She's British

Much excitement was in the air this evening as Kate Nash arrived back in NYC for her first show here (besides a flirt with the Virgin Megastore) since her popularity has gone from minor to insane-o wowy. Many adorable teenage girls piled into the Bowery Ballroom for this 18-and-over affair, and it was precious when I saw one of them excitedly take a camera-phone picture of a Made of Bricks promotional poster that was hung on the wall, most likely to soon be made her pink Razr backdrop. “Doesn’t she know they’re giving those things away for free?” I said. Anyway, a good–sized crowd made it out for openers Salt & Samovar, a rockin’ band that seemed not so much appropriately paired with Kate, but then again they did appear to be rather young. Each member’s individual sound meshed well as they incorporated lovely vocal harmonies into their sometimes bluesy, sometimes country, but generally rock band sound. These are some talented folks, including certainly the lead singer/guitarist who delivered impressive solos, and the bassist who thudded along nimbly through the numbers and sang out some impressively low notes like a pro.

And then darling Kate emerged in a cute little dress with her hair done up all purdy. I had it in my mind that perhaps her live performance would make up a crucial part of her appeal, because while her songs aren’t terribly unique or complex, the person behind them and the character they exude is so many things. That person shone through during every song performed this night, washing away any skepticism to leave me entertained sure, but also charmed . Her straightforward, storytelling style presents not the general, detached love or break-up song, but rather the sort of tale you might have heard from a pal or brooded over confusedly as a teenager in your parent’s basement. She’s got the slice-of-life thing goin’ on, and a narrative style that assures you that she too experiences all the insanity of today’s modern confused dater. She’s like, totally human man. All this is done with frankness and sincerity, so that in combination with her quirky adorableness she seems like a trustworthy narrator. As an added bonus, her voice live was quite strong and sounded just like the performance on her album, proving that besides cuteness and relatability she’s got some vocal talent in her.

And so, while she might actually be Regina Spektor, Kate Nash performed well and added a good number of bricks to her path to stardom.