Pulp / Self Esteem, Wythenshawe Park. 28th August 2026

I’m a little later than I hoped tonight (unable to take my own advice), but the sun is doing it’s best to hold off the torrential rain we’ve had all day as Self Esteem takes the stage. There’s no mistaking the entrance with those nuns habits. It’s much the same show I saw on the last tour, but it’s that fucking good, it’s amazing to see again and parked right down the front next to the deafening outdoor PA, it sounds as spectacular as it looks. If The Handmaids Tale the Musical ever gets commissioned, this is the template. It’s an hour of pure, defiant confidence wrapped in blistering electro raunch and fabulous theatrics. Much is often made about artists being 4Real, being a band, being authentic, make no mistake, it’s clear from watching this live, this lot are a formidable 9-headed unit. It’s a set packed with all the bangers and honestly if I were in Pulp, I might be watching from the sides thinking fucking hell how do we follow this? Rebecca does seem a bit apologetic though, promising just three songs left. Perhaps she can see a few miserable bastards in the crowd. I see them too, they’re vastly outnumbered, but you can see them on the cameras looking bored and rolling their eyes. Honestly just fuck off. I’ve described a fair few bands as powerful, but there’s sonic power, which Self Esteem have and there’s the kind of indescribable power that makes something change inside you, Self Esteem is the definition of that. Utterly mesmerising and whisper it… better than Pulp, not that it’s a competition of course.

The headliners are on form though. Aptly kicking off with ‘Sorted for E’s & Wizz’ and predictably name dropping “Wythenshawe” as the field in which Jarvis has lost an important part of his brain. It’s followed quickly with a jubilant ‘Disco 2000’ and its updated counterpart ‘Spike Island’, as Jarvis wiggles his bum and twirls those articulated wrists. “It’s Friday night, it’s stopped raining, that cost a lot of money” he quips, as comfortable as ever to chat and joke. ‘Razzmatazz’ takes us back to the beginning and the die hards around me lap it up. It sounds great, but perhaps it’s not as loved by the masses as the energy appears to drop, nicely though. I know we’re in the middle of a park, maybe it’s the songs working mens club vibes, but I really don’t feel like I’m outside.‘F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.’ (that was a pain to type) is full of cinematic menace, making way for the punchy chorus with Jarvis laying down on the stage, jumping up and going full jazz hands in the finale as he’s silhouetted against the video backdrop. There’s 11 of them up there, but there’s never any doubt where the focus is. ‘O,U’ is old too, honestly I’m not sure I’ve heard it in 30 years, but it’s a crafty little bouncy banger and a lot of fun. The slower ‘Farmers Market’ less so, but Jarvis dedicates it to his wife and attempts to catch a grape in his mouth, to much fanfare, but fails. The set highlight for me though follows with ‘This is Hardcore’. It’s monumental on record, but live, fuck me, it’s blistering. A mix of grandeur and glitz, pulsating with an undercurrent that threatens to level the park. ‘Sunrise’ doesn’t need one in rhe sky, they bring their own as they writhe in a psych-fused wigout. This run of songs is the strongest by far as they flex and show they’re more than just a few indie pop classics. The newer songs are carefully peppered in though. ‘Begging for Change’ from this year’s Help2 album, hits the punk pedal whilst keeping all the trademark showmanship. We’re instructed to scream and Wythenshawe obliges. ‘Do You Remember the First Time?’ And ‘Mis-Shapes’ are packed with 90s nostalgia, or maybe it’s just the smell of weed and cider in the air, either way those indie classics sound wonderful. ‘Got to Have Love’ is okay. I probably didn’t give last years More album a good enough listen, but the bands energy is pretty infectious and hidden behind all the bluster of which there’s a lot, there’s some awesome synth stuff backing it all up. I’ll give the record another go I promise. ‘Babies’ is awesome as we reach the finale. Confetti cannons and streamers explode as Jarvis gets distracted by the moon and instructs us all to turn around and appreciate it through the parting clouds. Fair enough. Phones are out en masse for ‘Common People’. I’m mean what can you say? It’s Common People. It teases, builds, erupts over and over, as hands reach for the sky and we head for that moon. Yes it’s the big hit and usually as such, these songs decend into a big raucous singalong, which I tend to baulk at, but I have to admit it’s pretty special. Richard Hawley comes on for ‘Sunset’ as they close with a more reflective tone and then we’re done. No encore, just a solid 90 minutes. I’m liking Pulp now they’re back. They play with a confidence and freedom that I’m not sure we saw enough of in the early years. Tonight is apparently the last show of this tour, I hope they’re back soon… but I hope Self Esteem are back sooner.