King Princess | Susannah Joffe
New Century Hall, Manchester
December 7th 2025

On a rainy Manchester evening, the New Century Hall provides us with some much needed empowerment and vibrancy. Kai Marshall watches Susannah Joffe and King Princess as they erase the December grey.

Mikaela Straus, aka King Princess, is no stranger to success. Going by the pronouns she/they, they have achieved chart triumphs around the world with Cheap Queen and Only Time Makes It Human, among others. They have nurtured a fan base supporting the likes of Harry Styles, Casey Musgraves and Shawn Mendes. Tonight King Princess trades a supporting slot for the main event as part of her Girl Violence tour and proves to everyone that they can sit atop their throne and rule any venue, any time, anywhere.

Before the main act, Susannah Joffe opens with her bandmate and producer Ben Coleman. Just the two of them, Coleman’s electric guitar and a truckload of confidence and showmanship. There’s a Texas warmth to her voice- a southern drawl that sets the tone nicely. Intimate, unforced, impressive. Call Me Pretty sounds like bedroom pop carried gently into the open air. It’s yearning without being fragile. She looks completely at home on stage, which mirrors the ease of her songs. Comfortable, but never complacent. There’s something almost priestly about her approach to relationship storytelling, as if she’s found another pulpit from which to preach in central Manchester. The reception is huge, far bigger than the room suggests. A reminder that an audience doesn’t always represent an artist’s ability to put on a show. I Hate You Too leans lo-fi again. You’d have to try quite hard not to feel good as you watch her strut and dance to her music. Joffe has presence; she owns this historic stage.

King Princess arrives and amplifies that solid energy set by Joffe. Cherry kicks things off sounding like a full-blooded rocker. Suddenly, we aren’t at a pop gig. Performing the first track from their most recent LP, it feels closer to watching a veteran classic rock band settle into their stride. Cross the star factor of era-defining talent like Elvis with the punk rock don’t-give-a-fuckness of Chrissie Hynde. From the moment they leapt onto the stage, we all knew we were in for a pulsating show. At times, there’s an arena-like muscularity to the sound, big and emotional without becoming bombastic.

Watching a band jam is one of life’s underrated pleasures, and King Princess leans into that joy. They could have kept going without the structure of their songs, and people would’ve stayed to watch their radiant energy as they pounce to and fro across the stage.

Prophet brings the groove, showcasing their musical range. A song about walking the line between love and hate for someone, or something, you know will be bad for you, is from their first full-length LP. Their songs, old and new, spill timelessly from their ever-talented musicianship

The vocals on Jaime are raspy and raw as they are throughout the show. Putting themselves in the role of the villain, King Princess explores that universal theme of alluring self-destruction. They did nothing at all to destroy themselves tonight. All I can think of is the power they have with their presence and sound, not to mention their outfit, which walks the line between casual and grunge.

King Princess pulls out a song because someone held up a sign. It’s a small gesture, but it says everything. For their strong LGBTQ+ fan base, this was a personal show. Many couples share romantic moments throughout. Their on-the-nose lyrics about relationships both in the recent and distant past are a refreshing and vitalising kiss of life into a topic full of contradictions and misunderstandings.

Break out hit 1950 sounds as fresh as ever and gets a huge reception in the encore. The whole evening has been full of two-way gratitude. Here’s what she had to say about this song at the time of release: “Queer love was only able to exist privately for a long time, expressed in society through coded art forms. I wrote this song as a story of unrequited love in my own life, doing my best to acknowledge and pay homage to that part of history” (Best Line Of Fit)

King Princess is not an artist who deploys coded language or winks and nudges to say what they mean. This gig is a space for lovers of all stripes to look each other in the eyes and share a moment. I believe it’s what King Princess was trying to nurture tonight, and they succeeded.

The darkened city sky we left behind upon entering the gig seems brighter when we re-emerge. Everyone who experienced that gig must have felt they’d seen something special. Where once you may have noticed only brown and grey, we can now see only lively colour. We have King Princess to thank.

Please note: Use of these images in any form without permission is illegal. If you wish to contact the photographer, please email: mudkissphotos@gmail.com

Susanha Joffe can be found at her website:

You can keep up-to-date with King Princess at her official website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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All words by Kai Marshall. Read more from Kai on his authors archive and find him on Instagram

All photos by Melanie Smith – Louder Than War | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Portfolio