Kate Nash / The Tuts

A Saturday night in Nottingham and a sold-out show at The Rescue Rooms as Kate Nash comes to town. Around the corner at sister (and much larger) venue, Rock City, The Wildhearts play their particular brand of rock, a run-through of an album released twenty years ago, so this is an area buzzing with anticipation tonight. Dads put on their leather jackets and back-comb their thinning hairs whilst daughters, not born in 1993, queue to see Kate.

It's not yet balmy but Spring is in the air. Photographer Phil and I are able to sit outside in the Rescue Rooms courtyard with our pints. At least 80% of those queuing to get into the venue appear to be teenage girls, 15% are over-protective parents and 5% appear to have read the poster incorrectly thinking they're about to see Kate Bush.



The Tuts are the support act - a new act to me that hadn't crossed my radar before. A female trio, this is sparky, cartoon and fun bubblegum punk courtesy of Brit School (I have no idea if Nadia, Harriet and Bev did go to Brit School but it seems to figure). They sing songs about not being afraid to dump your boyfriend. It doesn't matter 1 jot that most of their songs clock in at less than 2 minutes and have 3 chords 4 this is infectious stuff that makes me smile. I'd be showing my age and geekiness if I said they sounded like old Sarah Records band 'Talulah Gosh' so I won't (but they do). Wearing jackets embroidered with 'Tuts' logos, you get a sense that the bulging audience of teenage girls want to be part of this modern day 'Pink Lady' gang. They murder a cover of 'Rudie Can't Fail' but the only ones tutting are the parents who know the original. Despite this, I have no doubt that The Tuts will have picked up new followers on Twitter tonight.

In the past couple of years, the Rescue Rooms has had a layout change and the bar is now at the back of the venue rather than at the side. There's still an upper level balcony running around the venue and many have taken the opportunity to grab a spot from this higher vantage point. Whilst Photographer Phil takes his position in the pit, I retire to the back of the room. This'll be my Dad corner for the rest of the night.

I'll be honest – I've never taken much of an interest in Kate Nash. She's been background music at festivals I've been to. Some said she played a blinder the year she broke at Summer Sundae. She went on to headline the first ever Camp Bestival but I was more interested in The Wurzels. I always had her down as something of a Lily Allen tribute act, myspace-manufactured by record label executives a la Sandi Thom. So I was a little surprised to discover on listening to her latest album, 'Girl Talk' that there was quite a bit to hold my interest. She's dropped the polite piano patter (along with her teapot) and picked up a bass. Her sound is now edgier, transformed into something akin to punky lo-fi. It's Riot Grrr with tunes. There seems to be more of a purpose to what she's doing.



Kate takes to the stage. Her hair is beehive-badger like, one side white and one side black; from this distance, her dress looks cut to shreds but is probably designer chic. I feel compelled to say that she shares the stage with three other women dressed in black T-shirts, all with a white heart logo pierced by an arrow. If this were the Beatles, would I feel the need to point out their gender? Probably not.

The band rattle through songs from the latest album. 'Sister' merges into 'Part-Heart' and whilst there's much to admire in the opening ventricles of this set, I can't help feeling that the audience are missing the beat. Perhaps, these songs are too new to register instant recognition for it's only really when Kate puts down her bass and begins to wig out in a Charleston-like manner to hit from the second album, 'Do-Wah-Doo' that the audience erupts. Kate joins the mosh-pit and you can hear the squeals of love as she is mobbed.

Kate clearly understands her audience and many of the moments in this set are preceded by words of advice. She's an Auntie giving advice to admiring nieces; an older sister who's been through some tough times and has lived to tell the tale. "Life's too short", says Kate as she tells all about her close, beautiful friend who passed away last year after Cystic Fibrosis got the better of her. "Don't hang out with dickheads, it's important to spend time with people who care about you", she notes in a thinly veiled attack on the dickheads she's hung out with. 2Billy Bragg is awesome. I wrote this one after Pussy Riot got put in prison – you can't do that to somebody just because they're being critical of you", and she launches into 'Free My Pussy'. I make a mental note to not be too critical.

Songs from 'Girl Talk' are now meshing with songs seemingly more familiar to the audience. 'Mariella' draws the most frenzied response of the night so far and it's immediately followed up by an almighty audience singalong in the form of 'Foundations'. The crowd aren't reserved anymore and Kate has built up an affinity with her following. She tells all how she's only been able to do this because of them, how getting dropped from her record label was hard but her fans got her through, how she loves to go into schools and encourage other girls to get into music, how it doesn't matter how you look and you don't have to be a perfect image. "Music is all about rebellion" she states and we all rock out to set-closer, 'Underestimate The Girl' convinced that you'd underestimate this girl at your peril.

"Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate" chant the younger sisters. Kate and her guitar player, Linda, come to the stage again for an encore of 'We Get On'. Standing here in my Dad corner, I'm not sure this is a sentiment aimed at me but I'm absolutely sure that 85% of the audience are sold – yes, I notice the Kate Bush fans dancing down the front too.

FUTURE GIGS