My FasterLouder review - 05/08/10
Kate Nash’s performance at the Metro Theatre shocked more than impressed. Drastically different to her Big Day Out performance of 2008 due to her grungey makeover, the British singer has delved into a new persona. Previous to this she was known as an indie-pop femme, musically travelling along the lines of Regina Spektor and threaded with the attitude of Lily Allen.
The support slot saw Queensland band The Thin Kids take the stage. Though their purpose as a joke-band is to be extensively ridiculous, their on-stage karaoke was as painful as hearing nails screeching on a blackboard.
It was hard to adapt to the new Kate Nash, her intensified attitude clearly visible from the start with a confronting banner across her piano proclaiming “A cunt is a useful thing.” Her set began with many sound issues, which saw sound tech guys running across the stage throughout the first three songs, killing the mood just a little.
The introductory bracket of Paris, Do-Wah-Doo and Mouthwash were all victims of the sound disaster. The back-up band drowned out Nash’s vocals and piano, which play such an integral role in her music. However, Nash looked past the sound difficulties and Do-Wah-ed her way into alluring the crowd to shake it away like the 60s.
Sacrificing the cute charm she once carried, the 23-year old continued with her new punk-rock material. This time she ripped into the electric guitar, the same way she slammed on the piano and threw out more of the popular tunes from her most recent album including Kiss That Grrrl, Take Me to A Higher Plane and a song dedicated to homophobia, I’ve Got a Secret.
The crowd grew weary of the new material played and the sound of chatting grew, forcing Nash to ask the crowd to be quiet for I Hate Seagulls. Throughout the entire set there was a lack of vocal clarity, however quieter songs like I Hate Seagulls brought the quirky characteristics of her voice back out. She reignited audience interest with the spoken-word track Mansion Song that led into a segway of vocal art and screaming. Though captivating, the obscurity of the track and her onstage antics alienated her from her older fans.
Finally Ms Nash satisfied older fans with Merry Happy, Foundations and an encore performance of Pumpkin Soup. Yet Foundations seemed to lack the vibrance it so successfully achieves on CD and live, it did not lift up into the anthemic track that it is. Pumpkin Soup was also slightly altered, as it was played fast-paced and injected with a dose of grunge.
The show ended with Kate Nash standing on top of her piano stamping away to produce an atonal racket. Sound issues aside, the level of energy she produced on stage electrified the audience. Announcing she’ll be back in Australia next year, we shall see whether she further transforms her style.
To read the review on FasterLouder head to: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/24991/Kate-Nash--The-Metro-Theatre-Sydney-50810.htm
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