8/12—OVO Hyrdo Arena—Glasgow, UK

9/12—FD Arena—Leeds, UK

11/12—AO Arena—Manchester, UK

12/12—Utilita Arena—Birmingham, UK

13/12—Utilita Arena—Cardiff, UK

15/12—Brighton Center—Brighton, UK

16/12—O2 Arena—London, UK

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Rock N Roll Circus  will run from Thursday 27 August to Sunday 30 August at the South Yorkshire city’s Don Valley Bowl. The Kooks will headline the opening day (Thursday), while Friday will see The Streets headline. Wunderhorse will headline on Saturday before Richard Ashcroft is set to close the event on Sunday.

London-based rock set, Babyshambles are now set to join the lineup, another on the set of the band’s recent reunion which began in November 2025. August’s showing will mark lead vocalist, Pete Doherty’s, return to the Rock N Roll Circus. Doherty joined The Libertines at the festivals 2022 Newcastle debut. NME shared a quote from Doherty, “There’s something about Rock N Roll Circus that sticks with you. t’s not just the music, it’s the whole world they build around it. We’ve had some brilliant moments there before, so bringing Babyshambles into that tent feels like coming back to something special.” The band also recently released a 20^th anniversary edition of their album, ‘Down in Albion’  which included remasters versions of the original tracks as well as B-sides, rarities and session tracks. Babyshambles will play the Don Valley Bowl on Friday 28 August.

Rock N Roll Circus remains committed to showcasing up-and-coming talent.  On the bill is highly buzzed about Dublin-based punk-rock band, Gurriers. A critic said, in a October 2025 review of the band’s gig at the Barrowland Ballroom, “their unique, bass-filled sound drives their music and makes for some insanely passionate live performances and an immensely enjoyable gig-going experience.”

Other emerging acts on the line up include Cruz Beckham and his band The Breakers, London-based indie set Spanish Horses, indie band The Clause comprised of three childhood friends from the West Midlands, and many more acts.

But Sheffield’s festival will also honor a wide range of legacy acts. Including landmark Birmingham hip-hip garage group, The Streets. They are set to play their 2004 album, ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ in full on Friday 28 August. The Fratellis and Embrace will both perform on Sunday 30 August, adding to the rich catalog of long-standing acts on the bill. And Sheffield natives, Everly Pregnant Brothers, will also show on Sunday, giving the bank holiday weekend a hometown send-off.   

Rock N Roll Circus is a festival which not only shows off an impressive lineup of rock music, but also captivating circus acts alongside the sets. The official site says the event “[creates] a high-energy spectacle, where incredible live music meets the excitement, skill, and visual magic of the circus.”

Tickets can still be purchased here. 2026 Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield takes place from Thursday 27 August to Sunday 30 August at the Don Valley Bowl.