TOTT #9: NADINE SHAH

My first experience of Nadine Shah this year was when she hushed the Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle to an awed silence with her support slot at Ajimal’s single launch. The North East lass went quiet after that, but recent evidence suggests she’s not been sat around doing nowt.

We first featured Nadine on October 1st, six weeks before the emergence of her Aching Bones EP. Since then, she’s been building up some serious momentum, gathering up column inches at an enviable rate. Every word of the hype about Nadine is justified, too, because she oozes pure talent and charisma from every pore.

Obviously she has that stunning, powerful voice, but the thing which elevates her above other her contemporaries is the songs. The EP has this wonderful air of darkness running throughout, a malevolent beauty which reminds me a bit of Zola Jesus. There’s so much to admire about Ms Shah, as is evidenced by this performance of ‘Never Tell Me Mam’, captured at her recent EP launch by KYEO.tv. It’s essentially a recording of her soundcheck, but there’s more depth and power to it than some artists achieve in a lifetime of gigging. Stay tuned for more on Shah in 2013, I’ve a feeling it’s going to be a big year for her.

Words by Paul Brown

Originally posted at Generator on December 11th