STEREOPHONICS TRIUMPH IN SHEFFIELD AS THEY PROVE ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE NO RETRO BAND LIVING OFF THEIR BACK CATALOGUE

It was a rainy Saturday evening in Sheffield when Stereophonics arrived in town. But this was no ordinary December night, the Welsh rockers were back and turned Sheffield Arena into a rock chamber with a heat and energy that may well be one of the best performances I’ve experienced in 2025.

Kelly Jones possesses one thing a lot of frontmen don’t: authenticity. Kelly was clearly soaring tonight, and his aura seemed glowing with excitement. The crowd were not as electric as I’d hoped, but it was Sunday, with many having work tomorrow, but this didn’t stop me and hundreds of others from standing out of our seats and watching this exquisite show.

Kelly Jones doesn’t perform, he bleeds authenticity into every note, reminding us why he’s one of the greatest frontmen of his generation.

There was a feeling that tonight was more than a date on a calendar. There was a feeling of triumph about this, being as this was only the second last date of their largest UK & Irish arena tour in several years. This 17-date arena tour has already drawn over 200,000 fans, cementing Stereophonics as one of the last enduring bastions of late ’90s guitar rock.

Stereophonics’ roots go back to 1992, when Kelly Jones and childhood friend Richard Jones founded the band in a small mining community called Cwmaman with drummer Stuart Cable. During a performance in Sheffield, Kelly reminisced about those moments when Stuart’s grandma lived near one of their gig spots, and they always had to be thrown out right after their performances because they were minors and couldn’t drink. This reminds me of why Kelly is a great frontman; he weaves personal memories in between songs that give a concert a personal touch. I specifically love how Kelly holds Stuart’s memory in earlier songs and celebrates that with the energy of their current drummer, James Morrison, with the newer tracks. Their big break arrived with raw debut album, Word Gets Around, in 1997. They have since made their mark in rock music with nine successive albums in the British top five, more than 10 million album sales globally, and a number one single with Dakota in 2005. Despite losing Stuart in 2010, their passion remains unextinguished.

This wasn’t a concert, it was a masterclass in how rock music should feel, urgent, timeless, and unforgettable.

This Sheffield concert marked the launch of their thirteenth studio album, Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait. This album was released in April 2025 via EMI Records and was made almost entirely live for Kelly in a studio setting. It made a number two entrance to the charts, its highest peak since 2009.

The connection between Stereophonics and Sheffield runs deep. Their first big headline moment at the old Sheffield Arena came in 1997 on the back of Word Gets Around. They returned in December 2008 for the run of arena shows promoting their greatest‑hits release Decade in the Sun, and came back again in February 2020 with the Kind campaign, one of the last major arena nights before COVID‑19 shut live music down. With that history, Sheffield has always carried special weight for the band, and tonight felt like unfinished business settled with style.

Rising local star Finn Forster kicked off proceedings with a 30-minute slot of genuine songwriting prowess, interweaving material from his EP Embers with singles Broken Game and Pablo. The young performer had no trouble drawing in his audience and earning himself an effortless 8/10.

As the lighting dimmed, a rumble of audience approval rippled through the arena. Kelly took his place in a solo spotlight with his slung black Telecaster and rocked with ‘Vegas Two Times’. The band tore into ‘I Wanna Get Lost With You’ and ‘Have a Nice Day’ before revealing a brand-new ‘There’s Always Gonna Be Something’. ‘Do Ya Feel My Love?’ swaggered with bluesy intensity, ‘Pick a Part That’s New’ knocked with attitude, and ‘Rewind’ packed tension. ‘Superman’ is one of my favourites, soared with arena-rock aplomb, while ‘Geronimo’ throbbed with a contemporary energy that brought a new level of power and emotion to this melodic showdown. ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ created a reverent hush.

Their setlist wasn’t nostalgia, it was proof that Stereophonics are still writing the future of arena rock.

The cycle continued with such reflective pieces as ‘Colours of October’, the raw power of ‘More Life in a Tramp’s Vest’, and the youthfulness of ‘Radio’. ‘Mr Writer’ snarled before ‘Seems Like You Don’t Know Me’ brought a measure of introspection, followed by the fun of ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’with Kelly questioning the audience on who is here having an affair? Ha, not me for sure. ‘Fly Like an Eagle’ rallied flagging spirits before a manic ‘The Bartender and the Thief’ brought down the curtain. And then came the encore, a raging release with ‘100MPH’ shaking our bones, ‘Traffic’ blistering the arena with heat, ‘C’est La Vie’ making our dance floor a disco, and finally ‘Dakota’ getting 15,000 voices to come together for one of the most rock ’n’ roll moments in British music.

When 15,000 voices joined together for ‘Dakota,’ it wasn’t just a sing-along; it was one of the most spine‑tingling moments in British music. As house lights illuminate and fans pour out into the chill of a December evening, one thing becomes abundantly clear:

Stereophonics are no retro band living off their back catalogue. They are a living, breathing phenomenon in rock and roll that appears destined to continue their tradition far into the next millennium.