In the name of trying something new, I thought I'd give my little sister, who lives in Toronto, the chance to post this review of a Kate Nash show (she's 16). I'll be posting a review of Jolie Holland at Union Pool later in the day. It's an epic battle of the teen v. the hipster..of Toronto v. New York..of redheaded songstress v. redheaded songstress..who will win?

Two nights ago at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in downtown Toronto, British songstress Kate Nash brought down the house. The 300 or so people who came to the show left satisfied from a full night of exceptional music, ears still ringing from the night's performance.

Waiting for the doors to open, my friends and I stood in line for a half an hour. As we inched closer to the door, the line grew larger behind us. Young girls were arriving en masse to see Nash in action, all dressed in a certain style reminiscent of Kate Nash's own quirky lyrics and playful melodies.

After a long wait, and a brief threat of pneumonia (the result of wearing a dress in zero degree weather; oh the sacrifice I make for fashion!), we entered the club. Located in the farther reaches of downtown, the Phoenix Concert Theatre exudes a distinctly retro vibe with its dark red interior and dimly lit halls. The main floor consists of a huge open dance floor in front of the stage, a dining balcony at the back, and separate bars. Among other things, the Phoenix also has the largest disco ball in Canada.

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players opened. The band, a family of three, collects old slideshows and writes songs formatted around the pictures that get projected onto a screen. The concept was cute at first, but by the 6th song the crowd was more than anxious to see the person they'd all come for.

Kate Nash finally appeared, red hair ablaze, sending the crowd into waves of screams and clapping. Taking her place behind the piano, she began singing a pumped-up version of one of the poppier numbers from her album Made of Bricks, "Pumpkin Soup". With a faster tempo and vamped volume, the audience was swept up in the energy as Nash bounced up and down in her piano chair, screaming into the microphone, and slamming down on the piano for the finish. This was Made of Bricks on red bull!

Nash's silky smooth voice and sweet melodies were brought out in acoustic pieces like "Birds" and "The Nicest Thing". But songs "We Get On", "Shit Song", and "Skeleton Song" were all done in a more quick-paced, blaring manner. Nash ended with her well-known hit "Foundations", and then returned for a two-song encore to the delight of fans. My friends and I left in a content daze. Equal parts old and new, the show didn't fail to please. It was definitely well worth the wait, and Nash is an artist whose live performance proved to be nothing less than completely awesome.