Self Esteem, Manchester Academy. 29th September 2025

This is my fourth gig in as many nights and I’ll admit I’m a little tired, but fear not, Self Esteem’s live show is exactly the sort of gig I need tonight. Had I been watching a band of blokes with guitars, I might be in trouble, but this is engaging and attention grabbing from the get go. Ready? Strap in! The cast of oppressed looking characters in nun regalia take to the stage as the monologue of ‘I Do and Don’t Care’ is echoed back word perfect by the crowd. Intentionally ominous in its intro, it does what many of the songs do tonight as it builds in a confident embodiment of pure power. This is what a Self Esteem is, a defiant, raw, intelligent and fucking good fun display of live musical brilliance. Have I built it up too much on the first song. No I have not. Honestly there’s nothing out there quite like a Self Esteem gig. The sparse house beat of ‘Mother’ adds menace to the choreographed dance of twitches as they deploy this absolute banger. It’s theatrical sure and the front of stage demands the attention, but a shout out to the musicians at the back of the stage, the live drums in particular are bloody brutal and the lad beating the shit out of them quite rightly looks like he’s having the time of his life. ‘69‘ is packed with sexy swagger, again the choreography must take some serious practice. The four opening songs are all act one, before the bonnets are disheartened, replaced by rugby shirts for a shadow boxing workout. Honestly how fit do you have to be to pull this off night after night, they don’t even look to be breaking a sweat! It’s an amazing spectacle. ‘Logic, Bitch!’ sees Rebecca take the solo spotlight accompanied to start by just a piano, before a the bombastic brass is deployed from a riser centre stage. It’s the perfect foundation for two monsters that are to follow. ‘Prioritise Pleaure’ is MASSIVE. Military drums build to something more tribal and that guitar buzz phenomenal. I mean I’m always a sucker for some dirty guitar, but this is fucking filthy and it sounds glorious in here. Whoever is mixing this tonight is at the very top of their game, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Academy sound so good. ‘Fucking Wizardry’ is next with its mix of gospel and dance-floor juggernaut. It’s pure joy, “everybody jump” requests Rebecca and Manchester obliges. Don’t be fooled by the acoustic intro of ‘The Curse’, this is a wide open epic indie anthem, just as powerful as the rest of the set, even with its smoother sound, it really is stunning. Every song has an arc, and plays its part in a perfectly crafted set. The energy is remarkable. For ‘What Now’ the lights drop and they all huddle around a single light and a single mic. It’s so simple, but so effective. What a feeling that must be to create such beauty with a group of people who clearly love each other. Proper life affirming stuff and you can hear a pin drop between the breaths. It’s sold out in here, we’re packed in, but no one even shuffles as we stand in awe. ‘The 345’ is slower paced for sure, but with this collection of voices everything packs a punch. The drum riser is wheeled into the centre stage for the disco banger ‘Cheers To Me’. Does the Academy alway have mirrorball? I think not, but then it certainly doesn’t have car dealership style inflatables either, but they join the dance as the celebrations crank up. It must be hard work up there but looks so fun. Rebecca is solo again for the start of ‘The Deep Blue Okay’, proving she’s got plenty of power all on her own, but this is a team and fuck me when the rest all slowly join in, your hair stands up and a swell takes over your entire body releasing itself with an ear to ear smile. Again this has some serious clout. I’ve seen punk bands that can’t deliver this kind of venom. It’s tight and controlled but beautifully dangerous. The whole thing is defiantly vulnerable. So well put together, it’s glorious to watch, but the visuals aside, they sound wonderful, that live horn is back on ‘I Do This All the Time’ and it’s awesome, peaking even over the dominant rhythm section. ‘Focus is Power’ is the quintessential musical theatre finale. If we were all sat in a theatre, this is where the room would be on its feet, but it’s not and we’ve been dancing all night and what a night! I was tired at the start, but this was a pure adrenaline shot and I’m left flying. As the band all conga off the stage, people dance out of the room and out into the night. Absolutely wonderful, best gig of the weekend!