The Verse’s Lottie Wilson reviews Kate Nash at her gig at The Haunt on the 18th February.
If you were at the Haunt on the 18th of February, it’s scientifically proven that you had a great time. Kate Nash was incredible.
Doors opened at 7pm with Gothic Tropic taking to the stage. The band hail from Los Angeles, fronted by guitarist and lead vocalist Cecilia Della Peruti. With a title such as ‘Gothic Tropic’ you’d expect a very different sound from these musicians – yet they provided an atmospheric start to the night. I’d recommend giving their single Stronger a listen, it certainly seemed a crowd favourite.
The stage was set for the main act – a vintage box television and projector played home vids of the singer. In an unexpected move, Nash opened her set with Sister. By the chorus everyone was dancing alongside the sequin clad songstress. It wasn’t until Mouthwash that the die-hard fans made themselves known, with the crowd dancing and singing along throughout.
The energy of the night is hard to put into words – there was a tangible buzz in the air – but I can say it was a pleasure to watch the show. We were treated to some new tracks, including Agenda an almost-angry energetic track from her newest album. Nash also performed Musical Theatre – a track supporting mental health issues, and in particular the singers own difficulties. Nash works closely with Mind the mental health charity – encouraging all her fans to volunteer and by donating any money from her ‘mental’ merchandise tops to the organisation. In a further act of support, all of the band members were wearing the tops throughout the gig. The singer spoke passionately about mental health between her tracks and her support was overwhelming – she was sincere and assured everyone of their value.
The peak of the night was the bands last track Underestimate the Girl where Nash pulled some lucky fans on to the stage for a dance. In the following instrumental she mingled with the rest of us by climbing into the crowd, and finished the set strumming her guitar whilst laying on the floor.
If you ever get the chance to see Kate Nash perform – it’s a gig not to be missed! Bring on festival season – I’m sure she’ll be running the circuit this summer.
