SELF ESTEEM + NADINE SHAH + MOONCHILD SANELLY – BRIGHTON CENTRE 17.10.25
Self Esteem has never been easy to categorise. Rebecca Lucy Taylor got her start in the boys club of the 2000s indie landfill scene as Slow Club’s drummer: a band that never fulfilled early hype. Since reinventing herself in 2017, she has become Self Esteem: a versatile, West-End-tested alt pop staple, whose music is suffused with brutal honesty, sexual liberation and fourth wave feminism. This aesthetic is vividly on display as she brings the ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ inspired world of her latest album – ‘A Complicated Woman’ – to the Brighton Centre.
Her Mercury-nominated sophomore effort ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ truly cements her status as a hometown hero in Sheffield, where an arena show will follow. The confessional monologue of ‘I Do This All The Time’ lists her personal failings, neuroses and the cycle of trying to change. It culminates in a revelation of acknowledgement – a step toward self esteem. This marked her arrival as a truly compelling force in music, rising from Patterns to Chalk (Review HERE) and then Brighton Dome (Review HERE) to this sold-out Brighton Centre show.
However, before she takes to the stage, two collaborators – Moonchild Sanelly and Nadine Shah – set the tone tonight. First up is MoonChild to kick off proceedings on tonight’s all-female billing.
South African artist Moonchild Sanelly’s self proclaimed ‘future ghetto funk’ combines raw lyrics on female sexuality with danceable hip hop beats. This makes a perfect addition to a night all about empowerment and singularity. However, her set is truly bizarre. Taking to stage with just a DJ, they dance throughout the set sharing bubble machines and attempt to energise a scant crowd while more people gradually file in. It’s chaotic fun like a high-production afters led by a drunk DJ with daring dance moves.
Once her DJ moves from behind the decks, we get a truly impressive death drop and it briefly turns the show into a typical Friday night in Brighton.
However, in the theatrics of her stage presence, the songs become secondary. Only ‘Demon,’ a collaboration with Sad Night Dynamite, truly stands out with its stomping electronic beat and story of an old friend group introduced to her by an ex. “She’s a heffer /a demon/ I don’t want to deal”. Whilst the crowd is partially won over in the end, it’s via her hilarious intros between songs not the performance herself. The disconnect peaks when Moonchild asks the crowd to sing and they only reluctantly oblige, like a captive school assembly – not a party. The first support slot of the night is always a tough ask, and whilst a valiant effort was made to win over a crowd still arriving, she unfortunately doesn’t connect.
Nadine Shah is next up to attempt to win over a restless crowd.
Moonchild Sanelly setlist:
‘Undumpable’ (from 2022 ‘Phases’ album)
‘The Reason’ (from 2025 ‘Full Moon’ album)
‘Demon’ ( 2021 single with Sad Night Dynamite)
‘Sweet & Savage’ (from 2025 ‘Full Moon’ album)
‘To Kill A Single Girl (Tequila)’ (from 2025 ‘Full Moon’ album)
‘Boom’ (from 2025 ‘Full Moon’ album)
‘Do My Dance’ (from 2025 ‘Full Moon’ album)
‘Big Man’ (2024 single collaboration with Self Esteem)
‘In My Kitchen’ (from 2025 ‘Full Moon’ album)
Cypress Hill’s alarms of ‘I Want To Get High’ signal Nadine Shah’s arrival on stage. This is her 2nd show in Brighton of the year, following an acclaimed slot at Brighton Festival down the road at Dome (Review HERE). Her sound blends the current post-punk of Shame or Basht with jazz-rooted soaring vocals evoking Patti Smith.
