Sheffield festivals always know how to put on a show. Sheffield after all has something of reputation as a music city, the festivals have to live up to that. Rock N Roll Circus as "the new kid on the block" to an extent, having moved to the Steel City back in 2023, has done an incredible job of adding to this reputation with unforgettable headline slots from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Self Esteem in its first year and Richard Hawley, Becky Hill and Milburn last year.
Over recent years, we've seen some incredible artists booked to headline festivals across the city along with Rock N Roll Circus, think Paolo Nutini at Tramlines last year as one of only a handful of shows he performed. Or Pulp set to storm Hillsborough this year, one of the most requested artists in any festival's history we imagine (looks like they may have taken a cue from Rock N Roll Circus in platforming our best local acts on their biggest stage). Even smaller scale ones like Float Along booked indie icons Everything Everything as their first headliner and Get Together Festival has the award winning English Teacher headlining this year.
With all this greatness, even just planned for this year alone, you would think it would be impossible to get much better. Well Rock N Roll Circus, true to form, would beg to differ as they have announced that Rock royalty Queens of the Stone Age will open their offering on Don Valley Bowl this year in one of the most exciting headliner announcements we have seen for the city.
There isn't much we can say here about Queens of the Stone Age that hasn't already been said. Regularly hailed as one of the greatest live bands in existence, QOTSA have been pioneers in not just the rock scene, but in music in general over the last 30 years, constantly redefining themselves and the genres they associate with. In 2023, the band released their 8th studio album and toured the world in support of it, including a headline slot on Glastonbury's Other Stage and a headline set at Download festival in 2024. With a back catalogue of bangers as long as any in the form of tracks like 'No One Knows', 'Make It Wit Chu', 'Go With The Flow' and 'Song For The Dead' to name just a few of the biggest, QOTSA will be ready to raise hell in the Big Top.
Now, Queens of the Stone Age are gearing up for a massive show at Rock N Roll Circus, one of only two shows that the band will be performing in the UK this year – the other will see them headlining Victorious Festival in Portsmouth. Sheffield isn't just a random UK city to the band either, with Joshua Homme having a huge influence on and producing Arctic Monkeys’ critically acclaimed third album Humbug in 2009.
The announcement isn't all about Queens of the Stone Age though, as to put on a good headline show, you need a strong rest of the cast too. Rock N Roll Circus delivers here too as the lineup is filled out by Swedish punk band Viagra Boys, one of the most exciting UK bands around in Fat Dog alongside witty indie rockers The Bug Club and Bratpop scene-stormers So Good, with more artists to be announced in a day curated by the headliners. Well worth booking a day of Annual Leave in our view.
All this musical excitement comes with promises from the festival of a Rock N Roll Circus is expanding in every way. Extended opening hours mean more time to soak in the sights, sounds, and thrills of the festival, while a sprawling food and drink village will serve up everything from gourmet street eats to craft cocktails. There will also be the usual healthy serving of circus magic with gravity-defying aerial stunt artists, mesmerising fire breathers, and high-energy circus acts.
Festival organiser Ali O’Reilly said of the announcement: “We’re taking Rock N Roll Circus to the next level in 2025. Bringing a band such as Queens of the Stone Age to Sheffield is a huge moment for us and we can’t wait to welcome them to the Big Top in August. They are the perfect act to open our celebrations and fit everything that our brand is trying to achieve. It’s been a long time since they’ve performed in this part of the world, and we’re honoured and excited to have them.
Pre-sale tickets for Queens of The Stone Age go live on Wednesday, 19th February at 9am, followed by general ticket sales on Friday 21st February at 9am. Full details can be found on the Rock N Roll Circus website here, alongside details for grabbing yourself tickets for their other unmissable announcement of Reverend and the Makers taking over the circus on Saturday 30th August. We say this all the time, and we truly believe it, but this is definitely not one to miss.
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