Kate Nash: The Cheese & Grain, Frome, 24/7/2025.

For the last three weeks or so I think I have had a mild case of the post-Glastonbury blues. Ordinary life has seemed a bit dull and boring, and watching the news only adds to the depression. There was also the feeling that summer is slipping by, and I’m not getting out and about enough and enjoying the nice evenings. Anyway, on Monday night in my local pub I saw a What’s On guide for The Cheese & Grain in Frome. We are very fortunate to have such a great local venue because they have had lots of famous acts play there recently such as Supergrass, CMAT, The Libertines, Wunderhorse and The Selector all of whom played at Glasto. I read that Kate Nash was playing there on Thursday, so decided to get myself a ticket. I must have bought one of the last tickets available because by the time Thursday arrived it was a complete sell-out. I must admit that I knew very little about Kate Nash beforehand. She had played at Glasto on the Leftfield stage which made me think that her heart was in the right place. Also, I knew that she had made a number 1 best selling album a long time ago and the couple of songs I had heard on youtube reminded me of Lily Allen because of her London accent. Even if I wasn’t very familiar with her songs, I figured that any live music would lift me out of the slough of despond. 

My main concern was that I would be the oldest person there by about 30 years.  However, when my taxi dropped me outside the hall and I surveyed the queue of people entering I was relieved to see that all age groups were represented from youngsters to oldies like me. They have a nice outdoor bar area which is perfect for a pleasant summer evening, so I got myself a pint of Thatcher’s Haze cider and sat out there for a while until it was time for the support band who were called Nobody’s Dad. They are a four-piece, two male, two female, young indie rock band from Bristol who played a short, loud and entertaining set of songs. One of the songs was about a pet goldfish called Margo. The girl on guitar and vocals was particularly impressive. They were obviously very pleased and grateful to Kate Nash for giving them the opportunity to play to such a large audience. 

Nobody's Dad.

During the interval I sat outside again and enjoyed the last of the evening sunshine. One good thing about a standing gig at the Cheese & Grain is that it is quite easy to get near the front by walking up the side of the hall. However, when Kate came on stage promptly at 9.00 to huge applause from the packed hall although I had a great view of herself, I couldn’t see all the band from my side position. I can’t give you a setlist I’m afraid because I only caught the names of about four or five songs and guessed what some other songs were from the lyrics. I filmed two songs called Ray and Mouthwash (See video).

Kate also sang a new song which I think was called Rage. Other songs I hope were called Wasteman, Dickhead, Germ, Foundations and My Bile. I was very impressed with Kate as a charismatic performer. She has great stage presence and knows how to get the audience on her side. The audience were obviously a lot more knowledgeable than me and sang along to many of the songs. At one point Kate went into the audience and disappeared from sight. I bet the security staff were relieved when she finally reappeared. Before the show I had this idea that she was a kind of cockney folkie type singer, but nothing could be further from the truth. I would describe the music as loud indie pop/rock.  The subject matter of some songs seems to be about such topics as mental health, and dealing with relationships (often toxic relationships). There is a large political element to her music as well, and she went to great lengths explaining things that make her angry at the moment. 

At one point she produced a Palestinian flag and made a speech denouncing Keir Starmer and the government for classing people who are active in support of the people of Gaza as terrorists. By the audience response you could see that most of them agreed with her. Later in the show she voiced her anger at feminists who are transphobic (probably referring to the likes of J.K. Rowling). Some of the song titles and the subject matter might seem a bit depressing, but the audience obviously love Kate Nash, and she loves the audience. I enjoyed the show immensely and felt quite uplifted by it. On the way out I bought her most recent album called 9 Sad Symphonies which I might review soon after a few more listens. Thank you very much Kate Nash, Nobody’s Dad and The Cheese & Grain for a most enjoyable evening in Frome.

 

Kate Nash in Frome. Mouthwash