The set is so brimming with energy that, in lesser hands, risks alienating tonight’s crowd of pop fans. However, it lands with the confidence that only a seasoned player of the industry could pull off. It provides a stark contrast to the chaos of Moonchild, as Shah commands the room throughout. A highlight of her short set is ‘Fool’ – a phenomenal showcasing of angular guitars, reminiscent of 00s New York Favourites Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Its marching drums seem ripped straight from favourite ‘Maps’ but sped up into a stomp. It shimmers with fury – “you call yourself an honest man” foreshadows Taylor’s set. Shah, while shocking Self Esteem’s pop crowd, creates a positive tension in the room: anything can happen next.
Prior to closer ‘Out The Way,’ Shah states “If you put a microphone in front of me, I will always talk about Palestine” – a furious conclusion showing politics is still at the forefront of tonight. Thematically, she shares Self Esteem’s fury and fearlessness – more than acquitting herself tonight. In fact, she sets an insanely high standard, and stakes a claim of being worthy to headline here herself.
Nadine Shah setlist:
‘Ladies For Babies (Goats For Love)’ (from 2020 ‘Kitchen Sink’ album)
‘Topless Mother’ (from 2024 ‘Filthy Underneath’ album)
‘Trad’ (from 2020 ‘Kitchen Sink’ album)
‘Fool’ (from 2015 ‘Fast Food’ album)
‘Greatest Dancer’ (from 2024 ‘Filthy Underneath’ album)
‘Out The Way’ (from 2017 ‘Holiday Destination’ album)
A soundtrack of girlhood classics – including ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’ and Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ – plays before Self Esteem takes to the stage. It provides a phenomenal palette cleanser after the intense catharsis of Shah, and acts as an honorary third support. Despite the fun, Shah’s political declarations hang in the air with tonight’s focus of community in girlhood and the politics that comes with it. The crowd is ready for the fun, and emotional devastation that is yet to come from Taylor.
Darkness descends, a drum beat plays, a myriad of dancers dressed as handmaids arrive on stage in the form of a choir – opener ‘I Do And I Don’t Care’ arrives as a spoken word poem. Taylor finally arrives, adorned in the same gown. “If I’m so empowered/why am I such a coward”. The tone is set, and the atmosphere is palpable – ‘Mother’ follows, built on the hook “I am not your mother/ I am not your mother/ I’m not your mum” snarling at Oedipal men’s expectations.
During ‘Mother’ her ensemble convulse in turn – a relay of feminine rage. It becomes apparent this isn’t the typical live show of play-the-hits-for-an-hour-and-a-half. It is theatre, a piece of performance art as cultivated as ‘Stop Making Sense’ or The 1975’s ‘At Their Very Best.’
The momentum continues, becoming impossible to turn away as ‘Lies’ airs with Nadine Shah cameoing adorned in the same outfit. The setup devolves into a circle of chairs that feels closest to an AA meeting – “I’m ok” is met with the refrain “that’s a lie/that’s a lie.” The back and forth between Taylor and Shah somehow ends up with dancers on chairs miming sexual positions, to hyperpop influenced dance. As the emotional charge of ‘Lies’ concludes, it effortlessly segues into ‘69’ – Taylor’s eurodance adjacent track rating her favourite sex positions. The hyperpop influences meld with its eurodance roots, sounding like Vengaboys meets early FKA Twigs.
Though jarring on paper, it is unified by Taylor’s unabashed opinions on sexuality, and unapologetic approach to prioritising pleasure. The crowd meets the jolt with fervour, rather than shock – whether its adoration or due to Taylor’s skill is debatable.The robes are finally lost – Self Esteem has escaped the Republic of Gilead and arrives as Taylor. “You alright Brighton?” is met with ecstatic cheers. “For the next 68 minutes, you’re mine. And I want to see you dancing – especially the men. The rules are simple: encroach on a safe space, you must dance”. The crowd duly obliges. Energy maintains, as another act of her show unfurls.
Robes give way to matching 3/4 length shorts and shirts. The PE kit resemblance further emphasised by the repositioning of chairs, and benches transforms the stage into a school hall. This clever staging emphasises how early the performance of femininity starts with impressively minimal production value.
