REVIEW: Self Esteem at Sheffield Arena
Sheffield has long been proud of its musical heritage. And rightly so, forging icon after icon in the crucible of the city. Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem, is the latest in the shining lineup of the city’s superstars, as evidenced by a huge homecoming show at the Utilita Arena, dominating the end of her A Complicated Woman tour. Following a turn in the West End as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and a four-night album launch at the Duke of York Theatre in London, the show revelled in the promise of theatricality.
Moonchild Sanelly and Nadine Shah, who have been alternating as openers on other nights of the tour and who both make guest appearances on Taylor’s 2025 release A Complicated Woman, were both present tonight. Up first, Moonchild Sanelly invigorated the crowd, already clustering giddily around the stage at quarter past seven. Zipping from one track from the next, she pranced and vogued around the stage, lighting up the audience and completely winning them over. She was accompanied by a DJ, whose entrance out from behind the desks revealed additional arse cheeks. His cheeks joined those that Sanelly was already shaking across the stage, underscoring the gleeful, exuberant core of the music.
Photo: Huw Williams
Next, Nadine Shah emerges in an oversized black blazer, impeccably poised and assuming space centre stage. If Moonchild Sanelly’s set fizzed and crackled, electricity static around her, then Shah brings with her a formidable gravity, her gaze weighty as she surveyed the crowd. All eyes are drawn in, despite the cavernous nature of the arena. With a full band behind her, her alternative indie rock is suited to a space of this size, swelling and claiming space. It’s not often that dual supports can command a crowd in this manner, especially considering the nature of a venue this large. But if the arena gapes open, Sanelly and Shah stroll straight into the belly of the beast.
By the time she’s finished, the queue to reach the bars and the toilets wind out of the entranceways, spilling onto the venue itself. Thousands of fans rush to get themselves in the perfect place for Self Esteem, bladders emptied, two-pint lagers clutched. The anticipation has become its own frequency, vibrating in the air.
When the lights dim, a brief moment of still is immediately ruptured by the frenzied joy of the room; it’s impossible not to get swept up in it. The sense of ecstasy that crackles in the air when Taylor herself walks on stage is palpable. Robed in puritan-style dress, she is flanked by the chorus that has joined her on-stage since launching the album in April this year, a muscular vocal presence behind her at all times. Even so, her vocals cut through the noise. Despite the much-discussed evocation of The Handmaid’s Tale by the outfits, there’s something deeply grounding in the choice to begin a set with ‘I Do and I Don’t Care’. When Taylor says “we’re okay today”, you believe her.
Photo: Huw Williams
From here the gig quickly spins out into the euphoric exploration of modernity and identity that Self Esteem is known for. When, a few songs in, my friend turns to me and says “I’ll never get over her”, she sums up something integral to the performance. Throughout the evening, excited discussions with other punters reveal just how many of the crowd have seen Self Esteem perform before, even on this very tour. That doesn’t matter. It’s a beautiful, shared experience that you’ll want to relive again and again.
Friends clutch each other. Hands flood the air, punctuating the most meaningful lines. On stage, the puritan costuming is shed in favour of football jerseys. Fuck off Farage is emblazoned on the back of Taylor’s.
Tracks from A Complicated Woman dominate the night, standing tall alongside scattered singles from the fan-favourite album Prioritise Pleasure. It demonstrates just how strong this new material is, adding new shades to the cultural and personal philosophy that Self Esteem represents and espouses. Nadine Shah snakes onstage to sing ‘Lies’; Moonchild Sanelly’s lewd exuberance and shimmering anger heightens the power of ‘In Plain Sight’. Whilst the show rotates around Taylor as the core of it all, its impact is undoubtedly amplified by these other voices that swirl around her.
Photo: Huw Williams
For ‘Cheers to Me’, one of the night’s most upbeat numbers, the stage is flanked by two wiggly blow-up men (an internet search suggests they’re called inflatable tube men). By the end of the number, they are repurposed into wind machines for Taylor singing centre stage in a manoeuvre that is as impeccable as it is daft. Equal parts silly and sincere, the night is a triumph, crowned by the grooving crowds who exit the venue via a conga line to Shirley Bassey’s ‘This Is My Life’. I hope that Taylor enjoyed it as much as I did.
Words: Edie McQueen
Photos: Huw Williams
