Rock and Roll Circus - The Streets
Theres never a dull moment at The rock and roll circus: extravagant circus performers to bands who soundtracked early 2000s Britain there is always something going on!
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Dry your eyes mate, you’re at Rock and roll circus!
The walk through Earlham Park to get to the festival site felt very fitting for British festival season: muddy, wet and cold but still a great atmosphere even before entering the site.
And after a rainy trek through the beautiful Earlham park, I arrived at the site where I was met by an incredible selection of food stalls and colourful circus performers.
The torrential rain drove everyone into the big top tent in time for Hak Bakers stripped back acoustic set with clear reggae influences.
It felt like a bit of a nice juxtaposition compared to the pouring rain outside the big top tent!
Although I wasn’t able to spend much time at the second stage because of the tropical rainstorm going on the second stage was offering a great selection of R&B and hiphop artists who even though the heavens had opened still managed to garner a dedicated audience.
Antony Szmierek performed a moving set combining spoken word poetry and dreamy dance beats there wasn’t one person in the crowd standing still and even I couldn’t help but dance!
In the middle of this touching set Szmierek brought out Norwich based youtuber Robbie Knox who was prancing around stage dressed as a pigeon. An interesting addition to the set but I did question why he was dressed as a pigeon and whether that was Knox’s decision or if he was forced against his will.
Szmierek managed to create an energetic, hopeful atmosphere by dancing the entire time while making the crowd do a new year count down, talking about finding love and starting over. I can’t really explain this energy in any other way than hopeful.
In between Antony Szmierek and Babyshambles we were graced with a gripping performance on the high swing by the circus crew.
Never a dull moment at rock and roll circus! Although exciting I feel like my blood pressure was high the whole time worrying about the performers falling
Babyshambles played some of their most popular songs like delivery and picture me in hospital but from where I was standing the crowd seemed uninterested.
Baby shambles right before the streets sounds like the epitome of British music but the crowd seemed noisy and distracted, maybe just waiting for The Streets.
Even with an uninterested crowd Babyshambles put on a great show. It was relaxed and authentic.
The streets came to play their second album “A grand don’t come for free” in full.
Instantly with the set the audience is transported back to the iconic dingy bus stop pictured in the album cover.
This is not only a gig but an experience, skinner performing as if he is living the life of the main character of this concept album. We saw vandalism, alcoholism and arguments.
Almost forgot we were in Earlham Park rather than some concrete high rise apartment block deep in London.
The crowd was most excited to hear the chart toppers “dry your eyes”, “blinded by the lights” and national anthem “fit but you know it”.
My favourite was “blinded by the lights” which had skinner performing under eery red lights. After their theatrical performance of a grand don’t come for free, they performed other favourites “Turn the page” and “has it come to this” while talking to the crowd encouraging them to have a good time but avoid head butting each other after a previous incident.
Skinner kept threatening to come to the back of the crowd and eventually he made his way into the crowd running straight past me so he could crowd surf right back to the front while performing “take me as I am”. Compared to others who attempted to crows surf skinner did a pretty good job of performing the song whilst making in all the way back to stage and greeting everyone with a “nice to meet you” on the way.
The streets soundtracked early 2000s Britain so I expected an incredible atmosphere, but skinner is an incredible storyteller and performer and it felt like he really put everything into this gig.
