The Beat Surrender

As soon as I’d seen this gig announced in the quirkiest and post possibly best venue (for this sort of gig) in Leeds I was really desperate to go to it. It’s one of those rare places is the old City Varieties Music Hall, that no matter who or what you are seeing, it still feels like a real ‘event’.

For a start it’s tiny (it has a capacity of 551) and is still pretty much as it was in 1888 (actually built in 1865 but modified a few years later), as such it has a real charm about, from the boxes in the upper circle to the quaint way that the pension age ushers see you into the venue.

Which all fits in beautifully with Kate Nash, a slightly off the wall performer who despite having a couple of hits has an almost eccentric approach to song-writing as she mangles up her cockney accent with tales of everyday life and relationships that has certainly appealed to the student market, as well as one or two from the previous generation, along tonight like myself!

Choosing to take in two fairly new drinking establishments (they open up nearly every week it seems now in Leeds), we don’t get in to see either Blah Blah Blah or Metronomy, I’m more bothered about missing out on Metronomy who I’ve heard a recent single by, but I’m sure they’ll be around again.

We make our way to the seats after buying a drink to take in with us from the tiny bar and within ten minutes everything is ready to go onstage, she has a neon sign with her name on, a cloudy blue sky background and the backdrop is seemingly being blown by fans. The dramatic intro music comes on and it’s quite a striking sight.

..and with a hop a skip and a jump she’s onstage, miles taller than I thought she was and a damn sight prettier than I thought she was (and for that matter than my girlfriend thought she was). She does seem nervous and takes a moment or two two adjust herself on her stool behind the piano (see picture above courtesy of photographer Chris Dearnley) and then she’s off and running with her music.

She plays the piano with a real flourish and looks like she’s having a massive amount of fun being here, even the nervous giggles and shy yet amusing comments don’t detract from that feeling and her voice is a whole lot better live than she comes over on record. She really can sing, where as on record a few of the songs come across as spoken rather than sung.

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