Filthy Underneath is the latest offering from Nadine Shah and her most personal record yet. The album focuses on the battles she has faced with addiction since losing her mother to cancer.
“French Exit” takes you through the torment of her suicide attempt, “just a French exit/ a quiet little way out/ nothing explicit/ Nina to drown the noise out.” Shah writes with the infectious humor that has made her so popular, and this is no more evident than in “Topless Mother,” where she writes candidly about a counselor she couldn’t click with. “I want to get inside your house/ I want to have a proper nose about/ when you were born they broke the mold.”
Filthy Underneath is the first record released on the newly established EMI North label. Having commenced the tour in her hometown of Newcastle, Shah also played a date at Manchester’s New Century.
Shah enters on stage to “Fool” and rapturous applause from the audience. “Even Light” is the first track the crowd is treated to this evening. Drenched in blood-red light, Shah begins to belt out the first track somewhat effortlessly as the floor begins to shake from the thumping bass.
Shah accelerates through the first few tracks of the set without a word to the audience, all the while bouncing enthusiastically around the stage. With her infectious humor, she says, “We always sell out first here. It’s a really special place. We don’t say that to all the cities!”
“You Drive, I Shoot” elicits an enthusiastic reaction with groove-laden rhythms and unweaving vocal performance. Her presence on stage is engrossing, almost theatrical at times, and it is hard not to be in awe.
However, the only minor fault of the evening is the drummer excitedly starting one of Anna Calvi’s tracks, met with a look of bewilderment by Shah before stopping the drummer and saying, “Nadine Shah is the one you play for! Sorry, that messed with my head a bit!” in her recognizable Geordie accent.
From the thunderous rhythms present all evening, the mood in the venue became subdued as “Hyperrealism” and “French Exit” had the crowd motionless. Shah, standing alone on stage, belted out note-perfect lyrics with heartfelt emotion.
Filthy Underneath favorite “Greatest Dancer” got the crowd back to their feet; with its infectious distorted baseline, pounding drums, and shimmering vocals, it was difficult to stand still.
Nadine then addresses the crowd, “This is our last song; I don’t do encores because they’re silly. I also wish for a ceasefire in Palestine (harking back to her heritage of Pakistani origin); thank you so much for being here tonight, Manchester; I hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves.” Ending with “Out The Way,” it was a night filled with passion, emotion, and raw talent.
It was wonderful to see Nadine Shah back where she belongs after all she has experienced.