JEHNNY BETH BRINGS A PUSH UP CONTEST TO YES MANCHESTER
Jehnny Beth (Lucy McLachlan/Northern Exposure)
PHOTO GALLERY | JEHNNY BETH | YES, MANCHESTER | 19th March 2026 by Lucy McLach
Last night, Jehnny Beth brought her 2025 release You Heartbreaker, You to Manchester’s Yes. Though the show was sold out and the first of the tour to sell out, we’re surprised this wasn’t in a bigger venue.
Beth is your standard ‘your favourite artist’s favourite artist’ she’s the ex front woman of Mercury prize nominated 2010s band Savages now solo artist, actor and author. Recently appearing in Anatomy of a Fall she’s been up for an award in France’s version of the Oscars, plus completed books including a series of seductive erotic short stories. Her 2020 solo debut included collaborations with Idles, Julian Casablancas and Cillain Murphy, whilst her 2021 release was a duet album with Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie. To top things off her latest single “Look At Me” features ex Faith No More singer Mike Patton. With a resume like that we feel lucky to be sharing such an intimate space.
Beth brings an energetic power, climbing on top of the audience for “I’m The Man”, standing on drum kits, lunging on stage, pacing and charging around the crowd. It’s a kind of vigorous angry gym punk.
Covers are added in to the 45 minute set of Bjork‘s “Army of Me” and David Lynch/Pixies “In Heaven”which blend in perfectly with Beth’s menacing sound as though they were her own.
During “Push Ups” Beth gets down on the floor and completes 10 push ups with the audience counting them out. Asking for a female audience member to out do her felt like a bit of an ask in a predominantly middle aged white male audience. With a suitable contender found and brought on stage to complete and beat the challenge we’d ask how many push ups do you think you can do whilst wearing knee high PVC boots and a leather full length dress?
It very much feels like more people should know about Jehnny Beth, her gigs are powerful and full of genuine showwomanship, the dynamic from her, longtime collaborator Johnny Hostile and band mates are electric.
Support came from Teeside industrial agitators Benefits bringing along their 2025 release Constant Noise. Addressing the crowd that they were from ‘the other side’ of the North, ‘the poor side’, singer Kingsley Hall commented that Manchester had shiny new skyscrapers and roads paved with gold and spice…but gave a pat on the back for voting in the Green Party.
Their set is outstanding, charged with an electronic static buzz set to strobes and fuzzy screaming. Everything is political they comment as Hall strides into the crowd to preach his message up close and personal to audience members.
Jehnny Beth & Benefits play Leeds’ Boom on March 21st and Glasgow’s King Tuts on March 22nd, with Yard on support at The Workman’s Club in Dublin.
