This was my first time at Warehouse 34, and I really liked it as a venue. It literally is a warehouse, just the one room but the perfect size - I love smaller venues because the atmosphere is so much stronger.
It didn't take long for the room to fill up, luckily I managed to get right to the front. I have to say that the music played while we were waiting was great! Some Hole, Joan Jett, Peaches, Le Tigre, Destiny's Child...
The Tuts are supporting Kate on this part of the tour, and I'd already fell in love with their music last year after Kate posted one of their songs on her blog. It's always great when you're looking forward to seeing the support band almost as much as the headliner, and if I'm honest, I enjoyed their set just as much as Kate's.
The Tuts are an indie-punk band made up of three amazing girls, Nadia, Harriet and Beverley. They took to the stage and from the start, you could tell how much they enjoy being onstage and playing music.
They played all four songs from their EP as well as their recent single Tut Tut Tut (which you should all download by the way, links at the end!), plus some new songs which left me really hoping they release another EP soon! They came across as really fun, chatting to the audience between songs and getting people dancing.
It was also great to see Kate and her band dancing alone at the side of the stage, it's always great to see female musicians supporting each other!
After a pain-staking wait, the lights changed and a video of Kate Nash lip-syncing to Lesley Gore's classic You Don't Own Me was projected onto the backdrop, as well as playing on the old television sets dotted round the stage. This went into the opening scene of Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! before Kate and her band members took the stage and launched into one of my favourite tracks from the new album, Sister. It was a perfect way to start a set and really set the tone for Kate's sound of riot grrrl inspired punk mixed with 60's girl groups.
The setlist was great and featured songs from all three of her albums. It was fun to hear her earlier piano-centric songs with a more guitar driven sound, like Foundations and, one of my favourites, Mariella. I was so happy she played Mariella as I know she changes the setlist around quite a lot and, being from her first album, wasn't as likely to be played as her newer songs.
All of her songs have such a great energy when you hear them played live and you can see how much the lyrics mean to Kate. She also really engaged with the crowd between songs, and it was clear how much she appreciated her fans.
The Tuts had been jumping around in the crowd during her set and during Under-Estimate the Girl facilitated a mini stage invasion (until security got in the way!). I hope those girls who got onstage feel inspired and went home to start their own bands!
Personal highlights for me were All Talk, Mariella, Do Wah Doo and OMYGOD.
After an encore of Meredith Brooks' Bitch and We Get On, I headed over to the merch table to see what was on offer. The Tuts were already there and were chatting to everyone - they were so friendly and signed my EP.
Kate came out after about five minutes - I can't count the number of times I've been to a gig where the headliner says they'll be around afterwards and take a ridiculously long time "getting ready", so this was a pleasant surprise!
She was lovely, so approachable and taking the time to talk to everyone - there was no rush, as you really got the sense that she would be sticking around until everyone had gone. I gave her a letter and two badges I'd made, a Hole one and a Buffy one. She seemed genuinely grateful, and gave me a hug before posing for a picture with me.
Overall, I can't say enough how great this gig was. There was such a great atmosphere, it just felt like such a positive and inspiring space. I hope she tours again soon - I'm greedy!
Kate Nash's Blog
The Tuts
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