Friday night has always been a great time to party, the end of the working week for many, giving the excuse to let their hair down and potentially enjoy a few drinks while they are at it. Certainly, the soundtrack for the evening could not be better, and both Star Circus and headliner Chez Kane do their very best to bring smiles to the faces of every soul present in a way that shows that there is no hype necessary, just good people playing great songs.
Chez Kane – Star Circus
The Brickmakers, Norwich – 29 May 2026
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Steve Ritchie
As part of their current Destiny’s Door UK tour, openers Star Circus have already built up quite the reputation as rising names on the scene, their ability to knock out high-octane and irresistible numbers finding an ever-growing audience.
There is a confident swagger here that is well justified by the strength of material shown, some technical difficulties threatening to but never derailing the momentum.
The ballsy Over & Over is a great opener, its big riff and groove setting the tone for everything to come, and Times Get Tough is a gloriously old school slice of premium hard rock that could have been written any time over the last thirty years.
Coming on like a cross between Thin Lizzy and SAHB, One Hit Wonder again shows the songwriting skills of the band can stretch beyond the cliché-ridden efforts of some around, and Love Is The Enemy dips its toe nicely into more melodic rock territory.
Alongside singer and guitarist Dave Winkler, bass player Sophie Aurelia Young and drummer Reuben O’Donoghue, new guitarist Joel Chalk has slotted in perfectly, and the twin fretwork during The Wreckage and Destiny’s Door proves to be some of the biggest highlights of the set.
Forget the outlandish promo and slavish adherence to templates that other acts are pushing, Star Circus are doing their own thing and giving modern rock music the injection of originality, class and excitement that is going to last.
A band to truly believe in.
Chez Kane
Flying in the face of all that the elitist elements in the industry preach, Chez Kane not just survives but thrives, her take on lycra-clad ’80s hard rock unstoppable.
Given that she has enough energy to light up a large town, possesses one of the finest voices around, and the material is all killer, no filler, it is no wonder that she is lighting up everywhere she plays.
There is an honesty here that is born from a genuine love of the music she and the band play, all of it shorn of any cynicism or artfully crafted pretence, and it shows in the infectious way that everyone is drawn in, the whole show more a shared celebration than a performance.
An antidote to all that is going on in the world, this is escapism at its finest and a way to forget everything outside of the walls of the venue, offering the chance to just smile and move to the music.
To write this off as purely good-time music would do Kane and company a disservice, as each number is a perfect slice of melodic rock with more than enough grit to rub pleasingly against the bubblegum rush.
Adrenaline-soaked numbers like Personal Rock ‘n’ Roll and All Of It are sure-fire party starters and stand nicely alongside the Heart-style power ballad I Just Want You, and there is more than a touch of Vixen in the pneumatic rocker Nationwide.
Adding an extra bit of muscle, the three guitar attack of Midnight Rendezvous is a beefy punch to the face, and Bodyrock rides that heavy wave with no compromise, perfectly illustrating that the band can certainly lay down something with the ability to crush when they want to.
This is very much Chez Kane’s world, and her ability to embody both strength and sensuality is a superpower that has seen an increasingly large number of female fans back into her gigs. It is a mantle she wears lightly but confidently, in control of her image and the music equally.
Labelling a run of numbers the steamy part of the set, it is done with equal parts humour and soul that conveys the mood with a feline grace and a real depth of emotion in the storytelling.
This ability to switch from muscular melodic rock and the seductive show a quality that will develop nicely in time as she sets herself up for the long run, and with writing of the level of Love Gone Wild, Get It On and Tongue Of Love, there is huge promise to come.
Set closers Rocket On The Radio and Powerzone bring the night to a blazing end, and the long queue for the merchandise desk tells its own story.
The music and image may be something of a throwback to more carefree times, but there is nothing wrong with that, and it could just be the antidote we all need.
However you look at it, Chez Kane has all she needs to bring the good times and hard rocking gems of the past back to the future. This is a reminder as to exactly why we fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll in the first place. Long may she continue.
