Tag Archives: Gigs

SELF ESTEEM: Albert Hall, Manchester. 22nd March 2023.

Posted on by

I’ve had nearly 24 hours to process last night’s show but that doesn’t mean anything I write will make sense. However, if you’ve seen Self Esteem live then you’ll know how emotional, powerful and therapeutic the shows are.

As soon as Self Esteem took to the stage just after 9pm last night, I felt like I was going to cry. I’ve only experienced this when I first saw Nick Cave. Right before you is someone who has penned songs that are your life, your world and your thoughts. The honesty in Self Esteem’s lyrics will get you right in the heart and gut. You won’t be the same after you hear them. Experiencing it live? I won’t be the same after last night.

They performed a couple of new songs Mother and Love Second. Mother is a camp classic. It’s heavenly and euphoric. It’s one of those songs that after a few listens, you know the words by heart and you’ll be shouting them at anyone who will listen. Or won’t listen!

Everything about the show was perfect. From the sound to the dancing- if you want to know how it should be done- then go to a Self Esteem show. It will change you and it will stop you from being afraid to have feelings and feel them.

I knew I was going to cry and I knew the exact moment when I would. I Do This All The Time broke me. Fortunately, I took my mum to the show, and I just cried on her shoulder. I cried like a kid who had been told Santa wasn’t real. Like an adult whose world had been torn apart. Think of something dramatic- and that was me. I’ve never ever been able to listen to the song without crying and I can feel myself about to go again writing this! Sake! After I had my cry, I managed to record a minute or so of the song. Maybe I’ll play this when everything is shite and I feel alone. Every single song is shouted back by the crowd but my god seeing everyone in that room last night pour their heart out to this was just something else. You know when you experience something, and you know that words can’t explain it? That’s what a Self Esteem show is like.

The whole atmosphere of the show (including the two support acts Tom Rasmussen and Tom Aspaul) felt like a safe space for us Queers- I felt at home, safe and content. It was just a perfect show from start to end. Camp as tits!

The choreography is next level; they all make you wish you could move like them, and it just felt like art. The whole Self Esteem set felt like a work of art to be treasured, adored and marveled at. The honesty in Rebecca’s lyrics for me are what always has me hooked but when you see the songs that have saved you live, it all becomes something else. It gives you hope and reassurance. I looked out into the crowd from where I was sat and I could see everyone singing the words as if their lives depended on it and this was met by Self Esteem singing the songs with the same amount of raw emotion. Of all the gigs I’ve ever been to, this has meant the most for so many reasons and it is easily the one that has got to me the most emotionally.

The way EVERYONE screamed “My hunger times my impatience, makes me feel reckless” during Fucking Wizardry is incredible. It felt so cathartic. I think I need it as a tattoo just to remind myself that it’s all okay. I think this may have been the one where everyone sang the loudest, I’m not sure. But I can honestly say, and I’ve seen the Melvins and The Jesus And Mary Chain live, that this was the loudest show I’ve ever been to. The crowd were just gorgeous in every single way and beautifully loud. Just to show how powerful Rebecca’s vocals are- the crowd didn’t drown her out. She’s got some pipes on her! Everything from the effortless outfit changes to Rebecca gently playing John Elton on her own was done with such passion and dedication. I’ve never seen such a bunch of dedicated artists like this, and it was beyond inspiring. Seeing the look on Rebecca’s face when the words are sung back at her is priceless, and I don’t think I’ll ever see a band or singer respond like she does ever again.

The show ended with the band doing the conga off the stage to Shirley Bassey’s iconic This Is My Life was the campest way to end the best gig I’ve ever EVER been to. More bands need to end their shows like this. In fact, we should all leave work or any social situation doing the conga to this song.

Before I wrap this up I need to write about how you can tell just how much the band all love and adore each other. You can see the fun they have; you can see just how much they love each other. There are moments when Rebecca turns to mates on stage and asks if they are okay. The way they hold each other after certain songs. Then you have the gorgeous moment of where Rebecca hugs everyone bar Sophie and Mike and gives them formal handshakes was top tier Northern humour.

“Be very careful out there
Stop trying to have so many friends
Don’t be intimidated by all the babies they have
Don’t be embarrassed that all you’ve had is fun
Prioritise pleasure
Don’t send those long paragraph texts
Stop it, don’t
Getting married isn’t the biggest day of your life
All the days that you get to have are big
Be wary of the favours that they do for you.”

