Rebecca Lucy Taylor, the Sheffield-born artist who performs under the name Self Esteem, brought her bold and unapologetic live show back to Cardiff Castle last night, and by all accounts she did not just perform there. She owned the place.
The outdoor setting of Cardiff Castle has hosted plenty of big nights over the years, but there was something different about this one. From the moment Taylor and her dancers hit the stage, the crowd knew they were watching something that went well beyond a standard pop concert.
Self Esteem has built a reputation as one of the most distinctive live acts in British music right now, and her Cardiff show did nothing to change that. The performance was tight, theatrical and completely in your face in the best possible way. Her dancers were a huge part of that, moving with a precision and energy that turned every song into its own mini spectacle.
What sets Taylor apart from a lot of artists filling outdoor venues this summer is that she has never been interested in playing the role people expect female pop stars to play. There is no attempt to be palatable or to sand down the edges. Her music deals with self-worth, bad relationships, societal pressure on women, and the long road to actually liking yourself, and she delivers all of it with a kind of fierce joy that feels genuinely rare.
Crowd favourites from her acclaimed album Prioritise Pleasure went down exactly as you would expect, with large sections of the Cardiff crowd singing every word back at her. Songs like Fucking Wizardry and I Do This All The Time have taken on a life of their own since the album came out, and hearing them performed live in a setting like Cardiff Castle gives them an extra weight that studio recordings simply cannot replicate.
The castle walls and the open sky above made for a stunning backdrop, and Taylor seemed completely at home in the space. There was no awkwardness, no sense of an artist still figuring out how to fill a big stage. She commanded it from start to finish.
Cardiff has clearly taken Self Esteem to its heart. This was not her first time playing the city and the reception she got suggested it will not be her last. Welsh crowds have a well-earned reputation for being brilliant at live shows, and last night they delivered again, creating an atmosphere that fed back into the performance and pushed it even higher.
The dancers deserve a specific mention because they are not just backing performers. They are central to what Self Esteem does live. The choreography adds a visual language to the music that makes the whole show feel more complete, more considered. It is clear that a lot of work goes into making the live experience feel like its own thing rather than just a reproduction of the records.
For anyone who has been on the fence about catching Self Esteem live, last night at Cardiff Castle was the kind of show that settles that debate. This is an artist at the top of her game, performing with a confidence and creativity that makes every show feel like an event worth being at.
Wales has had a strong summer for live music, and this one sits right near the top of the list.