11 June 2013 (released)
13 June 2013
Beck's Live at the Barfly this week keeps proving this event is a great showcase for up and coming bands. Kate Nash’s choice of support was Let’s Buy Happiness, an indie band with the prerequisite quota of long hair, beanies and Jarvis Cocker specs but fronted by girl for a change. Imagine a female-fronted Two Door Cinema Club with some Bloc Party grit weaved together beautifully with angelic vocals. It’s no surprise that Q Magazine, Radio 1 and The Guardian have good things to say about this group with such pure vocals and a stripped back sound - it’s difficult not to be intrigued by them. LBH’s sound is not necessarily catchy but their songs have a way of evolving into a beautiful composition. Definitely a group to watch out for!
To say Kate Nash' retro and kitsch opening film sequence was over-indulgent would be an understatement - the projected image was far too big for the wall of the Barfly. For the size of venue and type of evening, the film outstayed its welcome very quickly. The only missing cliché was a drum roll announcing each band member as they ran on stage in turn. Most people will know her for platinum selling album 'Made of Bricks' and the single 'Foundations' which had that fun, poppy and mockney sound made popular in 2007. This gig was far from that! What was served up was Courtney Love in her Hole days and a throwback to some early 90’s punk grunge. It’s fine to see an artist mixing it up but this was so far removed from the Kate Nash from old that the night just turned into noise. Punk has always been anti-establishment and it's clear that Kate wanted to show a different side to her music - maybe this is the record she's always wanted to make. Despite the changing direction, Kate's desire to redress the gender balance in the music industry is to be championed. Buy the new album for that fact alone.
I caught up with Kate Nash back stage at the Barfly we chatted about women in the industry, Pussy Riot, her love for making great videos and what we can expect from her at Glastonbury this year.
Beck’s Live, a series of gigs aimed at supporting emerging music talent. For more information and tickets to Beck’s Live go to facebook.com/becksvier.
