Kate Nash steps on to the stage of Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms ready to give 110%. Starting with a tease of her 2007 hit “Foundations“, we’re given a whole lot of energy and a whole lot of fun from start to finish. Kate won’t been seen dead standing still and her audience are clearly a dedicated bunch as she points out someone wearing one of her Christmas jumpers in May. After “Misery” and “Life In Pink“, Kate gets this Nottingham crowd to say hello to a stranger next to them and encourages people to make others feel safe which is always great to see.
This setlist is a mixed bag of songs from “Made of Bricks” and “My Best Friend is You” with the odd single thrown in here and there though you can tell that most people in the room are here for the classics. As we’re treated to “Mouthwash“, Kate and her extremely talented female band punk up what was originally a pop track by giving us some heavy guitar we the crowd make it clear that they love it by jumping along and screaming as loud as they can.
“And I’m singing uh oh on a Friday night” is where everyone starts to find their voice. The production of the night is simple but effective and Nash’s outfit is gorgeous; the mix of the bright dress and stage presence is everything you expect from Kate. Whilst some of her newer songs are lesser known, her dedicated audience never miss and opportunity to clap and cheer for her and they are quick to show off just how loud they can be as we’re given a stripped back version of “Birds“
Her new song “Waste Man” (due to be released this summer) is premiered on this tour and it gets gets the crowd bopping along even though we’ve never heard it – “Waste Man” is a perfect mix of Kate Nash‘s old and new sound and the way it gains momentum half way through makes it impossible to not bop along to. Kate interacts with the crowd, shouting ‘Hands up if you know a waste man! Hands up if you use to be one!’ and unsurprisingly, there is less of a reaction to the latter. The “Kiss That Grrrl“/”Shit Song“/”Later On“/”Mariella” mash-up is a great way to end before the encore as “Mariella” is a clear fan favourite. Everyone loses their mind and prepares themselves for what is yet to come.
“Foundations” obviously had to be the start to the encore and it’s incredible to hear how much noise such a small room can make. The lines ‘You said I must eat so many lemons’ and ’cause they are much fitter’ have the crowd singing so loud that they drown out KN and the rocky guitar solo during the song leaves the crowd reeling. “Merry Happy” gives the audience chance to lap up everything that Kate Nash is putting down and vice versa – you can tell that she is having the time of her life on stage and that she loves what she does. If this show proves one thing, it’s that Kate Nash is not one to be missed.
