Kate Nash: More (and Less) Than Bargained For

Supercute @ Neumos

I was excited to see Kate Nash at an intimate venue like Neumos. I guess I should have expected the mostly teenaged crowd--given that her music is largely about the angst and bitterness of love, it makes sense.

kate nash @ neumos

The opening act was Supercute. Their whole shtick was being teenagers (two age 14, and one 16) and singing about typical teenage girl issues (even while swinging hula hoops, definitely impressive). Again, totally down with that, considering the age of the members and the age of the crowd. I may not be into it, but I can appreciate the music for what it is.

Unfortunately, from the get-go, they seemed to expect everyone to listen to their every word. They shushed the crowed about five times, thinking it would make a difference. The sense of entitlement was off-putting and reminded me of Sparkle Motion from Donnie Darko. Near the end of their 20-minute set, some asses in the balcony were shouting some things about finding them when they are legal, and then a couple items fell into the audience and on the stage. I happened to be next to a girl that was hit by one, which turned out to be a (still wrapped) condom. I thought that was more than rude, but what're you gonna do.

kate nash and band @ neumos

Then things started going south. The audience waited an hour for Nash to come onstage, and the temperature seemed to rise about 20 degrees. Everyone was growing extremely impatient (a group chanting "Kate" started and stopped at least five times). Finally, at around 11:10, Kate Nash wandered over to the far side of the stage, picked up a ring, and put it on her middle finger while giving the entirety of the balcony a very obvious gesture. I figured it was part of her bitchy act to match the music she sings, but she walked to the mic and proceeded to give a lecture.

She berated the entire crowd for treating a band, who she personally selected to come on tour, like crap. She made no apologies for keeping us waiting twice as long as it actually took to set up their equipment. The band seemed to agree with her, as they all were wearing Supercute shirts, an exclamation point on what she was saying. Her anger at the audience seemed to seep into her performance, because it felt pretty flat. I'm a fan, but I wasn't connected to her, the band, or the music.

Long before she came on stage, her roadie put a cloth over the front of her piano that said "A Cunt is a Good Thing to Have." I found this inappropriate for her mostly teenaged (and younger) crowd, but what was worse is that it also obstructed the view for the first few rows of devoted people that had arrived early to grab those coveted spots.