SHARON VAN ETTEN MAKES A SPELLBINDING RETURN TO MANCHESTER

Sharon Van Etten (Abi Chilton/Northern Exposure)
LIVE REVIEW | SHARON VAN ETTEN AND THE ATTACHMENT THEORY w/ Nabinhah Iqbal | MANCHESTER ALBERT HALL 11th March 2025
2025 heralds a fresh chapter for American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. After unveiling her seventh album last month, this release is notable as it is the first to be credited to Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory. Together, they deliver a vibrant and polished sound that resonates beautifully within the stunning stained glass setting of Manchester’s Albert Hall.
The second night of the three UK dates of this leg of the tour, the show was opened by London talent Nabinhah Iqual.
Nabinhah Iqbal
Marking her first Manchester show in many years, Sharon remarks that it was good to be back in the city. Performing tracks from across the years, the set was, at least for the first half, made up of the most recent album tracks from self titled Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory, before delving a little deeper in the discography for the later half of the show. ‘No One’s Easy To Love’, ‘Comeback Kid’ and ‘Seventeen’ from 2019’s acclaimed record Remind Me Tomorrow were well received by the more seasoned fans in the crowd, as well as ever deeper cuts such as ‘Every Time The Sun Comes Up’ from 2014’s Are We There.
The striking gothic aesthetic of the band was complimented by the tenebrous charm of Manchester’s Albert Hall, a seemingly perfect combination for the show. In keeping with the shadowy mistique of their style, there was minimalist crowd interaction from Sharon. However, she still takes a moment to pay tribute to legendary film director, David Lynch, who recently passed away, before performing ‘Tarifa’, a track which Sharon also performed during her appearance on the 2017 reboot series of Twin Peaks.
A long overdue and spellbinding catch up with Manchester, hopefully Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory make a return sooner, rather than later.