FEATURE:
Modern Heroines
PHOTO CREDIT: Lucy Johnston
Part Eleven: Nadine Shah
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EVEN though Nadine Shah has not put an album out…
PHOTO CREDIT: Chalk & Blade
this year, her voice has been out in the world and inspiring people to vote. The deadline has now passed to register to vote in the upcoming General Electron and, if you see her Twitter account, you will hear and see Shah campaign to get the Tories out and make a smart call. Politics and improving Britain is very important to her. There is that sense of welfare and caring that is deep in her heart. Shah is a working-class artist from the North and, through her life, she has seen austerity and people overlooked because of their class and race – as a Muslim woman, Shah has faced discrimination and judgement around her. Shah is someone who wants Britain to remain in Europe and for our Nation Health Service to remain world-leading and funded. There are artists having their say and getting political but, in a world where artists can suffer by choosing a side and getting involved in the political debate, it is refreshing and empowering seeing Nadine Shah rally and shout out proud. She is angry at the current Government, but she knows change can come! Politics and the state of Britain is not just with her in her personal life; her music touches on themes of race and class. Shah is someone who writes about life and in a very honest and open way. Holiday Destination, released in 2017, should have won the Mercury Prize, as it was the year’s best album and, actually, it sounds more relevant now than it did a couple of years back! Not only has Shah been a bit of a leader and boss on social media, she has been capturing minds outside of politics.
I am reminded of her epic hosting duties at this year’s Q Awards. Shah was also the first woman to host the awards:
“Her third album Holiday Destination – a political record which contains songs about the refugee crisis – was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize the same year.
She said: “It’s a huge honour to be presenting the Q Awards this year, especially as their first ever female presenter. Have they even had a Geordie do it before?
“I attended the event last year and it’s like no other award show, everywhere you’d turn would be a musician you hold high regard for.
“There was a real feeling of solidarity, a mutual respect and celebration between all musicians present.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the Q team have up their sleeve this year. They’ve already raised the bar by hiring me!”
Shah was a wonderful presenter, and one hopes she will be invited to be the regular host – she cuts plenty of people down and was on top form! I suppose we better take things back to the start. Shah was born in South Tyneside, but she has Norwegian and Pakistani heritage (her father is Pakistani). Whilst there is not a lot of biographical information online, her Facebook page lists her influences as “Arthur Russell, Scott Walker, Emir Kusterica, Nick Cave, Nina Simone, PJ Harvey, Dolly Parton, Dirty Projectors, Tori Amos, Patti Smith, Lord Auch, Frida Kahlo, AA Bondy, The Irrepressibles, The Beach Boys, Black Flag, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Philip Larkin…”. I think Nadine Shah will be considered an icon of the future, because she is a terrific songwriter who is also a sensational musician.
Shah is someone who has a unique voice and a truly terrific voice. Politics play an important role in her music, but mental-health is also a key topic – one that has been part of her music since the start. Shah released two E.P.s prior to her debut album – Aching Bones (2012) and Dreary Town (2013) are fantastic works. Love Your Dum And Mad concerns the tragic death of two young men who were dear friends of Shah’s. The album is a raw and personal listen, but it is an album filled with heart, inspiration and important messages. Because Shah was reflecting on the premature deaths of close friends, you are gripped by every word and can hear the emotion in her voice. People are talking more about mental-health now, but it was not that commonly spoken about when Love Your Dum and Mad was released in 2013. People were aware of Shah, but her name was not that big in the fore; her best work was still ahead. Produced by Ben Hillier, Love Your Dum and Mad is a fantastic debut that announced the arrival of one of Britain’s best songwriters. The reviews for Nadine Shah’s debut were pretty impressive; critics could identify a songwriter with a long future ahead. There are many passionate reviews, but I wanted to quote from The Line of Best Fit, who had this to say:
“Produced by Ben Hillier (Depeche Mode, The Horrors), Shah’s long-awaited debut is finally upon us. ‘Dreary Town’, from the EP of the same name, makes an appearance. Cyclic, waltzing piano forges with desolate guitar plucks, the two nervously harmonising underneath Shah’s tempestuous torrent of emotion. It’s like the soundtrack to a deranged fairground, executed by a sombre organ-grinder and a sulking monkey. There’s a Zola Jesus-y twang, minus the electronics, in that it’s operatic, haunting and performed with gusto. Also appearing is ‘Aching Bones’, again from the EP of the same name. The cut’s a post-industrial paean, throbbing bass and clanking metal provide a vital rhythm that provides a spine for Shah’s possessed wail. She sings like a woman on the brink of giving up, allowing herself to succumb to agony – it’s a visceral glimpse into her brooding world.
