Feeling ‘Uh Oh’ on a Friday Night: Kate Nash at Terminal 5

Posted on November 21, 2010 by CenterOrch

Kate Nash reminds me of the Go-Go’s, and I like it.  Super cute look and sound set to dark and dreary lyrics.  I saw Kate last Spring at Bowery Ballroom.  At the time, she was a little bitter, having to hop around and maneuver crutches on stage.  Now standing on her own two feet, she was in a much better mood Friday night at Terminal 5.  Kate’s music is riddled with passion and angst, and it is sometimes disguised as classic girl group fun, and other times straight up.  She opened with “I Just Love You More” from her new album, My Best Friend Is You.  This song falls into the straight up category, with wails, screams and all.  The Shirelles in her came out in “Do-Wah-Doo,” “Kiss That Grrl,” “Paris” and “Mouthwash.”  The last song captured my feelings about the whole experience:  “And I’m feeling ‘uh oh,’ on a Friday night.  And I hope everything is going to be all right.”  Perhaps it was just the relief of surviving a crazy week at work.

Other highlights of the night included “Take Me To A Higher Plane,” the somber “I Hate Seagulls,” “Skeleton Song,” “Mariella” and my favorite song off her latest album, “Later On.”  Another great moment was her performance of “Birds.”  This song was originally the b-side to her first single, “Caroline’s a Victim,” way back in 2005.  I captured the moment on video, so check it out:

She closed her set with her biggest hit to date, “Foundations” from 2007, and fan favorite, “Merry Happy.”  She returned for one encore, “Pumpkin Soup.”  I really like Kate Nash, and hope that she keeps writing great music while being able to differentiate herself from the crowded field of cute British ingenues who are talented and opinionated.  The night produced a new catch phase for me:  Super Cute.  Not only was Kate super cute, her opening act was called Super Cute.  Two teenage girls from New York playing ukuleles and giant bows in their hair and singing about turtles.  Surreal but super cute.  What was not super cute was my hangover Saturday morning.  Ouch.

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Kiss That Grrrl: Kate Nash at Bowery Ballroom

Posted on April 30, 2010 by CenterOrch

Two nights in a row at Bowery Ballroom.  Life is sweet!  Last night, V.V. Brown, tonight the feisty Kate Nash.  I’ll admit I’m late jumping on the Kate Nash bandwagon, but better late than never, right?   She’s often compared to Lily Allen, and I get it.  After seeing her tonight (and Lily last year) I have to argue that each has their own thing going on.  Besides, who cares?  I say there’s enough room for both.  In fact, Nash is one of many talented young British women to make their mark on the increasingly diverse music scene, and anyone who reads my blog would know, I’m a fan of all of them.  I think Kate Nash is special and a major talent.

Tonight she was in New York to support the release of her sophomore album, My Best Friend is You.  It’s a bit of a departure from her singer-songwriter debut album, Made of Bricks.  This record features a lot of intense rock hooks, but also nods to Motown and retro girl-groups like The Supremes.  Need proof?  First listen to the bitter and raw “I Just Love You More,” and then check out the video for her latest single, “Do-Wah-Doo.”  Set in the fuselage of a 1950s airplane, I’m smitten with her flight attendant dance moves.  Fierce, fearless, then cute and adorable all in one package.

The night was, let’s say interesting.  Kate had a troupe of 13-year-olds called Supercute opening her U.S. dates.   They call themselves that so they can say on stage, “We’re super cute.”  That was about as cute as it got.  So let’s move on to the main event. Kate Nash hops on stage with crutches and apparently a foot/ankle injury.  She never told the crowd what happened, but then again, she wasn’t overly chatty with the crowd at Bowery.  She opened the show with some of the strongest tracks off her new album, “Paris,” then she played her new single “Do Wah Doo”   Then a flashback with “Mouthwash” before cranking it out on guitar with “Kiss That Grrrl” and “Take Me To A Higher Plane.”  The latter, I loved, and she expressed such desire and passion.

As much as I love her angry anthems, I love her softer side too.  ”Seagulls” and “I’ve Got A Secret” are simply poignant and beautiful, and it’s great to see Kate jump from angry to vulnerable in one song.  At this point, she began to flirt and interact with the audience a bit more.  The crowd gets into it just one note into her best known song, “Foundations.”  But my personal favorite was her performance of “Later On.”  I was running on the Hudson River last weekend and I just put this song on repeat.  ”That boy behind the curtain was no one that I trusted.  I didn’t like his face I didn’t think he was cute. But I kissed him just to get some information. I used my body and his desperation.”  I love this girl and I love this song.  I’m so glad I found the Kate Nash bandwagon.  If it comes to your town, jump on board and go see her.

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