The imagery and spoken word have now faded, and our first slow moment of the night arrives in ‘You Forever’ opening with Taylor using a banana as a prop, initially appearing tonally jarring. However, it marries a tough-to-master moment of vulnerability and silliness with a display of Taylor’s phenomenal vocal range. Though never doubted, her recordings rarely show it. The bold production and sweeping electronica never overshadow these vocals but support them – a common theme tonight. Everything is delivered with bombast – even vulnerability. The banana is eaten to an eruption of applause – an absurd yet introspective moment miraculously sticks the landing and ignites an already joyous crowd.
“There is nothing that terrifies a man more than a woman who appears completely deranged” Self Esteem’s mission statement, quoted from a National Youth Workshop of consent, hints the arrival of ‘I’m Fine.’ Instead, the next track from the acclaimed to be given airtime is its titular track, the first in a one-two punch. The quote remains on screen, and soundtracks another moment of pointed anger – “so I’m breathing in/ 1,2,3/ prioritise pleasuring me” explodes abruptly and holds a certain level of self hatred for letting men treat her body as something secondary. Rebecca and her dancers move as one rhythmic entity during the song, with gospel-style backing vocals forming. Though angry, it never remains there; instead it configures the act of appealing to the male gaze and others before yourself into a warning. It earns one of tonight’s loudest cheers, and amplifies her already euphoric connection to the crowd.
‘F*cking Wizardry’ follows suit. A song in a similar vein, capturing the bewilderment of situationships and the moment following when you realise just how far your standards dropped. It is driven by Mike Parr’s rhythmic and hypnotic drumming, and built on “my hunger times my impatience makes me feel reckless” – an explanation offered for low standards and self esteem is shouted by the audience. The catharsis of “To even get near to me/is some kind of fucking wizardry” gets the same treatment by an audience so mixed in age and gender it looks like a focus group. Few songs earn two communal moments as big as this.
Only technical issues can break tonight’s tight rhythm. Taylor briefly exits the stage to fix her earpiece – leaving a dancer/vocalist to introduce the band. This is a genuinely hilarious moment borne of the unforeseen, with her dancer quipping “it would be really awkward if I didn’t know everyone’s names.” Returning to stage after the unplanned intermission, Taylor then jokes “Is this the manosphere getting me back?”
‘The Curse’ – introduced as “a song about drinking too much or too little” – arrives as another slow moment, perhaps unceremoniously after our unplanned break. It starts with Taylor alone on acoustic guitar, each member of the ensemble with their back to her on the same school-evoking benches as earlier. They one by one turn to join the choir for “I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t f*cking work.” Taylor’s voice is at its best here, hitting impressive notes unseen at the song’s climax – ultimately, this elevates what is a slightly shaky song into one strong enough to get such a tightly formed show back on track. Following this stumble, Moonchild cameos during collaboration ‘In Plain Sight’ – and partially redeems herself for the underwhelming support slot, with a visceral display of emotionality that was painfully amiss earlier.
Fortunately, the sarcastic joy pop returns, as ‘Cheers To Me,’ gets everyone’s hands in the air – providing a moment of relief, following some of the more intense songs from ‘A Complicated Woman’. The screen displays the only half-joking statement: “Please do this dance on TikTok. I want to buy Janet and Andy a caravan.” Dancers move all around Taylor as she sings “the worst idea I had was you.” Visuals later display a dating app saying “match” – it’s Taylor with a flailing tube man. These are later brought on stage, the best surprise guest possible. The air is used to give Taylor a budget Marilyn Monroe moment. As its exuberant ode to self love ends, a seemingly endless applause follows: a rave response with multiple songs still left to go.
