Self Esteem @ Sheffield Utilita Arena Review - Complicated Woman; Uncomplicated Talent

Photography by Maisie Ellis

Self Esteem (aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor) performed her biggest hometown gig to date on Saturday night at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.

Taylor has taken her latest album, A Complicated Woman, on the road to 14 shows across the UK and Ireland and her homecoming did not disappoint. With a 17-song setlist of big hits and fan favourites, we knew we were in for a reyt good night.

Supporting Taylor were two artists who fans had already been introduced to on previous collaborations with Self Esteem: Moonchild Sanelly and Nadine Shah.

Moonchild Sanelly was first up and brought energy, humour and absolute joy – the ideal warm-up act. Her huge personality is perfect for the stage, delivering an almost stand-up comedy routine between each song, sharing insights into the crazy stories behind them. We were treated to a performance of 'Big Man' – the song she collaborated with Self Esteem on last year – which was a real crowd-pleaser. Alongside her DJ, Ashwin Bosman, she showed what a fantastic performer she is. Neither of their energy levels dropped as they danced, twerked, death-dropped, vogued and sang throughout the entire set.

The second support act, Nadine Shah, brought a totally different dynamic to the stage. Shah has a rich voice with strong vibrato and an 80s rock vibe to it. Her songs have powerful messages of feminism and compassion. Shah wears her heart on her sleeve and isn’t afraid to speak up for what she believes in, especially when she showed her support for Palestine by hanging the country’s flag on the back of the keyboard as well as using red, white and green lighting for the final song of her set. While Shah’s set delivered an important message, there was definitely a drop in energy from the crowd. Going from the dancing and silliness of Moonchild Sanelly to more serious matters felt a tad jarring – but perhaps this was their way of sending a strong statement before the main event.

And what an event it was!

In an ode to her album cover, Taylor and her dancers took to the stage dressed in garments resembling those worn by the women in The Handmaid’s Tale. The dancers formed a military-straight line towards the shadowy portion of the stage at the back. Taylor walked powerfully downstage and took her place in the centre spotlight, a huge smile on her face while the audience clapped and shouted in welcoming applause.

Self Esteem knows that politics does have a place in music and she executes the balance flawlessly. The Handmaid garments drive home her main message of female empowerment but she knows not to take herself too seriously; performing the single '69' from A Complicated Woman while wearing convent-esque garbs was utter genius.

The setlist had everything you could possibly want from a Self Esteem gig. Fan favourites such as 'F***ing Wizardry' had everybody jumping and dancing. Taylor pointed her microphone at the audience, directing us to sing certain parts as if we were a huge choir and she the conductor. In contrast, emotive songs such as 'The Curse' and 'I Do And I Don’t Care' are unapologetic and brave. Members of the crowd passionately sang certain lines, driving home just how relatable and important Taylor’s honest lyricism is.

Touring with your pals must be fun and Taylor made time in her set to pay tribute to her support acts. Nadine Shah, who had changed out of her shoulder-padded blazer and thigh high boots into a matching Handmaid’s costume, was invited onstage to perform 'Lies', the track she collaborated with Taylor for A Complicated Woman. Later, Moonchild Sanelly was welcomed back onstage to perform her parts of 'In Plain Sight', in what was a very emotive and theatrical performance.

The main set came to a close with 'The Deep Blue Okay' and the arena was filled with thousands of voices singing along, filling in for the choral sections of the track, while confetti poured down on them. Then just as you thought you couldn’t up the emotion any more, the encore began with Taylor’s breakthrough song 'I Do This All The Time' to remind us of the beginnings of the Self Esteem empire. To complete the evening, we heard the first single from A Complicated Woman, 'Focus Is Power'. Once again, confetti covered the audience in what felt like a celebration of empowerment.

Self Esteem has proved that hers is a talent that is here to stay. How many other gigs can you go to where sobbing and conga-ing with strangers are both perfectly acceptable? How many other arena concerts will you attend that feel both intimate and monumental at the same time? What Taylor has created with her music and messages is really special. She has proven time and time again that there is a place in music for politics, writing poignant lyrics over pop tracks. And she does it all with a wink and a smile.