Star Circus Live at The 100 Club, London | Review

Sophie Aurelia Young, Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

The 30th of September 2026, saw four-piece rock band Star Circus support Cassidy Paris at the legendary 100 Club in London, performing an hour long set that showcased their strong back catalogue of material.

My review of the incendiary Cassidy Paris performance can be found here.

The 100 Club, London

The 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street, London *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

Situated on 100 Oxford Street, London, the venue is seriously steeped in the history of every genre of music be it jazz, rock, punk, reggae, soul, hip-hop, indie and beyond.

It is also London’s longest running independent music venue, having first been established in 1942 - later named the 100 Club in 1964. This was soon followed by an invasion of some of the finest American Blues artists (including Muddy Waters, Albert King, Bo Diddley and B.B. King) further cemented by the burgeoning British Blues and Beat Scene, with residency deals with The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The High Numbers (who famously became The Who).

1976 saw the first ever Punk festival (The Punk Special) with the unsigned acts including the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, Siouxsie & The Banshees and The Buzzcocks just some of an incredible line-up. Over the next few years the 100 Club forcefully carried the flag for the Punk scene.

And the club managed to re-invent itself many times over the subsequent years; the 80s saw South African Jazz flourish, and the early 90s saw landmark performances from the likes of Suede, Echobelly and Oasis.

Macroeconomic pressure and soaring rents created an untenable situation in 2010, threatening the venue with closure. With a campaign to save the club helped by support from the likes of Mick Jagger, Liam Gallagher, Mick Jones and Bobby Gillespie, topped by a legendary intimate lunchtime performance by Paul McCartney, it eventually led to a renegotiation of the rent with the landlord—the club’s independence was preserved and the club has thrived as an important part of the London musical scene since then.

The Circus Provides Strong Support

Star Circus also have a good pedigree in the sphere of 70s and 80s rock and metal and the four-piece exhibit a melodic edge to their punchy guitar driven songs.

Dave Winkler, Sophie Aurelia Young, Reuben O’Donoghue, Santiago Periotti of Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

Formed in 2019, the London based band is led by Dave Winkler and Sophie Aurelia Young with guitarist Santiago Periotti and drummer Reuben O’Donoghue making up the current lineup of the quartet. Argentinian Santiago Periotti also fronts the excellent three-piece band Santiago & The Soul Movers.

With their blend of influences from Queen, Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard and ELO, and judging by the number of Star Circus T-shirt clad fans in the queue waiting to get into the 100 Club, there’s also a strong fan-base supporting the outfit.

Bang on 7.45pm the band took to the stage of an already packed 100 Club, to open up the night for Cassidy Paris.

Opening song, “Over & Over”, also the opening track of their most current album, From The Wreckage, released in 2025, its spiky and relentless rhythm sees it infiltrate the basement venue as Dave Winkler’s classic rock vocal quickly establishes its range.

Dave Winkler of Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

“Times Get Tough” is next up, this time a track from the Separate Sides debut album of 2022, piecing together a riff heavy, drum infected vibe into its 80s rock costume.

As the catchy “One Hit Wonder” maintains the momentum (“What’s The Plan Superman?”) its guitar crunchy texture is given a Terrovision-esque power-pop sheen.

The rest of the set draws heavily from the excellent From The Wreckage, with “Chained To You”, “The Wreckage”, and it’s clear the band are focused on shoe-horning the cream of their output in what becomes an hour long set.

Sophie Aurelia Young of Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

The song “Masquerade” gets what seems to be a rare full band outing, Sophie Aurelia Young harnessing a glimmering lead vocal as its epic and powerful metal chorus rings around the 100 Club.

“Destiny’s Door” another rock monolith chiselled out of From The Wreckage, weaves its spell as its Thin Lizzy guitar motifs gloriously painted by Santiago Periotti and Dave Winkler create a wonderfully jagged edge across the track.

Santiago Periotti of Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

“Two Odds Make An Even”, the memorable closing song from the same album, channels its power ballad underpinnings into a rock and metal tinged arithmetical concoction that warrants further investigation.

Dave Winkler and Sophie Aurelia Young of Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

As time starts to run away, we are left with time to squeeze the punchy 2023 single “Gina In A Bottle” in, before “Save Your Life” from Separate Sides, completes a raw but refined set, bang on the hour mark.

Reuben O’Donoghue of Star Circus, The 100 Club, London, 30th September 2026 *(Image: Damien Wilkinson)*

The set leaves a great, lasting impression—a band locked into a groove that mines a classic seam of timeless 70s and 80s rock and metal that is skilfully polished up into some contemporary radio and gig friendly gems

Destiny’s Door Is Still Ajar

The 100 Club date represented a stop off for the band on its Destiny’s Door UK tour which carries on into October, and it is highly recommended to check out the remaining dates below.