LIVE REVIEW: Kate Nash in Somervile, MA (11.03.26)
Last week, singer-songwriter, actress, and activist Kate Nash kicked off her North American tour at Arts at the Armory in Somerville, Mass. It was a treat to see the 39-year-old perform in this intimate venue, which seats 350. It was also fun to see her Instagram posts from the day before, showing her out and about in Boston, including a stop at FoMu for vegan ice cream. [Nash is a longtime vegan.] “I’m nervous because it’s the first gig,” Nash shared. “I’m overwhelmed,” Nash explained, saying she’s been working on her sixth studio album, Cailín [pronounced Colleen], for 11 years. She’s half Irish and half English and wanted to “explore why I am the way I am.” The result is an album about her Irish heritage scheduled for release on January 22, 2027. Before opening the 90-minute set with a subdued yet still viscerally angry cover of Sinead O’ Connor’s “Famine,” she said: “England is pretty guilty when it comes to every catastrophe” and that this song continues to be important.
This was my third time seeing Kate Nash perform. The first was at the House of Blues in 2013, the second at Royale in 2018. She wore a Celtics jersey as a dress at that show. She’s always amazing. She’s chatty and outspoken. Her shows combine energetic power pop with invigorating, provocative, and inspiring feminist messaging. She fights for trans rights and speaks up in her support for Palestine. Next year, Nash turns forty and her debut album, Made of Bricks, turns twenty. That tour should be fire.
Nash introduced ” Cailín” as about “being underestimated as a girl. Which happens a fucking lot.” She told the audience that “singing is healing” and encouraged the audience to sing the chorus– “create create create.” She ran off the stage and through the crowd to everyone’s delight. Nash urged the audience to stand when she started singing “Mouthwash” [from Made of Bricks] and most remained standing for the rest of the evening.
Nash does a lot of speak-singing –similar to Lily Allen, with sharp commentary and pop hooks–and tackles important topics like sexual assault. She’s also in the same vein as Regina Spektor and Feist–with quirky, interesting arrangements and lyrics. “You’re So Cool, I’m So Freaky” ended with a long hold on freaky. She’s accompanied on tour by two women–one playing fiddle and the other guitar. Nash herself plays guitar on a few songs and her tin whistle —for those classic Irish music vibes— on others.
She went power punk with “Spilt Milk,” a song about abortion that she wrote in 2015 when abortion was still illegal in Ireland. It features lots of heavy metal undertones and fuzzy melodies with cavernous vocals. She noted that Roe v. Wade has been overturned and “unfortunately many of the political songs have become relevant.” She added: “music is a way to feel empowered. Music is a source of people coming together.”
Another newer song–the spoken word “GERM” criticizes TERFs [an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminists] and features the lines “Girl, you’re not radical…you’re not rad at all/ Girl, exclusionary, regressive, misogynist.” Nash mentioned the debate in the UK related to trans rights and feminism. She said the UK is known as one of the worst places in the world for trans people with TERFs and transphobia. “I am an outspoken feminist,” Nash proudly declared. “I always have been.” Here are a few of the powerful lines of the song: “I feel no threat from any trans person that might be in the toilets/I’ve never felt threatened by a trans person as it turns out/ The 69, 958 rapes that were reported between October 2023 and September 2024 in the UK do slightly concern me, though/ 91% of people prosecuted for sexual offenses are cis men aged eighteen plus/ The biggest threat to cis women sadly comes from cis men”
After a short break for a medical emergency in the audience, Nash performed an acoustic version of “Rage,” which is not going to be on the new album. “So you’ll have to wait 40 years,” she joked. She’s got jokes! Nash recognized a woman in the audience who she’d met in a cafe and who had come up to her and said, “has anyone ever told you you look like Kate Nash?” One recurring lighter thread throughout the night was Nash’s fascination with a post she saw out on the bulletin board. A young man named Isaiah had posted a personal ad in search of dates. A woman in the audience said she knew him and in minutes he’s on the speaker phone and everyone at the venue became privy to his quest for a partner. Nash seemed particularly invested. She’s truly charming and endearing.
She sang a lovely, nostalgic and gentle Christmas tune, “Christmas Eve,” about her grandparents meeting in Dublin. “I don’t want it to be over,” she exclaimed before closing the set with an invigorating “Foundations.” The encore was “Birds,” a romantic ditty. “I have the best fans,” Nash gushed.
Featured image by: Ellius Grace
