Kate Nash wearing Geoffrey Mac
photographer / SANTIAGO FELIPE
story /TIFFANY DIANE TSO
location / The Spectrum /
Thanks to Gage Boone & Nicholas Gorham
Kate Nash’s closet punk seemed to oust itself overnight. Her transition from indie pop Myspace fame to fronting an all-girl punk band, Nash explains, was more of a natural progression than a flip of the switch. With the release of her album, Girl Talk, produced by Tom Biller (Kanye West, Elliot Smith), she has transformed seamlessly from teen pop prodigy to professional musician, actress and role model, running an all-girl after school music club. Her newest video for the track “Sister” is full of angst, rage and raw gut wrenching emotion.
Says Kate, “It was the first song I wrote on bass for the record, before that came ‘Fri-end?’ which I wrote on the guitar. Once I wrote ‘Sister’ I was like “Fuck yeah this is what my record is gonna be like,” and I just dove straight into it from there, it made me really excited. And I really had figured out how I wanted to use my voice.”
Your latest album Girl Talk is a bit of a change from your previous two – what sparked the transformation?
I think it’s one of those things where it felt really natural to me, like a natural progression. All my records, I feel like, make total sense, first, second and third. But it’s one of those things, if you look at yourself in the mirror everyday, and you see yourself, and then someone you haven’t seen for three years goes, “oh, you look so different,” and you’re like, “oh really, I didn’t realize,” ‘cause you just see yourself everyday. So, I kind of didn’t realize how different people think it was.
Who are some of your punk inspirations?
Hole, Bikini Kill and Buzzcocks. I love Buzzcocks, because they’re just pop tunes really, but done by a punk band. I feel like I’m always going to be a pop artist, because I really love melodies and harmonies.
What about Fidlar? (Fidlar was blasting the entire photo shoot)
I’ve been friends with those guys for awhile. We met a couple years ago. I’ve done a couple movies, and my manager in L.A. works with this girl. It was a weird story. Basically, my manager got hit by a car, and this girl rang me and said, “this is happening.” I was like, “whoa.” She was like, “do you want to come back to my apartment,” because we didn’t know how long they’d be in the hospital overnight. So I went back to her apartment. She lives with Brandon and Zack from Fidlar. We all just hit it off. They’re some of my best friends now. They stay at my house when they’re in London
I read that your dream acting role would be in a Tarantino film, what’s your favorite movie of his?
Death Proof, hence “Death Proof”. And Kill Bill, as well, is fucking awesome. I love Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2. I just think he’s so smart and funny.
Speaking of dreams, what are your dreams like?
Oh my god, wow. I have fucked up dreams. I have a lot of nightmares. They’re not really weird or trippy or anything. It’s just always someone is trying to kill me. It’s always to do with being killed or running away. I have a lot of zombie dreams.
Do you have any recurring dreams?
I had a recurring dream when I was a kid. It was in a field, open space, hay, corn, wheat fields, breezy, gentle. There would be these tiny, tiny flowers, like five in a row. And suddenly, this giant floating stone cube would be hovering, and then it would just suddenly (sound effect) crush the little flowers, and then hover and move over and (sound effect) crush the little flowers. It was so fucking scary, and I have no idea why. And I was really confused as a child – why is it so terrifying? It was one of those fever nightmares.
Is writing and recording a trigger for your stress dreams?
No. Maybe, but not because of that. It’s so different every time. For me, this third record was the best two months of my life, because I was in LA and staying in this fucking mansion. It was insane. It was weird, and I worked with Tom Biller, who is the most genius, coolest dude of all time. I had the best time of my life recording. It’s really nice; you’re hidden away, you’re in a little cave, hibernating and tweaking stuff in your own world. It’s only when that finishes that you go, “oh, now I have got to share this with the world.”
photo / courtesy Kate Nash
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
04/05 – Ink’s Middle of the May Festival – Kansas City, MO
04/11 – Coachella Festival – Indio, CA
04/14 – The Roxy Theater – Los Angeles, CA
04/18 – Coachella Festival – Indio, CA
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