Rising Northern star Self Esteem has just dropped the new single from her forthcoming new album along with a bunch of big new UK tour dates, including THREE nights right here in Manchester.
The singer-songwriter, also known simply as Rebecca Lucy Taylor, has seen her popularity skyrocket in the last few of years, winning BBC Music’s Introducing ‘Artist of the Year Award’ back in 2021 and being nominated for the Mercury Prize less than 12 months later.
Fast forward to 2025 and not only has she recieved plenty of critical acclaim for her first two records but her live presence on stage has also been heavily praised and now the 38-year-old is gearing up for her next album cycle.
Announcing her latest single, ‘If Not Now, It’s Soon’, which has quickly selected as BBC Radio 1’s ‘Hottest Record’, the new track has also dropped along with 14 major UK tour dates, with a string double headers in multiple cities.
Born and bred in Rotherham but with strong ties to nearby Sheffield, her journey began as one half of folk pop duo Slow Club. They formed back in 2006 but split in 2017 as both she and bandmate Charles Watson parted ways to pursue their respective solo projects.
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Set to release her third studio LP A Complicated Woman on 25 April, these latest tour dates are some of the biggest she’ll have ever played – including a massive Yorkshire homecoming gig at the Utilita Arena which will be a momentous show for our friends The Sheff to make the most of.
Discussing the new project, Taylor says: “Personally, you have to wait and one day you’ll get somewhere less painful. But the world will hopefully get somewhere less painful too. It’s about hope, perseverance and patience.”
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As for those who’ve been lucky enough to get an premature listen of the album in full, the early reviews are looking seriosuly strong.
Described by The Guardian as “her best yet”, it features the likes of Nadine Shah, Moonchild Sanelly and Sue Tompkins from Life Without Buildings; Meatball and even Lancashire actor, Julie Hesmondhalgh, best known for playing Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street. Now that’s what we call a feature.
Self Esteem comes for three massive nights at Manchester Academy on Saturday and Sunday, 27-28 September later this year.
Her previous raft of dates for A Complicated Woman Live – an ambitious quasi-theatrical experience of the album in person and on stage at The Duke of York’s in London – sold out in a flash, and you can expect plenty of that same production value when it comes to her upcoming concerts.
Fans get an exclusive pre-sale code for all UK and Ireland dates by pre-odering the album before 1pm GMT on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, and as for general admission, you’ll have to join the queue like the rest of us when they go live (still TBC).
In the meantime, you can join us in being as obsessed with her other recent release as we are:
James Morrison is BACK with new music and coming to a beautiful Manchester venue
Danny Jones
Noughties favourite James Morrison is back with his first new album in six years and is putting on a small handful of special shows in a select few cities to celebrate, with Manchester being one of them, and tickets are going on sale next week.
With five records to his name over the course of a career spanning more than 20 years, it may have been a while since we’ve heard his instantly recognisable and raspy vocals, but he’s making his return later this year with his sixth studio LP and this limited run of live performances.
The Rugby-born singer-songwriter, acoustic guitarist and one-time regular in the pop charts enjoyed a successful period in the 2000s, even collaborating with the likes of Nelly Furtado, Demi Lovato, Olly Murs, Kelly Clarkson and more.
Having just announced his latest project, Fight Another Day, which is scheduled for release this autumn, we’re looking forward to seeing him not just back on stage but at a truly beloved and beautiful Manc music space.
My new album ‘Fight Another Day’ is out 03/10/25, and I’ll be going on tour this September. Pre-order the album here https://t.co/1ycLwUTETo to get early access to tickets, with pre-sale starting 10am on 04/06/25. I hope you enjoy 'Fight Another Day', my first single, out today pic.twitter.com/Ud6YKziGXd
Morrison, now 40, said of his latest music: “When I leaned into how I was feeling, that’s when the songs started coming. I started writing about what I was going through. My own struggles with myself. Every day being a bit of a battle. Trying to eke the light out after what felt like darkness for ages.
“I’m really proud of the album in terms of the creative, sonic elements and how I dealt with truthful stuff. But also it’s an album of songs that hopefully make you feel better and make you nod your head and stamp your feet and singalong.”
“It just sums up what the record is. It’s about reminding yourself what’s good. About convincing yourself you’ve got enough strength to keep the fight going”, he went on to add.
Having helped co-produce the entire thing with the likes of two-time Ivor Novello winner, Eg White; Daniel Merriweather, Connor Reeves and Andy Platt (Young Gun Silver Fox), fingers crossed it’s everything fans are hoping for.
As for the gig venue itself, the ‘Broken Strings’ and ‘You Give Me Something’ singer will be coming to Manchester’s grand Bridgewater Hall in September.
A historic and truly iconic place. (Credit: The Manc Group)
With just three other shows confirmed – Birmingham, Symphony Hall on 23 September, Glasgow, SEC Armadillo (24 Sep) and a night at the London Paladium (28 Sep) – Manchester can count itself lucky to have been chosen for these intimate evenings.
As for the album itself, Fight Another Day is due to drop on 3 October and is available for pre-save/pre-order right now; those who do so will gain access to the pre-sale window, which opens at will open at 10am next Wednesday, 4 June.
General admission to see James Morrison in Manchester city centre goes live at the same time on the following Friday (6 June); you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
Meanwhile, for those unaware of the venue itself, find out more down below.
A brand new grunge and hard rock festival is kicking off in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester grungers, hardcore heads, and fans of all things rock, pay attention because there is a brand new festival coming to the city centre – and it has possibly the best name for a live music event we’ve heard in some time.
Ahem… let us introduce you to Broken Knees Fest.
Yes, donning a name that feels increasingly more relatable the closer we get to the wrong side of 30, Broken Knees Festival 2025 marks the inaugural edition of Manchester’s newest series of rock and grunge gigs, helping spotlight rising artists across the genres from within two crucial grassroots venues.
Very loud music inside tightly-packed, small-capacity rooms? It’s a winning formula that never fails. It’s about time we broke a sweat – here’s hoping the knees just about hold out.
Hosted in the heart of the Northern Quarter, which continues to thrive as a creative hub for new music and art of all forms, the festival will be debuting at small-cap favourites Gullivers and Castle Hotel just across the road.
As you can see, the lineup is full of up-and-coming talent within the guitar-driven space, but you can bank on more than a few bringing their die-hard fans to fill the place out to the rafters.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer punk, hardcore, grunge or another specific sub-genre found somewhere in between the ever-sprawling rock spectrum, there’s something to suit all alternative tastes at this one.
With the likes of Bohmen, Mavis, One Dimensional Creatures and Smother headlining the first-ever iteration of the festival across four stages, you can expect plenty of energy and even more noise.
Set up by the events group of the same name, Broken Knees Promotions, who help platform rock and alt acts across Greater Manchester and beyond year-round, this is more than just a festival: it’s a grassroots celebration through and through.
Best of all, if you’re interested, you don’t have to wait long because it’s kicking off next month.
Gigs go off in here. If you know, you know… (Credit: Audio North)
Broken Knees Fest 2025 is happening on the weekend of 21-22 June, and you’ll be glad to hear that, as a brand new event, prices have been kept nice and low.
The early bird window had prices starting from just £12, and although this tier has now sold out, day tickets are still only £15 while a full weekend pass will set you back £25.
Until then, why not dive into another load of new Manchester music? We round up artists from all genres each month; we’ll also confess to leaning slightly more towards the heavier stuff from time to time.
Danny Jones -
24th March 2025 
