KATE Nash delighted fans with her eclectic Gorilla show last week, Anna Greenwood went down to watch the Foundations singer.
With seven long years since her last album, Kate Nash is finally touring the UK again, to the delight of her devoted fans. Her Manchester gig at Gorilla sold out, supported by psychedelic styles of Gothic Tropic. Complete with old classics mixed with new un-released material, crowd surfing and Trump talk, the gig was a night to remember for fanatics old and new.
Kate Nash began way back in 2007, with her hit single Foundations, from her debut album Made of Bricks. Since then her music has evolved greatly, with a different sound per album, each becoming more emotive, and potentially political. My Best Friend Is You changed her style slightly into more folky-pop in 2010, followed by Girl Talk taking a sharp and sudden turn into the punk genre. Her Manchester show had a setlist concocted of songs from all three albums, the earlier tracks played perhaps slightly heavier than when they originally came out.
Kate Nash crowd surfing was just the highlight of my life @katenash pic.twitter.com/uW1qgWHeuH
— kate meredith (@sublimevoidreb1) February 8, 2017
The stage was set with bandages and rope stringing from floor to ceiling, with a mishmash of vintage televisions stood in between. After Gothic Tropic succeeded in delightfully warming up the crowd with the charming Cecilia Della Peruti stealing everyone’s hearts, it was finally time for Nash to grace the stage.
Anticipation was thick in the air. Nash wore an all sequin dress with a slit in the thigh, smudging her red lipstick across the microphone and introduced her girl band, all of whom were kitted out in Kate Nash t-shirts and tartan skirts.
.@katenash was AMAZING last night @thisisgorilla pic.twitter.com/mM14NHHPhj
— Dan Rigby (@danrigby95) February 8, 2017
The all-female band only emphasised the girl-power vibes underlying almost every song. Nash is not shy to admit she is a feminist, as Girl Talk especially is particularly politically charged. This shone through even more throughout the show, with Nash visiting topics such as Trump, mental health awareness, feminism and not giving up in the current challenging political climate.
Nash’s merch sold on this 2017 tour was raising money for Mind, the mental health charity. She also debuted a new song about her own experience with mental health, alongside Agenda, another new track. The tour isn’t promoting a new album, as only two new singles have been released since Girl Talk, both of which were not played at the Manchester gig.
Went to see @katenash at @thisisgorilla last night, was an amazing night enjoyed every second of it???? pic.twitter.com/ckYZyBzn7x
— Zak Mckenna (@zak_mck98) February 8, 2017
After a night of audience crowd surfing, tears, laughter and ferocious singing along, the set drew to a close, with the standard en-core of Mariella. As the crowd dispersed and made their way home all were left with one common, powerful feeling: hope.
By Anna Greenwood
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