photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. April 5th 2011.
It’s been quite a while since Kate Nash played in Liverpool but on the strength of her audience that attended her show at the Stanley Theatre at the University of Liverpool, it may have only been last month since she parked her guitar and trademark keyboard on the stage, such was the excitement generated by the young songwriter.
Arriving on stage in a pastiche of one of her song titles Mariella, all dressed in black and looking mysterious and with two Mickey Mouse ears on for good measure, she produced a set of stunning quality and with just the right amount of social commentary thrown in to keep the crowd happy.
The set on the night was divided neatly between the old and the new, with the vast majority of the set being devoted to the 2010 album My Best Friend is You. Kate opened the evening I Just Love you More and Do Wah Doo which had the collected audience screaming their lungs out and causing some to declare undying love for the London girl.
Going back and forth between her keyboard and guitar, Kate thrilled her adoring crowd with tracks such as Kiss That Grrrl, Don’t you Want to Share the Guilt and I’ve Got a Secret, the last song being dedicated to some of her friends who had had a hard time with the idea of coming out as gay.
The air was thick with anticipation as Kate ran through a set that in all honesty confirms her place as one of the great finds of the last few years, quirky enough to be individual, talented enough to be praised by all the right people and enjoyed by those with a good ear.
For the fans though that enjoyed how she started out there were very few songs from Made of Bricks with the aforementioned Mariella, Foundations, the beautiful Birds and the excellent Pumpkin Soup making a welcome appearance on the set-list. With the performance and work rate Kate put in, any voices of dissent or grumbling would have been soon forgotten as the unique voice and playing ability of Kate would have made any hard heart crumble.
Ian D. Hall