Kate Nash, The Thin Kids @Corner Hotel, Melbourne(06/08/2010)

Sat 7th Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

English indie-pop star Kate Nash has grown up a lot since she was in Melbourne for the 2008 Big Day Out. Back then she was a 20 year-old singing brash, upbeat, piano-driven songs about boys and riding a wave of MySpace adulation. Now 23, she’s emerged with a gritty and honest second album, My Best Friend Is You.
Many of the new songs retain the playfulness of her first record, but the sound is tougher and more expansive, and she brought it all to her sold-out show at the Corner.

Brisbane’s Thin Kids took to the stage after being introduced by Nash herself, but it was going to take more than her endorsement for the crowd to warm to this decidedly odd band, fronted by renowned English music journalist Everett True. He is a fascinating figure: a prominent music journalist in the 80s and 90s who apparently introduced Kurt Cobain to Courtney Love.It’s hard to describe what transpired over the next 40 minutes, and to know whether to take it seriously, but The Thin Kids are a quirky art-rock band with True’s thick-accented vocals the centre piece, backed by grungy guitars and drums.While puzzling throughout, their set was entertaining, and Nash even joined them on stage for their last few songs.

Kate Nash and band stepped quietly onto stage to a far from quiet reception. The predominantly 20-something female crowd certainly made her feel welcome and they sang and bobbed along to her tunes throughout the night, especially those from her first album (not that she played many of them, which surely rankled a few fans).
Nash began with Paris, the opening track on My Best Friend Is You. Her voice struggled to reach the high notes, but the enthusiastic punters at the front didn’t seem to mind.

Crowd participation continued into the bombastic girl power of Do-Wah-Doo, a song that illustrates the riot grrl/60s girl band sound that characterises the new record. It is also reflected in Kiss That Grrl, for which Nash vacated the piano stool and strapped on a guitar.

The mood in the room switched with the heartfelt and impressive Don’t You Want To Share The Guilt. It’s a song that encapsulates Nash’s newfound maturity, both sonically and lyrically and something far removed from anything she could have produced three years ago.She broaches the dangers of mental health problems, something she herself has apparently wrestled with over the past couple of years. It also doesn’t sound like anything she’s done before; on the night it was sparsely arranged, didn’t feature a piano and was kick-started midway though by a pulsating bassline.

Nash asked for a little bit of quiet for I Hate Seagulls, for which the band exited and she played solo with her electric guitar. The crowd respected her request – other than an inaudible grown halfway through – and she returned the favour with a subtle rendition of this romantic song.

It was during this lovely tune that a group of drunk, giggling girls began to draw attention. I don’t know why one would fork out $55 for a ticket and another $50 for drinks, only to spend the show talking, as if it’s infinitely more entertaining than the world-class pop act on stage. Is it just me?

Back to the show, and after a spritely version of the anthemic Merry Happy, which featured a clattering piano finale from an excitable Nash and surely pleased fans of the first album, she launched into a string of punky songs. First up was the moody b-side Grrrila Munch, on which she took to the bass. The lights were dimmed for the dramatic spoken word introduction on her angry homage to groupie culture, Mansion Song, before it exploded with rolling drums and abrasive vocals. Another deliciously raucous b-side, Model Behaviour, rounded off the energetic triple. Aping punk queens of yesterday, she stalked the stage, leering at the crowd while repeatedly shouting “you don’t have to suck d*ck to succeed”, under flashing lights.

Out of breath, Nash rested at the piano, and, as shouts of “Mariella, Mariella” rang out across the crowd (a popular song from her first album), she played the opening bars of Foundations. It was a popular choice and she barely had to sing a note as the crowd assumed vocal duties (including cheeky London accents) on this impossibly catchy song.

She concluded, without encore, with My Best Friend Is You, the short but sweet title track from her sophomore album and politely thanked the crowd for their attention.It was an assured and surprisingly crunchy performance from a musician who is much more versatile than many may have expected.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE