‘Later… with Jools Holland’ has returned with fresh performances from The 1975, Self Esteem & more

The 1975, Self Esteem & more appeared on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ this weekend, as the show returned to kick off its 61st series.

Confirmed to return via a social media announcement last Thursday, 30th September, the show is known to introduce new musical artists and establish prominent names, and has been doing so for over two decades; aired on Saturday, October 1st, the 61st series of ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ has come back with a bang.

Jools Holland opened the new episode with a quick intro before rolling straight over to The 1975, a band Jools says has had “more number ones than I’ve had dinners today”, who immediately dive into a live rendition of their recent single, ‘Happiness’.

Following this strong opening, the rest of the guests are then introduced; Ural Thomas and the Pain, Victoria Canal, The Comet Is Coming and Rotherham’s Self Esteem, who has returned for a second turn on ‘Later…’ after her solo appearance last year. She performed ‘Fucking Wizardry’, which you can watch below:

The 1975 are later reintroduced as, “the band that boasts four number one albums and returns from recent festival triumphs,” and play ‘I’m In Love With You’.

Although the pop-rock band doesn’t share many words, Jools asks Self Esteem’s Rebecca Lucy Taylor to expand on her campaign against the closing of Sheffield’s iconic Leadmill venue, where the presenter and pianist performed himself during his early days. She answers with, “it just seems mad to me. Sheffield struggles for venue sizes anyway and if you decimate these mid-size venues all you get is very successful musicians and small bar musicians. You lose so much and only the privileged make it.”

After being called a dazzling icon of female empowerment (“it sounds good that, doesn’t it? I do agree!”), she is also asked which other joy comes second to music in her life. “Right now, it’s getting through the wash basket,” she replies. “I’ve has such a busy summer and I get home and I just love to have a good couple of weeks of that. It's not a very cool answer but it's true, I love just pottering about in the house. I might have ruined my career there - people want me to be an edgy female empowerment beacon and I just want to do the washing and the ironing.”

Self Esteem goes on to close the show with the title track of her powerful second album, ‘Prioritise Pleasure’.

Following its debut on BBC Two, the first episode of ‘Later… with Jools Holland’s 61st series can now be viewed in full on BBC iPlayer here.