The other efforts on the record are just as stellar as what we’ve already heard. ‘The Devil’ creaks with macabre guitar hooks, warped beyond rescue. It’s a shadowy tango, seemingly flecked with Iberian influences and the passionate, forceful rhythm. Her voice, trembling as if performing at a Baudelairian cabaret, is the tangible river through what is otherwise a largely electronic cut. ‘To Be A Young Man’ is washed with a post-punk brush, bringing those Nick Cave references to the forefront via Gothic, hopeless lyrics: “Now we’re stalking nine to fives in monotonous routine/ and any hope we had seems distant and obscene.” It’s vaguely grunge-y; distortion-laded guitars and nerve-wracked acoustic six-stringers writhe in harmonious terror, and Shah’s shellshocked croon feels weighed down by ash and dust in her throat.
Nadine Shah’s first foray into the world of LPs is an aural siege. Her unrelenting bouts of emotion don’t leave much space for breathing, and quite frequently you’ll be sucked into a vortex of spiralling despair; in a way, her sounds are claustrophobic. What originally appears to be quite simple, basic instrumentation (voice, piano, occasional guitar or synth), soon reveals itself to be something quite different. There are thick textures and engorged melodies that swell and bloat until they begin to choke you; but Shah doesn’t let up the assault. Her smoky, emotional noxious smog struggles to clear. She’ll hold you under the water with her voice until the last bubble bursts. And you won’t even try to stop her”.
I was a bit shocked Love Your Dum and Mad was not shortlisted for a Mercury, because it was definitely one of the best of 2013. Maybe it arrived (in July) at a time when the die was sort of cast, or maybe the judges overlooked a truly great album. In any case, I would urge people to investigate Shah’s debut, as it is a tremendous offering. Fast Food arrived in 2015, and it took her music up a step. In my view, Shah’s voice grew and her songwriting confidence also grew. Fast Food, again, is another album I expected to come with awards and nominations all over the shop! It is a shame that it was overlooked by many because, if you listen carefully, these incredible tracks unfold and reveal new beauty over time. Even in 2015, there was nobody in music who offered the same sounds and dynamics as Nadine Shah. I think she inspired a lot of songwriters after Fast Food’s release, as you could hear elements of Shah in so many new artists who came through in 2015/2016. Drowned in Sound praised Fast Food in their review:
“Much is made of the sheer power of Shah’s voice, but it’s also a hugely versatile tool which she employs here with a masterful restraint. There’s a lot to be said for the lightness of touch from producer Ben Hillier in facilitating this, freeing her to so effectively portray such a wide spectrum of emotions. Like Shah, he has a strong grasp of the power of simplicity and this makes for a number of Fast Food’s most powerful moments. ‘Divided’ for example, is one of the most affecting songs here, with the arrangement as naked as Shah’s delivery and lyrics: “My love, it was divided / Between his cheekbones and his knees… I let my hair loose for you / But I would scrape it back as soon as I would leave”.
Throughout Fast Food, there’s a strong sense of the songs having the space to breathe and develop at their own pace. ‘Big Hands’ and the hypnotically gorgeous ‘Nothing Else to Do’, for instance, both build from fragile origins to gently majestic finales. These moments are wonderful, but perhaps the greatest triumphs on this album are when Shah indulges her deceptively sharp pop nous. ‘Stealing Cars’, for example is full of hooks from the moment she opens her mouth. ‘Fool’, meanwhile is driven by irresistible shards of Interpol-esque guitar and casts Shah as the chief assailant in a deliciously spiteful (if tongue in cheek) taunting of a predictable, pretentious Cave and Kerouac obsessive. It’s a fantastic piece of work, and one of the strongest singles to have been released so far this year.
If Love Your Dum and Mad floated the idea that Nadine Shah was capable of greatness, then Fast Food confirms this as fact. The songs on this record have been delivered with the kind of aplomb that only someone with an unshakeable confidence in their work can muster, which suggests that Nadine Shah’s artistic future is mouthwatering. Perhaps that’s a discussion for another day though, and we should probably just savour what she’s doing right now. One thing’s sure, though, Nadine Shah is no longer ‘one to watch for the future’, but a bona fide creative force in the here and now.
