Kate Nash kicks off US NME Awards tour in Atlanta

Kate Nash kicked off the first-ever US NME Awards tour in Atlanta, Georgia last night (April 15), previewing new material for fans who had driven for hours to see her perform.

Speaking from Asheville, North Carolina where she will perform tonight (April 16), Nash said that yesterday's show at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse was "a really good start" to the tour.

"The crowd was so nice, we had a good banter and they were really good at properly listening," she told NME.COM. "When it was a quiet song the audience was quiet and then to the livelier songs they were really into it and jumping around and stuff."

The crowd responded enthusiastically to Nash's new material, including 'Model Behaviour', 'Paris', 'Pickpocket' and 'I Hate Seagulls'.

"The amazing thing is, last night people had traveled like seven hours to the show," she said. "America's so big if people want to see shows I guess they have to do that -- it could be seven or eight hours away and they drive back that night which is crazy."

Nash said she hopes to bring her friend from London, performance artist Dockers MC, to perform at some upcoming shows. "She does spoken word and she's really good. I think she'll go down really well so I think she might be able to come down and do some shows with us."

Meanwhile, the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are opening on the tour.

"They're really good," said Nash. "If you haven't seen them before then you're missing out. They're a family--mum and dad and daughter and the daughter plays the drums and she's really cute and cool and they're all really clever."

Nash said she's looking forward to exploring new cities on her first cross-country US tour. "I'm really up for these towns I've never been to before, places like Asheville or Atlanta, places you don't really know what they look like because they're not New York or LA that are fashionable and get all the press," she said.

"I think they're really fun to look around and meet people and find independent shops. I found this amazing chocolate shop that made its own caramel and toffee apples and marshmallows!"

Are you going to the see Kate Nash on tour? Send your stories, reviews and pictures to news@nme.com with Nash as the subject and we will publish the best.

Kate Nash's NME Awards Tour visits the following venues:

Asheville Orange Peel (16)
Washington DC 9:30 Club (17)
Towson Recher Theatre (18)
Philadelphia Trocadero (19)
Boston Paradise Rock Club (21)
New York City Webster Hall (23, 24)
Coachella Festival (26)
Toronto Phoenix (28)
Detroit St Andrew's Hall (30)
Chicago Vic Theatre (May 2)
Minneapolis First Avenue (3)
Boulder Fox Theatre (5)
Vancouver Richard's On Richards Cabaret (8)
Seattle Showbox At The Market (9)
Portland Wonder Ballroom (11)
San Francisco Fillmore (13)


Nash's tour celebrates the NME Awards moving across the Atlantic for the first time, with this year's ceremony to be held at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre on April 23.

More information on the NME Awards 2008 can be found in NME.COM's dedicated US Awards section.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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The NME Awards USA 2008 are coming soon -- and it's time to have your say. Vote now by heading to Nme.com/usaawards and you could win VIP tickets to the ceremony, which takes place in Los Angeles on April 23.