Liverpool Barfly 4 June 2007

After hearing this young singer/songwriter’s single and seeing her perform live on TV I concluded that Nash was very different and quite special. When I feel like this about an act or artist my antennae goes into overdrive to find a live performance I can attend to ‘complete the reviewing cycle.’ The Liverpool Barfly is a deceptive venue; it looks small and rather grubby from the outside, but houses four separate and different performance spaces. In recent years it has become a popular haunt for singer/songwriters, perhaps due to the good acoustic quality available. Last week I caught a Stephen Fretwell and Stephanie Dosen show which was nothing short of inspiring. Now it’s the turn of new UK singer/songwriter Kate Nash to impress me and the long, winding line of (mostly) young female punters waiting for the doors to open.

How the music market is changing! I’d never heard of Nash until a few days ago but here was a sell-out crowd to see an unknown on the occasion of her first Liverpool gig. A combination of MySpace and Jools Holland TV show appearance seems to have done the trick, and without the big-spending record company hype machine cranking into frantic action. That said, Nash is signed to big player Polydor, a record company not known for fostering young and original talent (remember Alex Parks?). Hopefully, this highly original talent won’t be pushed or hyped into ‘pop stardom’ – because she’s much better than that, I promise you.

At around 9.30pm (following the antics of a rather strange and incomprehensible support act called One Little Boy) Nash, drummer and bassist slid quietly on to the stage. She’s tall and very pretty in a homely kind of way. Looking out over the packed auditorium, this shy young lady seemed shocked and surprised that Liverpool had flocked to her show prompting, “I like Liverpool” – a succinct statement that drew the biggest cheers of the night. My first question was, ‘is her voice really that powerful?’ As she settled behind her Yamaha with corner-mounted tea pot and launched into ‘Mariella, the answer came loud and clear. She has an unusually powerful, piercing and expressive voice which is delivered without extraneous effort. Nash sings with her native East London cockney accent and with a quality of intonation far beyond her years. Her music is tuneful, poetic, with a strong rhythmic underbelly provided by her very sharp drummer.

Nash calls a spade a spade and her next song ‘Shit Song’ is a no-holds-barred, bittersweet example. Now this lady is so new to me I don’t know her songs except for her anti-bad bloke single, ‘Foundations.’ I mentioned earlier that the audience was made up largely of young females and I think I now know why. Nash sings about her own young female experiences that are of course similar to those of many young females. For example, on ‘Foundation’ she sings about a boyfriend who treats her like shit but she just cannot break up with him - “I know I should let go but I can’t, I know I should forget but I can’t.” There’s an acute observational sense that pervades her songs – whether she’s singing about herself or her friends. Songs like ‘Stitch Legs’, ‘Caroline’ and ‘We Get On’ are prime examples of a passionate, sincere performer and writer.

After the opening salvo of songs she picked up her guitar and provided a rocky performance of ‘Dickhead’ and ‘Birds’ before wandering back to her keyboard where she appears far more comfortable. All too often, I’m tempted to wander off mid-performance but Nash had me nailed to the floor till the very last and very moving (encore) song ‘Little Red.’ On the strength of the set-list and her performance I reckon her debut album will fly, and this sparkling, fresh artist could really take off in the most challenging market of all – the USA.

The audience loved her and so did I. Nash is a highly original and distinctive artist who conveys a sense of refreshing humility, and is able to match delivery with sentiment – venomous one moment and contemplative the next. Nash is a rare talent and if you get the chance to attend a show, grab it with both hands.

Set-list

Mariella

Shit Song

Caroline

Dickhead

Birds

Nicest Thing

Foundations

We Get On

Mouthwash

Merry Happy

Little Red