The streets of Manchester were graced recently with a visit from a cultural figure so significant that many would argue she in fact helped construct the foundations of what pop music is today. 37-year-old Kesha Rose Sebert, better known simply as Kesha, is a name recognised across all walks of life. Her debut in 2008 on Flo Rida track ‘Right Round’ and the world-taking solo debut ‘Tik Tok’ were the birth of a real pop star. Since then, she has released 3 UK #1 singles, spent 130 weeks in the UK top 40 and sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Her time at the top has spanned almost three different decades now, with her being at the height of her mainstream success until her Warrior era wrapped up in 2014. In 2016, the pop star faced a legal battle with an ex-collaborator in which her flame was extinguished for a short while. Her following projects, Rainbow, High Road and Gag Order saw commercial success, but fans noted that they lacked the indie-sleaze grit that fueled her climb to the top. With her new string of singles from her upcoming project, named . and published via her own label Kesha Records, fans have once again found solace in the pure pop Kesha offers. The lead single ‘JOYRIDE’ became a cultural phenomenon, amassing over 100 million views since its release last summer: an astonishing accomplishment for an independent release.
In support of her highly anticipated headline slot at London’s Might Hoopla festival, fans were delighted to see Kesha announce two extremely intimate (and swiftly sold out) UK shows in Glasgow and Manchester’s very own Albert Hall. The venue, with its capacity of 1900, was set to offer a unique Kesha experience in that it’s the smallest venue she’s played in the city; and her first stop since 2011. The Haus of Kesha tour aimed to connect with the fans that have supported her throughout her career, and to build hype for the duly announced TITS OUT TOUR, which has two sold-out stops at the nearby 5000-capacity Factory International.
A member of the Albert Hall bar team stated “this is easily one of our highest profile and most anticipated shows to date”. It’s easy to picture just how ecstatic the crowd was to be in the venue – to have the hottest ticket in town. Wolverhampton-born Tom Aspaul got the crowd just a bit warmer than they already were in the furnace that is the grade-two listed Albert Hall with a set of electro-pop meets country bangers, whetting the crowds blazing appetite for a glimpse of the pop icon herself as best as he could.
Shortly after his set wrapped up, the lights dimmed and it was time. Kesha started the show in a manner about as camp as it comes, laying down on a chaise longue. Her rendition of unreleased track ‘FREEDOM’ sent the crowd into a frenzy, setting the tone for the night. This was set to be a night celebrating freedom in every sense of the word, emancipation both physically and mentally for Sebert from her abuser and freedom of the mind and soul to be whoever you want to be. No time was wasted in getting to the hits, with the UK number one single‘Tik Tok’ being next up on the cards with a small but powerful lyric change:
“Wake up in the morning like, fuck P Diddy!”
Sebert displayed the strength of a true warrior. Her bold performance style had the crowd bouncing off the walls of the Albert Hall, each face in the crowd entirely entranced by the star.
What’s also worth noting is that Kesha brought a level of production to the stage that simply isn’t seen in venues of this size. The arena-scale production saw several outfit changes over the night, and each song had it’s own unique choreography, carried out by Sebert and her array of hunky back-up dancers. The first two acts were hit after hit, leaving the crowd with little chance to catch their breath as she bounced along from ‘Cannibal’, to ‘Take It Off’, to ‘Timber’, to ‘Blow’. Kesha seemed larger than life on stage, but the constant interactions with the crowd and smiles to the wrap-around mezzanine left every member of the audience feeling within her reach.
As the set floated to the third act, Kesha returned to the stage in her third outfit of the night: a cropped Manchester United tee. The crowd went crazy for this; a personal touch of this level shows truly how much these live shows mean to her and helped make this night one to remember. Her performance of ‘Praying’ was a display of true strength and open vulnerability, a reminder that our flaws or the negatives in life do not at all define us; they are a stepping stone to a stronger version of ourselves. The crowd seemed to resonate, singing every word back. This almost brought Sebert to tears, stating:
“You’ve no idea how much it means to me. When I went independent, you’ve no idea how many times I was told that this would never happen again – thank you.”
Next was a fast-paced rendition of ‘We R Who We R’, in which Kesha cemented her allyship to the LGBTQ+ community by displaying muliple Pride flags on stage, as well as four local drag queens. For just an hour in the Albert Hall, it’s doubtless that anyone felt anything but sheer euphoria as the star brought her crowd emancipation from the shackles of self-doubt and hatred in what was truly a formidable display of love.
The night was brought to a close with a stellar performance of her latest hit single, the aforementioned ‘JOYRIDE’. The crowd were soothed by a hosing of champagne by Kesha herself when the beat dropped, with not a sole touching the ground throughout the track. The show concluded with the worldwide smash ‘Die Young’: her ability to round the night with such a huge hit after performing nothing but hit after hit all night was a delight to the crowd. Though only an hour long, Kesha’s performance at the Albert Hall is one that will for sure go down in the Mancunian history books. For just one night, Peter Street got a true glimpse into the word of a pop A-lister, performing to an audience entirely grateful to have witnessed it first hand. Following the show, the star graced the streets as she made time to meet fans at the stage door before swiftly departing into the night on her tour bus.
