Lots of artists, particularly solo female singers, push for and claim a direct personal connection with their audience. Whether it’s Katy Perry’s “Firework” or Taylor Swift’s #SwiftSquad, musical girl power has become a whole new thing in the internet era. Yet too often, it feels like one-sided commercial operation to boost record sales and viral videos. But Kate Nash has real, self-baring link with her crowd, as was evident when she ended her U.S. tour at New York’s Irving Plaza (QRO venue review) on Wednesday, May 2nd.
Touring behind this year’s Kickstarter-funded Yesterday Was Forever (QRO review), Nash was decked out in an outfit that’s hard to describe. Clearly inspired by her work on Netflix’s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling fictionalized series GLOW, it also looked kind of like an eighties Jane Fonda workout tape, female rollerball, or Astronaut Barbie with the helmet. Nash has always had her own style, in various forms, from girl-pop to riot grrrl, but this managed to top them all.
With her more conventionally dressed all-female backing band, Nash mainly mixed from her current record and 2007 breakthrough, Made of Bricks (QRO review). Nash has gone many different directions since that poppy debut, but in some ways Yesterday compiles them all together. After an instrumental introduction by her ladies, Nash teased by doing the start of breakthrough single “Foundations” (literally – on the set list, was listed as “Foundations Tease”), then Bricks’ “Mouthwash”. Indeed, there was only one song from 2013’s Girl Talk (QRO review), a semi-acoustic version of “Sister”, and none from 2010’s My Best Friend Is You (QRO review). “Sister” was in the early portion of the show, between Yesterday’s “Life In Pink” and Bricks’ “Dickhead”, two very sing-along songs – the latter was, “not about anyone here,” and Nash got the crowd to stick their middle fingers up in the air to all the dickheads out there.
From there, the show got more intimate, first with Nash’s new “Agenda” (from the EP of the same name). A piece where Nash raps, that’s never exactly necessary, but the audience was more than willing to go along with it. Littlest goth kid “Mariella” is still the favorite that it’s been since Bricks, while Nash introduced Yesterday’s “Musical Theatre” by saying that it’s about mental health, “People are afraid of talking about mental health because people might think you’re crazy – I think everybody’s crazy…” Nash has been very open about her struggles with mental health, in a frank and not showy way. “Musical” was followed by the sad “Nicest Thing”, which featured the ‘slow disco ball’ lighting at Irving.
The main set end started with another great kiss-off piece, Yesterday’s “Hate You”, which is just as fun as it sounds. Then came the real “Foundations”, including Nash surfing the ecstatic crowd, before being saved by security (perhaps the “fitter mates” she prefers in the ‘we should break-up’ song…). But Nash surprisingly didn’t go into the encore with it, but rather followed it up with another old sing-along, “Merry Happy”. Nash & co. returned for two more sing-alongs, Yesterday’s “Today” and Bricks’ “Birds”, before ending the night & the tour with the brand-new punk rock “Underestimate the Girl”.
Nash has had her ups & downs, and she has admitted and detailed. But that has only made her closer with her fans.