The difference between the tragedy and emotion of Love Your Dum and Mad and the lighter tones of Fast Food are clear. Nadine Shah conducted some great interviews around the time of Fast Food, speaking with journalists about her progress and themes tackled. In 2015, Shah spoke with London in Stereo about her latest work:
“Much has changed since we last heard from Nadine Shah in 2013. Love Your Dum and Mad was a brutally candid album rooted in personal tragedy. It was a record weighed heavy with earnest emotion that introduced us to a voice praised by critics, and a talent that garnered widespread acclaim for the Whitburn native. The impression of her first release cast a long shadow, but 2015 sees Nadine armed with a new noise and a new outlook.
Prepare for a colourful second act…
“I said to him ‘Try to imagine the Italian horror films from the 70s. I want really vibrant, vivid colour’ and he got it spot on.” Nadine Shah is explaining to me the brief she gave for the striking artwork accompanying Fast Food. As we speak she is travelling through London on her way to meet the artist, David Stith, for some beers and a chat at an exclusive event in Soho. The vision behind the artwork is strong, and with some talented help the pieces have come to life. Blood drips, layers splice, colours burst; a statement of intent before we even hear a note. Soon these images will grace the sleeve of Fast Food on its release later this month.
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadine Shah
With new skills and a reinvigorated interest in her art in tow, next came the invaluable proving ground of the Pizza Express Jazz Club. Nadine quite rightly states “It doesn’t sound like a very cool place at all!” but it provided the ideal environment for a young jazz singer. Nadine became a regular at the club, learning from the other performers and taking her chances to hone her skills on the stage. She also had the chance to bend the ear of the greats.
“I remember Georgie Fame and Mose Allison coming in from time to time. They gave me some fantastic advice. It was the best experience a young musician could have. It was wonderful.”
So what should listeners expect from Fast Food? Before the release of her first album Nadine was an unknown quantity. Now there are expectations to surpass or subvert. “It’s a coming of age record of sorts, though I hate the phrase! At its core it’s really about a succession of short-lived, intense love affairs.” Nadine sounds slightly uncomfortable discussing the meaning behind her work which is to be expected. Her songs are often unflinching and introspective, and with the subject of past love there are bound to be some wounds still yet to fully heal.“I’m at an age now where I’m starting to care less about a lot of things. I’ve started to look at love differently the older I get and I’ve learned some important lessons. You come to realise that you’re never going to be someone’s first love ever again”.
I love reading interviews from Shah and listening to her speak. She is witty and warm, but there is this humour and directness that captures the heart and mind. So many artists have very little to say, yet Nadine Shah always fascinates and enriches in interviews. She is an amazing role model and someone I know is inspiring so many people, not just musically.
2017 was a big year for Shah as she put out Holiday Destination in August and was getting a lot of attention. As a live performer, Shah is one of the most exciting and connective around. She can bring an audience into her music and has that power to transform and drop the knees. If she is touring in London next year, I will be sure to catch her as she is very near the top of my list of dream gigs. I do love artists that can use the stage as a performance space where they express themselves; they can get into the crowd and are not just stuck behind a microphone all night. I want to bring in a gig review from The Independent, who reviewed Shah in 2017:
“Often, Shah’s songs built to a moment of disorientating deconstruction where we’re forced as listeners to experience unfamiliar alienation, crossing uncanny musical borders in the process as genres clash and jar. It’s deliberately unsettling surrealism, forcing us to empathise with those in similar situations around the world, “to play a tiny part in humanising the dehumanised,” as Shah put it last night, her theatrical voice all the while conveying the drama of characters experiencing this every day.
“There are millions of people all over the world displaced in situations we could never imagine because we’re so f****** lucky,” Shah said before final emotive song "Mother Fighter". Dedicated to “a political activist and mother,” Raga, a character who Shah discovered via the film A Syrian Love Story, the song sees Shah at her angriest: “these streets they are yours and they’re mine,” she scorns to those who think otherwise.
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadine Shah
As well as the political, Shah still levels in the personal, reaching out to people through the more familiar themes of mental health and failed relationships, making intense, individual contact with her audience as always. Channelling "Let England Shake "era PJ Harvey and Siouxsie and the Banshees, Shah last night showed us how we find compassion and hope in the current wilderness; hers is a pervasive sonic and lyrical narrative”.
