Since her 2007 debut Made of Bricks, Kate Nash hasn’t dropped off the radar. She’s taken a turn towards political activism and peppered her music with a grungey tone that shows she’s not all just novelty lyrics and polka-dot dresses. We caught her at The Haunt with her all-female touring band to catch wind of her kick-ass attitude.

Since 2007, when Kate Nash thrust herself into the indie-pop world with her hit single ‘Foundations’, the singer-songwriter has released three albums, toured the world and become an outspoken women’s rights activist. She returned to The Haunt on 18 February for the second time to play a sold out show with support from LA-based band Gothic Tropic.

Gothic Tropic, otherwise known as singer-songwriter Cecilia Della Peruti, is new to the indie-pop scene in the UK. Supported by a fantastically enthusiastic touring band who were overwhelmingly hospitable to the large crowd crammed into The Haunt. “Thanks for sticking with me” Peruti joked, as she admitted she was very unwell, and a member of the crowd quickly handed her a packet of kleenex to blow her nose. Peruti performed one of the most entertaining-while-sneezing sets to exist. She interchanged between playing her guitar and using her tissue with an unexpected grace that ultimately added to the charm of the entire set. Peruti’s music is a breezy kind of slacker rock that touches on the releases of Haim, but with poppier vibes and that obvious LA cool. Dressed in a backwards hat with a band adorned in Hawaiian shirts, the tone was set for the night to be relaxed, care free, and orientated around fun.

Nash entered the stage with her all-girl band beside a black and white montage featuring spliced footage of Nash accompanied by Lesley Gore’s ‘You Don’t Own Me’. The setting was a clear indicator of the kind of woman Nash has become since her 2007 debut. Since Made of Bricks was released, Nash has become increasingly involved in women’s rights and rallies, an alignment that she has illustrated with her latest 2013 release Girl Talk. Whether she intended to or not, the opening was a clear and strong nod to her pro-feminist and politically outspoken character.

Beginning her set with ‘Sister’ and ‘Death Proof’, from her most recent album Girl Talk, she quickly dived straight into a rendition of ‘Mouthwash’. Being one of her most popular songs among fans, Nash kicked off the first of many sing-a-longs. It was clear to see that the crowd at this gig were long term fans, as her older songs, especially from Made of Bricks, garnered an excitement throughout the crowd that was undeniably electric.

‘Do-Wah-Doo’ and ‘OMyGod!’ followed before ‘Birds’ and ‘We Get On’ took the audience back to 2007 in a united dance-off. Nash demonstrated her admirable down-to-earth attitude and, as she struck the first chords in ‘Birds’, she laughed along with the audience to the colloquial yet infectiously catchy lyrics.

As the night came to the close, Nash chimed into ‘Dickhead’, clambered into the crowd and encouraged everybody to stick their middle fingers in the air in an ode to the political climate that Theresa May, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump have created. The response was Kate Nash gone punk rock, a site that wasn’t expected but nevertheless endlessly entertaining and difficult not to get caught up in. She spoke in between songs about the difficulty of being a woman surviving in the music industry, and encouraged everyone in the crowd to keep pushing forward with the dreams despite adversity. In addition to Nash airing her political views and her disheartenment at the English political climate, she also spent a large portion of the show speaking openly about her personal mental health issues and the importance of raising awareness of mental health support services. Nash had her band adorned in her own merchandise, which read ‘mental’ on, and were available to buy at the back. Nash was proud to emphasise that all proceeds of the sale of this merchandise went to mental health charities, a cause she felt was worthy.

The entire night was soaked in a feel good atmosphere. This, combined with Nash’s expertly delivered renditions of her much loved classics, made for an evening of united fandom, never-ending sing-a-longs and welcomed nostalgia.

Sian Blewitt

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