I have never been able to make my mind up about Kate Nash. I think she writes good pop songs but is actually quite annoying with some silly exaggerated accent and cutesy lyrics with dubious rhyming couplets. After the gig, I felt much the same. She has shed the girly dresses in exchange for a more Bat for Lashes, Florence Welch clothing attack and tonight entertained us in a kind of winged dress but it was admittedly pretty funny when she told the crowd she’d been a bit nervous before the gig and she lifted her fringe to reveal that she’d painted her forehead entirely blue. The gig was to try out her new material, so it wasn’t very well polished and there was a lot of issues with the equipment and lots of changing of guitars and the roadies were essentially on stage as much as the band. But these are just technical glitches. The breaking news about Nash’s “difficult second album” is that she’s gone a bit mad. Bit more edgy. Bit shouty. And I like it. Well sometime I like it. If the first album was Kate as a cute 8-year-old, this album is Kate as an angry 13-year-old. Yes. There are lots of songs about “dickheads” and “wankers” (sorry, “wankaaaars”), as well as songs about how much she hates seagulls and getting scabs but it’s ok, because she loves you. It’s more experimental and interesting; she’s taken influences for 50’s Americana as well as early PJ Harvey kind of stuff. I expect this will alienate her more pop-orientated fan base a little, but (without sounding like the American government) that’s just collateral for a more interesting Nash. And don’t worry; she still rhymed ‘sick’ and ‘nits’ so all’s not lost for cutesy Kate. Just be prepared for chaotic Kate.