Review and Photography by Robert Barrett

Coventry’s city of culture is in full swing with what is set to be an incredible month for music around all the venues in the city. Kicking this off is The Box at Fargo Village, who brought Self Esteem – the pop project of former Slow Club member Rebecca Lucy Taylor for an unforgettable show.

For most in attendance this would be the first gig back in a while, the village square of Fargo was packed with excited gig goers eating and drinking before the show. They were in for a real treat.

Support came from two Coventry based acts Paradise of the Titans and Ace Ambrose. The former bringing dreamy ethereal sounds whilst the latter stood alone with an acoustic guitar with songs hitting on topics such as knife crime with the excellent song “Jack the Knife”. The crowd was already packed for both, and they deserved it. Providing a peak into the rich and diverse talent the city has to offer.

“Prioritise Pleasure” kicked off Self Esteems bombastic pop inspired set. The driving drums during “Girl Crush” allowed the group including three backing singers/ dancers to perform the intricate dance routines for the majority of the set. It was a real crowd pleasing performance, with fans singing along and even some dance moves from those watching.

When Rebecca and the backing singers stopped the dance routines and focused on the vocals it really showed her impressive range as a performer. “I Do This All the Time” was an expected highlight, with the seething lyrics resonating before crashing into a dramatic crescendo. It was attention grabbing as on record, and brought the set to an end.

“Wow bet you didn’t see that coming” Rebecca remarked as the group came back out for a pretty much expected two track encore. The last song changed the pace up, with the pop theatrics thrown to the wind and Rebecca grabbing a guitar to serenade the crowd with “I’m Shy”. It was a beautifully intimate moment that capped off an wonderful show.

Self Esteems roots may be in indie rock but on the night she provided a pure pop masterclass, supported by some of Coventry finest musicians. Now that’s how you do a first gig back.