Holiday Destination, as I say, is a huge album that was much-loved by critics. It saw, again, Shah improving and releasing her best music to date. I do think it was unfair Shah was denied glory in 2018 at the Mercurys. It is an oversight Shah herself recognised. No matter. Holiday Destination is an album that took Nadine Shah to new audiences and got her a lot of respect. I have been following her career since the earliest days, and it is amazing to see how she has grown and evolved. I will bring this feature to a close but, when thinking about Holiday Destination, I am minded of the balance of the hard-hitting and light. Shah could mix political songs and heavier moments with playfulness and wit. It is an exceptional album that gathered a load of critical praise. AllMusic had their say in 2017:
“Holiday Destination is Nadine Shah's third record, and it's the one that sees her emerge from the ubiquitous PJ Harvey and Nick Cave comparisons most fully. Certainly, as far as Harvey and Shah's music is compared, there are certain aesthetic and thematic crossovers, but the latter's political concerns feel acutely direct and personal compared to the more conceptual nature of Harvey's later work. With this latest record she tackles big and troubling issues apparent both in her native U.K. and around the world, yet those heavy themes are consistently met with a playful, limber, and imaginative musicality. Opener "A Place Like This" pairs funk rhythms with pro-refugee protest chants, and "2016" speaks of "Fascists in the Whitehouse" among nimble guitar riffs and a crisp, disjointed beat.
The bracing lead single "Out the Way" is a frank cautionary tale about the rise of nationalism and the treatment of second generation immigrants -- "Where would you have me go?/I'm second generation/Don't you know?" -- and its jittery, marching rhythm, vibrating guitar, and lunging sax feed into the urgency and importance of the narrative. The title track was inspired by news footage of holiday makers in Greece complaining of the refugee crisis' effect on their break, and still its danceability doesn't detract from the troubling lyrical content, which warns, "Fatalities in the water/traffic jam by your side/feed your son, feed your daughter/how you gonna sleep tonight?/the bad guys they are winning." Unlike her previous records, which were recorded live, Shah has described Holiday Destination as a studio album. However, there is little to fear in terms of this record being too polished, as it's lost none of the character of her previous efforts. "Yes Men" is an example of light production touches serving the songs beautifully as Shah's vocal is repositioned to the fore. The pace is slowed, but not at the expense of impact -- her voice admonishes sycophants who peddle lies in service to their own agenda with a rich sensory power. It's an album filled with wonderful moments from the delicious grooves of "Evil" to "Mother Fighter's" entrancing hooks, and they only ever serve to deepen Shah's message. To have made this collection as musically grim as the problems she addresses could have left a sense of hopelessness ringing in the air. But this lively and spirited musical landscape celebrates music's ability to unite as much as it eloquently protests division”.
I have talked about the lure of Nadine Shah as a person. Her music tells you a lot about her life and mindset, but there is a different side that reveals itself when you see interviews. I gravitate towards artists that are accessible and you can relate to. Shah is someone who is open about her personal life and family. I know artists and songwriters will take a lot of impetus from Shah and can see someone who speaks to them. In fact, as a non-musician, I can find a kindred spirit in her. Shah has been busy encouraging people to vote and she wants better things for this country. One might assume her work to be quite grim and angry, but there is a lot of passion, strength and optimism. The world is definitely more interesting having Nadine Shah in it and, as we await another studio album, take a listen to brilliant gems like Holiday Destination. I will finish up with a couple of interviews Shah provided last year. When speaking with The Guardian, she was asked her about her family and social/political side:
“Her third album, Holiday Destination, is her first Mercury nomination, and has taken her from noirish piano balladeer to noirish breakthrough rocker on heavy indie-radio rotation. Her themes on this record have particularly resonated. Inspired – or rather crushed by – the unrelenting doom cycle of 2016, she covers the Syrian refugee crisis, Trump’s election, the EU referendum, the rise of nationalism and a “decline in empathy”. A news item in which holidaymakers were bemoaning the arrival of refugees in Greece inspired its acerbic title; Stevie Wonder and Talking Heads inform its jerky, skeletal, metallic funk and bristling post-punk.
At first, Shah was scared to make an album that tackled weighty injustices such as the refugee crisis, for fear she’d be the target of similar accusations. She has, however, always been socially conscious. Her first album, 2013’s Love Your Dum and Mad, dealt with the deaths of two former boyfriends, and she has become an ambassador for mental health charities like Calm. By the time she started writing Holiday Destination, her brother had been making documentaries on the refugee frontline for years, while other source material included Sean McAllister’s 2015 film A Syrian Love Story. It inspired her track Mother Fighter, which looked at conflict from a mother’s point of view; she kept returning to the documentary when writing the lyrics to make sure she got the story right. “You have to make sure that you’re responsible and fact-checking what you’re saying,” she says.
