Kate Nash @ The HiFi, Brisbane(19/02/2011)

Mon 28th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Opening the evenings proceedings not long after doors are The Thin Kids. They grab the attention of the small, mostly female (and dragged along boyfriends) crowd early with their tongue-in-cheek lyrics, shambolic show and frontman Everett True’s banter, much of which seems to fly over the heads of the perplexed audience.

With Edward Guglielmino on guitar and a percussionist/dancer dressed as a cockroach there is a mix of talent and humour in The Thin Kids. Tonight’s headliner, Kate Nash, is spotted watching from side of stage and is invited to join the band on stage, to which she happily accepts and assists with the chorus of The Thin Kids (Theme) before True wraps things up with You’re Not On The Guest List. I was left disappointed when I couldn’t find the cockroach throughout the evening to pick up an EP.

Young Men Dead, for a relatively young band are beginning to make their mark on the Brisbane scene. Their upbeat blend of indie-pop is for the most part well received by the growing crowd and if it wasn’t for the unplanned, momentum killing “acoustic ditty” as the penultimate track they would have left the stage with the crowd still dancing and wanting more.

Young Men Dead are still learning their craft and extremely raw but if this evening’s set is anything to go by they have a very bright future. They don’t shy away from their influences, with glimpses of anyone from Passion Pit and Hot Chip to Foals and Two Door Cinema Club evident in various songs but it is the Yeasayer channelling My Sister that closes the set in style.

From the moment she appeared from the wings and strode across the stage with guitar in hand for an almost glam-rock entrance, Kate Nash owns the room. Constantly changing between guitar and keys, Nash moved seamlessly through a variety of genres, displaying her musical talent and vocal strength throughout.

Do-Wah-Doo off 2010’s My Best Friend Is You was an early highlight, with Nash leading the crowd in the first singalong from behind her elaborately decorated keyboard. I Hate Seagulls showed her vulnerability, as she innocently forgot the lyrics but received plenty of support from the crowd.

Her banter between songs was entertaining and witty, but her unique voice was enough to keep the crowd entertained and at one point a request for her to simply say ‘fuck’ again was met with both cheers and laughter from the crowd. Despite being dressed in black and almost hidden from view at the back of the stage, Nash’s backing band were tight and managed to add to the performance without taking any spotlight from their leading lady.

Wrapping up the main set with the one-two punch of Foundations and Merry Happy proved to be a winning move with the venue erupting into a sea of dancing bodies before Nash sprayed the remnants of her beer into the crowd and walked off, leaving the crowd clearly wanting more.

She waited for what seemed like an eternity before returning to the stage, making the crowd work hard for an encore and they were rewarded with rare live gem Nicest Thing, which displayed her raw emotion before calling her band on to wrap things up with crowd favourite Pumpkin Soup. It was as if her self control was lost as the tempo increased. singing becoming louder and dancing exaggerated, culminating in Nash climbing aboard her keyboard and stomping the keys to wrap up the show.

Bringing her live show to Australia for the second time in six months, Kate Nash tonight showed her true talents to an adoring Brisbane crowd. Her raw talent, showmanship and sex appeal combined to give a lucky few hundred fans a performance they will never forget, and this reviewer is already waiting in anticipation Kate Nash’s next visit to our shores.