NoSo- YES, Manchester. The Pink Room. 10th March 2023

Posted on by

I think NoSo’s show last night may have been one of the most, if not THE most welcoming, most safe and most full of love show I’ve ever been to. Being in a queer friendly environment, as I’ve got older, becomes more and more important to me. Being in these safe spaces makes me feel less conscious of myself- knowing that there are people around me who probably feel the same. Whether it’s the Non-Binary part of me or the Queer part of me; when these parts of me can exist like this in one place, together- it just makes me feel happy and safe. Given how shitty the world is right now, especially to the LGBTQ+ community- these safe spaces are much needed.

This was NoSo’s first ever time playing Manchester and with only other UK date of this little tour being in London- you could definitely feel how much this show meant to everyone in the crowd, and of course to NoSo. Every song off their debut record, Stay Proud Of Me is played. The night ends way too early. I think we’d all have welcomed hearing the record 5 times over. Every single song sounds just like the record- perfect, dreamy and soothing. This show made me feel at home. A feeling I’ve not had in a while at a gig, and it came back fully last night.

Songs like Everything I’ve Got, I’m Still Embarrassed I Think Of You and Man Who Loves You really hit you in the gut. There are several times during the show where I nearly start crying like a baby- Suburbia is the one that nearly breaks me (the chorus, my god that chorus.) When NoSo talks about their journey about being Trans; it is just the most vulnerable and beautiful moment of the show. To have someone be so open in front of a bunch of strangers is something truly powerful to witness. It spoke to so many in the crowd, and it was such a beautiful moment. The show felt quite spiritual and just so freeing- the whole set is made up of ethereal moments that you want to stay in forever.

For me, it was wonderful to see people at the show who see themselves in NoSo. Being able to connect like this with music is something I feel can be quite rare. Sure I love music that’s a bit rowdy, but being able to find something that gives you a sense of home or a community- that’s rare. Hearing songs that really speak to you. The songs that act like your crutch because nothing else cuts it like this is just something to truly treasure. The number of times I play Stay Proud Of Me a day, well, I’m pretty sure my cat knows all the words off by heart now.

After each song, NoSo gives this beaming smile and nod. This reassuring reaction makes you really connect and feel like this moment means as much to you as it does to them. You can’t put a price on that. This show was initially meant to be in the Basement at Yes but deservedly got moved up to the Pink Room. Who knows what venue they’ll play next here- Albert Hall would be stunning as would The Deaf Institute- hell even in a bus stop NoSo would sound heavenly. My point? If you weren’t there last night, you truly missed out on something truly special and life-changing.

Everyone went wild as soon as the intro to Honey Understand kicked in and of course, when NoSo said every song is about being homosexual  but in a different tempo, well, they weren’t lying. That’s why it felt home.

MACHIINE: The Shacklewell Arms, 20th January 2017.

Posted on by

10568934_1778539722375889_2116553513456481052_n

 

I’m fairly sure I have just witnessed one of the best live bands around and have probably been to a gig that might end up being my best of the year. I’ve got others lined up, but this one is staying etched upon my brain. I can’t unsee any of it and nor do I want to.

Made up of members from The Underground Youth, Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali and PINS- Machiine just ripped a hole right through the Shacklewell Arms with no apologies. They completely and utterly destroyed the place with their destructive and rambunctious sound. The kind of sound that makes you want to make your own noise.

I have seen many great shows at this venue and I can honestly say I’ve not seen anything like this before. They blitz through their debut Teaser EP with also a phenomenal cover of Garland Jeffreys track, Wild In The Streets. I remember hearing that song when I was super young on MTV and it stuck with me. To hear a band like Machiine turn it into a brilliantly smutty affair was great, they made it theirs and more.

Craig and Mark prowl on the stage and circle the floor. The stage is too small to hold all seven of them. Each band member plays as if they have been in Machiine for decades and decades, they don’t sound brand new- but their sound is so unique. I think also, not knowing what to expect truly made this show what it was- sensational. That’s the only word. I’ve left wanting to start my own band but I have no musical talent, so I’ll just write about it instead. I can happily say that this is one of the most in your face and most rowdy shows I’ve been to. It was the right kind of confrontational and the way Mark and Craig are with each other is brilliant. Mark has this impish grin on his face as they rip through What Bad Boys Do whereas Craig leaves you in awe wondering where he goes when he performs the songs. Each band member takes you on their own journey. Ola bangs the drums and shakes the tambourine as if her life depends on it, and keeps the steady pace and groove of the sounds. Honestly, if you weren’t there- you messed up. You missed out.

I hope this is only just the start, a taster of what is to come because there is sincerely nothing stopping Machiine from not only being YOUR favourite band, but a band that rule the airwaves and the world. Give them the world, save us all. The crowd did seem a little reserved but maybe they just didn’t know what to expect, but trust me when they come your way and into town- go see them. Don’t pay attention to the crowd, just do whatever the hell you want.