Kate Nash Nothing Short of Magnetic as She Ends Tour at Irving Plaza
By Lauren Johnson
On Wednesday, May 2, England’s edgy singer-songwriter Kate Nash rocked the house at Irving Plaza to close out her North American tour surrounding the March 30th release of her newest album, Yesterday Was Forever.
Wrapping things up in New York City before heading back to London, Nash joked “We’re going to play for five hours straight tonight!” remarking on how she was going to go out with a bang in one final, epic show.
Perhaps because it was the last night of the tour – but more likely because of Nash’s dynamic, crowd-connecting performance – the show took on a tangible energy as the hours flew by. California indie singer-songwriter Miya Folick, who Nash described at the show as “the best vocalist out there,” opened for Nash and set the mood with her commanding vocals. After Miya’s powerful performance, Kate and her infectiously energetic all-girl band took the stage and immediately began with fan-favorites “Play,” “Foundations,” and “Mouthwash” from her first award-winning album, Made of Bricks, released in 2007.
In fact, much to audience delight, Nash played a great deal of songs from the oft-described “sleeper” album that launched her to fame and a number one spot on the UK charts. In a highly participatory show, fans sang along to Nash’s catchy, quirky, story-telling songs, keeping it a party as they waited to see what Nash would do next. In one particularly memorable moment, the sassy singer told her audience to put their hands up in the air, then had them lower each finger until the only one remaining was the middle one. Of course, this took place during a rendition of “Dickhead,” in which she also encouraged fans to sing along and picture a person that they’d like to dedicate the song to. “We all know those people – no one in this room, of course!” she said.
An incredible performer and vocalist, it was amazing to watch Kate Nash in her electric-pink bodysuit keep up her energy and play off of the crowd’s momentum, never wavering throughout the entire performance. At one moment, she literally stood up on her bench and started pounding on the piano in a beautiful, punk-rock cacophony to round out one song before immediately launching into the next one, barely pausing for air or water.
Known for being a feminist and an activist advocating for young women and girls, at one point Nash said “I want you to go home tonight, and look at yourself in the mirror, and say to yourself: ‘I am a badass bitch from Hell, and NO one is going to f*** with me.’ And then when you get up tomorrow morning, don’t let ANYONE f*** with you!” You can imagine how the crowd – both male and female – went wild.
After “Merry Happy,” Nash exited the stage to thunderous applause that seemed to last for several minutes, then returned with her band mates for a three-song encore that included the hit song “Birds” from her first album. “We really are going to play for five hours!” she joked as she came back and picked up the microphone. Neither fans nor seemingly Nash wanted the show to end. After she finished her final songs, she started a dance party on the stage, bringing out her support/tech staff from behind the stage and getting everyone to dance along to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” while a disco ball spun lights in the background. While even her bandmates and crew seemed ready to call it a night after what must have been an exhausting, solid two-hour performance, Kate was still going strong. She kept it a party the entire time. If you’ve never heard of Kate Nash, get yourself to your streaming service of choice, download her albums, and get to listening so you, too, can join the party next time around.
