Kate Nash, Jonathan Boulet @Metro Theatre, Sydney(16/2/11)

Fri 18th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Jonathan Boulet is unquestionably an artist with a firm belief in his own talents – hell, he even wears the shirt of one of his many bands, Snakeface, during tonight’s set. When you’re as skilled and intriguing a musician as Boulet, however, you’re pretty much free to do whatever you want. And so it was – Boulet, accompanied by his four-piece band, fired off on all cylinders with the tribal pop flurry of current single You’re A Animal piquing the interest of even the most stringent of grammar Nazis.

Using tonight’s set as a warm-up for the upcoming tour with the John Steel Singers – which will actually take him back to this very venue in just over a month’s time – Bouletwas in typically fine form. The extensive jamming, all-in vocals and additional percussion all assist in bringing Boulet’s solo ventures into full-band extravagance without ever feeling forced or contrived. He’s not quite at the right comfort level with being frontman just yet, spending most of the time in-between songs either tuning or simply staring at his sneakers. That said, it’s quite easy to let songs as good as Continue Calling, North to South East to You and the ubiquitous closer A Community Service Announcement speak for themselves. Boulet maintains the title of one of Sydney’s must-see musicians.

Sometimes, giving someone a second chance can work out for the best – sometimes, even better than you expected. It was certainly the case when Kate Nash made her return to the Metro Theatre, roughly six months after her last appearance there. That set last year was messy, frustrating and shambolic for the most part, disappointing an audience that had lined up around the block to get in. Something was different tonight, though – for one, the lady herself made a grand entrance with a giant bow on the top of her head, smiling like a Cheshire and kicking straight into the grungy pop of I Just Love You More, from last year’s My Best Friend is You record. The sound was clear, the band was tight, Nash herself was clearly having a much better time than the August prior – signs were pointing to an all-round improvement, and the performance itself reflected this tenfold.

Tonight’s set reflects both sides of Nash’s musical endeavours, which can surprisingly be cut neatly down the middle according to which side of the stage she found herself. When near the keyboard, Nash delivered plenty of her brilliantly contrasted piano pop, taking bright major-chord progressions and big pop hooks and matching them with stories of Autistic delinquents ( Mariella ) and untrustworthy girlfriends ( Do Wah Doo ), amongst other things. It’s a style she has honed and very much made her own – amongst the Lilys and Amys and Adeles of U.K. pop, Kate has admirably created a niche. That said, it’s when she shifts over to the other side of the stage and picks up a guitar in which things get interesting.

Nash has made experiments and flirtations with a variety of heavier genres in her later work, and thankfully it translates quite well when placed in the live environment. The bile-spitting spoken word of Mansion Song is paired with squealing feedback and surging crashes of drums. Things get even rougher when Nash abandons her guitar and gives her best Johnny Rotten impersonation through a firey rendition of seldom-played B-side Model Behaviour. Though it may have isolated some of her audience, it’s certainly admirable that the artist that was singing “I’ve got a family/and I drink cups of tea” not twenty minutes before is now looking and sounding aggressive and perhaps even dangerous.

Encoring with another rarely played treat – Nicest Thing, the tender acoustic ballad from 2007’s Made of Bricks – Nash wrapped up her set with the now-customary finale of Pumpkin Soup. Anyone who’s seen Nash before knows exactly when the double-time kicks in, exactly when it speeds up and exactly when Kate quite literally stands on top of her keyboard and stomps away like a kindergartener in freshly-formed puddles. Yet, instead of seeming formulaic or predictable, it feels like new life has been breathed into it – somehow new and exciting again. The same can be said about Nash’s entire set.