Holiday Destination could have been the grim musical equivalent of a BBC News 24 report. But she draws on her own experiences, too, of racism and feeling culturally adrift. Her father is Pakistani and her mother English with Norwegian heritage. Shah says: “I’ve never been white enough to be white, or brown enough to be brown. At Asian weddings, I’d get called ‘gora’” – a Pakistani slur sometimes used to describe a white person – “and in school I’d be called Paki.” On the single Out the Way she sings: “Where would you have me go / I’m second-generation, don’t you know,” because, she says, swirling her G&T, “people were starting to say to me on social media: ‘Go back to where you come from’, and I was like: ‘What? Whitburn?’”
Being one of the most visible Muslim women with a guitar, she constantly gets asked how she feels about the lack of women of colour in indie music, but it’s a subject she’ll never tire of. “I refuse to stop talking about being Asian. Some people think that’s me being opportunistic, like I’m playing the Asian card, but I feel a responsibility to speak out. Islamophobia is totally on the rise, it’s terrifying. My cousins, who have brown skin and are full Pakistani, they’re still getting shouted at in the street”.
I am not sure what 2020 holds for Nadine Shah. She has a gig at The Roundhouse on 10th December, and she will be looking to have a quiet end to the year. There is that excitement of next year and what she can achieve. There are going to be more dates coming, I am sure, but Shah has plenty to reflect on when it comes to inspiration for a new album. The political situation in Britain is tense and, depending on which way the General Election goes, a forthcoming album could be quite tense, or it could be more hopeful. Many people will be watching nervously in a few weeks when we know which party has won the General Election. I am sure Nadine Shah is crossing her fingers for a Labour victory and will have plenty to say when the results come in. I think she will put out new work next year and, as we look forward to that, take a listen to the incredible music she has already released – there is a playlist at the bottom of this feature. I want to end with an interview she gave this year actually; she spoke with The Guardian (again) about Glastonbury, Barry White and upcoming material:
“How well do you embody Barry White?
It’s hilarious. I’m going to be Pakistani geordie Barry White! Of the two songs I’ve got, both have a sexy talking bit at the beginning. So I said to Charles, I’m not going to do that bit, right? And he said: “Oh, but you must.” And I said: Charles, in my accent, talking sexy? Lines like: “And you know you want it” and “You know I’m gonna get it together and it’s gonna be great”? It’s going to be a really niche sexy thing, aye. You know when you’re making love to somebody and a really cheesy song comes on and you just laugh? Hearing me say “sexy” things in my accent, that’s going to debone anyone.
PHOTO CREDIT: Nadine Shah
Have you ever had to run away from someone at Glasto?
Jarvis Cocker has run away from me! I’ve met him about four times and every time, he’s literally walked backwards away from me, or sideways. He was supposed to do the Barry White performance, too, but he pulled out. He probably heard I was playing.
What’s your most awkward festival encounter?
I once went to the loo and when I went to wash my hands I picked up this bit of yellow soap – but it turns out I was washing my hands in the men’s urinals and using one of those cakes they put in there to soak up the smells. This lad was filming it and saying: “Nadine Shah’s washing her hands in the men’s urinals.” I gave him £20 to delete the video. He did, thank God.
You’re in the middle of recording a new record – what can we expect?
I always want to have a coherent theme and it’s ended up being a collection of stories from the women I love most in the world, the most inspiring women, including my mum. I’m really lucky to be surrounded by them”.
In years to come, I think we will see a lot of artists out there channelling Nadine Shah – there are already I few who are taking guidance from her. Her music is both personal and for us all; there is immense power and stir that sits alongside humour and the conversational. It is that conversational nature that brings the music to life and makes it so memorable. She is a fantastic artist and, as we saw at the Q Awards recently, she is a perfect host too. I do think the next couple of years are going to be very busy and successful for Nadine Shah. Awards will come her way and she will get some big festival slots. I wonder whether she is in the mix for Glastonbury next year. One would hope so. I shall leave things here but, when it comes to incredible female artist in the world, Shah is up there with the best of them. As I see Shah’s tweets about the General Election and making people aware of the importance of voting, it makes me (and many others) wish she had a…
ROLE in parliament!