It’s been quite a week for Kate Nash. Not only was she awarded a Brit for best British female, but she also beat Amy Winehouse to the NME Best Solo Artist. So it was a packed Wolverhampton Civic hall that greeted Miss Nash on Saturday night.
But first the support act – Black Kids – who themselves are creating quite a stir. Quoted by NME as “being one of the breakthrough acts for 2008″, the 5 piece from Jacksonville, Florida got the party atmosphere going with their own unique brand of 80′s-esq Electro rock pop.
Enter the diminutive Miss Nash to the delight of the largely tween populated (and neon clad) audience. In her flouncy dress, she literally bounced on to the stage to high pitched chants of her name and Mexican Waves from her adoring fans. The songstress wasted no time in enhancing the already near fever pitch atmosphere by belting out the modern day classic “Pumpkin Soup” and ingeniously titled “Shit Song”.
“A is for Asthma” and “We get on” made up the first quintet of tunes, proving that not only is Miss Nash an accomplished pianist, but also a clever and powerful lyricist combining teenage angst with Ben Elton like commentary in a North London drawl.
She then switched her attention to the acoustic guitar to delight of the crowd and waltzed through some of her more calm and serine numbers, encouraging onlookers to accompany her through the melodic “Birds” and the sumptuous “Nicest Thing”.
Before plonking herself back down to her favoured black and white keys, Kate had time to dish out a number of goodies, gifting Dawn from Black Kids a birthday cake and endearing herself to her already adoring fans by dishing out sweets to everyone in the front few rows claiming that she “always brings a cake to Wolverhampton”. Clever marketing or an act of genuine kindness? No matter, it was a masterstroke in further endearing herself to her ever growing army of fans and in doing so displayed that she’s one of pop’s nice girls, despite the odd naughty word in some of her tunes.
She finished off her high energy set with faves “Mouthwash” and “Foundations” and then returned, with rapturous applause to play an encore of 3 more great Nashite tunes.
If Noel Gallagher was the voice of the 90′s for lad culture and Britpop, then 20 year old Kate Nash is fast becoming the focal point of tweenage female followers. Her popularity is sure to grow alongside her entourage of great tunes.
Review – Zak Edwards
Photos – Bianca Barrett & Lee Allen