“This our last song…” the camera finally works, zooming in. She winks; we all know there’s more. “Definitely not coming back on, you’ll never see us” Taylor teases as we’re all acutely aware of the drill. ‘Deep Blue Okay’ lands – the spiritual successor to ‘I Do This All The Time.’ It is built on a constant piano line to rival LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All My Friends,’ and is met with the claps of everyone echoing through the room. The crowd is now entirely owned by Taylor. The line “And I’m alone/ at least for now/ because I can never dumb myself down” explodes into an expression of self love – a show stopper. It sets an incredibly high standard for an encore to hit – one everyone knows is happening in spite of Taylor’s teasing.
The encore arrives as teased, to build on a seemingly insurmountable emotional crescendo. She begins with a raw confession: “by every metric in this industry, I’m a failure. Then the shows are like this.” This is an artist who seems genuinely grateful to adore her fans, and the feeling is clearly mutual, as the crowd anticipates the arrival of the band. There is still a moment of catharsis left to be had.
Gradually every member returns to stage, peaking long held anticipation. The release finally arrives in the softly spoken lines – “old habits die for a couple of weeks/then I start doing them again.” ‘I Do This All The Time’ has finally arrived, to cheers from a crowd greeting an old friend. Lines like “all the days you get to have are big” are spoken back in enthralled unison – a response to poetry instead of applause, as the crowd is involved in Taylor’s affirmations. It is a moment of collective release – part breakthrough in therapy, part victory lap. As the emotional climax of “it was really rather miserable trying to love you,” strings swell and give way to a crescendo led by a dancer on the trumpet and pounding drums – it becomes increasingly hard to spot a dry eye in the house.
Following the emotional release, Taylor retreats back into a group hug with her dancers – it’s hard to believe this isn’t a showstopper when it encapsulates tonight so perfectly.
However, when the upbeat ‘Focus Is Power!’ follows this up, it’s easy to see why. In typical pop star fashion, Taylor wants to end the night on a joyous note and opens the song trying to tell as many members of the crowd she loves them, cementing tonight’s connection. The song builds to a seemingly abrupt conclusion – only the acapella of Taylor and her ensemble remains after this. Our performance ends with the affirmation – “my focus is powerful.” Every touring member joins at the front to hold hands – including the token man in the crew. A resonant image, before dance breaks out. Shirley Bassey’s ‘This Is Me’ takes over as the band congas off stage. A disco ball remains, illuminating tonight’s theatre into a dancefloor. Everyone in standing dances, and it seems no one wants to leave – the crowd eventually forms their own conga. No one wants to be anywhere else. It caps off a night melding sincerity, fury and anger with a perfect blend of sincerity and joy.
Whilst tainted by technical issues, tonight proves Taylor’s ability to blend self deprecating humour with the serious themes. Most other pop stars would collapse under this pressure – Taylor delivers it with ease, crowds live in the palm of her hand and tonight was evidence of that. Her performance is at once fun and devastating, never lingering long enough for it to feel smug or self pitying. An earlier quip from Taylor – “39 – desperate age for a pop star…” – comes to mind. Her career is one of reinvention, and a ‘never too late’ pivot – one she evidently adores as part activist, part comedian. Despite being the unlikeliest of pop stars in a vapid and youth obsessed industry, Taylor proves that there truly aren’t many people doing what she does. Her brand of imperfect Radio 6 pop is irresistible – she really does do this all the time.
Self Esteem setlist:
‘I Do And I Don’t Care’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘Mother’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘Lies’ (with Nadine Shah) (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘69’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘You Forever’ (from 2021 ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ album)
‘Logic, Bitch’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘I’m Fine’ (from 2021 ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ album)
‘Prioritise Pleasure’ (from 2021 ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ album)
‘F*cking Wizardry’ (from 2021 ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ album)
‘The Curse’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘In Plain Sight’ (with Moonchild Sanelly) (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘What Now’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘The 345’ (from 2021 ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ album)
‘Cheers To Me’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘If Not Now It’s Soon’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
‘The Deep Blue Okay’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
(encore)
‘I Do This All The Time’ (from 2021 ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ album)
‘Focus Is Power’ (from 2025 ‘A Complicated Woman’ album)
