Doja Cat, Manchester review: ‘A boundary-pushing show from a world-class performer’

Ever since she released her debut album ‘Amala’, Doja Cat is an artist who has never been afraid to be audacious. She has transitioned between pop-rap albums such as ‘Hot Pink’ and ‘Planet Her’, which, in the latter’s case, included collaborations with SZA, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. However, she later disowned the aforementioned albums as 'cash grabs', departing to a darker, edgier and more aggressive, hip-hop-infused sound on 2023’s ‘Scarlet’.

However, in true Doja Cat fashion, she reinvented herself once more with 2025’s 'Vie' – a record inspired by 80s synths, R&B, hip-hop, pop and dance music, exchanging the darkness of ‘Scarlet’ for bright, vivacious and colourful visuals. It was an audacious record, but one a genre-pushing artist like Doja Cat thrived on; the embrace of the 1980s-esque production was superb, and it featured a perfect balance of pop and rap sensibilities.

At the Co-op Live, the 30-year-old navigated through both worlds to perfection and with a carefree attitude, her natural charisma and a dose of eccentricity. After a prelude that saw the artist appear approximately 20 feet above the stage holding a rose and wearing a huge, floor-length cape and large, pointy shoulder pads, Doja Cat opened the performance with an a cappella rendition of the ballad 'Lipstain' – a moment of calm before the 30-year-old was lowered, heightening the sense of anticipation in the arena as the artist made her way to an illuminated, raised stage.

The sense of anticipation was certainly justified as Doja Cat shared the illuminated platform with nine highly skilled musicians, providing some lively arrangements. ‘Cards’ was given a more muscular arrangement in a live setting with a horn section, composed of a trombonist, trumpeter and saxophonist, adding an element of funk and flair to her sound. ‘Kiss Me More’ was elevated with a groovy keytar part, and the empowering, 1980s-esque pop-rap track ‘Gorgeous’ laid down the groove with a spellbinding saxophone solo, providing a major highlight of the rendition.

The polished R&B of ‘All Mine’, felt like something out of the Nile Rodgers/Chic playbook in a live setting and sees the artist effortlessly transitions between clean, delicate and jazzy melodic singing and dextrous, confident rapping. The R&B-influenced ‘Make It Up’ was fuelled by a smooth guitar part and tight drumming. The keyboards on ‘Acts of Service’ created a lush atmospheric soundscape without overshadowing the artist’s vocals, and a flawless keytar solo towards the end of the song was equally thrilling.

‘Ain’t Shit’ was packed with swagger and defiance, with the horn section giving the track a beefed-up arrangement. From repeated bouts of twerking to showcase her body confidence, to the rich, vulnerable melodic vocals of ‘Couples Therapy’ and ‘Woman’ to the confident swagger of rap-heavy numbers such as ‘Paint The Town Red’, she’s the complete package as a performer. Vocally, her versatility, range and dynamism speaks for itself. Even with a production that’s as visually impressive with strobe lighting, smoke machines, fireworks and a barrage of pyrotechnics, Doja Cat is a commanding presence on stage that you can’t and don’t want to take your eyes off and is someone who always prepares you to expect the unexpected musically.

For a rock-y section of the set, predominantly composed of material from ‘Scarlet’, ‘Wet Vagina’ was reimagined as a darker, rock-inspired track with distorted guitars and hard-hitting drum fills and elaborate choreography that saw the artist perform an acrobatic show, sprawled across the catwalk, dancing on her knees and shaking her posterior to a strong reaction. To accompany the rock-driven instrumentation on ‘WYM Freestyle’, Doja Cat crawled down the catwalk, tongue hanging out, before biting the microphone stand as if she were a modern-day Gene Simmons.

‘Demons’ is transformed into a mesmerising, dark, rock-heavy track with guitar chugs, powerhouse drumming and a blast of pyrotechnics and fireworks, giving the song an arena-shaking quality. ‘Tia Tamera’ was equally rocky with a barrage of gritty, distorted guitars and saw the artist wrap the microphone cable around her heel, employing it as a makeshift microphone stand while singing on her back. A dance-inducing rendition of ‘AAAHH Men!’ marked a return to a pop-driven sound, sparking a euphoric singalong inside the Co-op Live, and also saw the artist tie the microphone cable around herself.

Upon closing out the performance with ‘Say So’ and ‘Jealous Type’, there wasn’t a soul in the arena who wasn’t enamoured with the artistry of Doja Cat. As the confetti fell and the 30-year-old threw roses into the standing pit, the 23,500-strong crowd exited, knowing they’d witnessed an epic boundary-pushing show from a world-class performer. Watching Doja Cat is not just a show; it’s an experience from a genre-blending artist who mastered the art of creating a musical fusion with her sound.