One of the great things about being a rabid music fan is discovering new bands and artists. Whenever I discover someone that is fairly new to the scene that I really connect with, I will spend weeks and months just digesting everything of theirs that I can.
Multi-hyphenated Israeli artist Noga Erez is someone I found out about in the spring while casually listening to NPR one day. Months after her critically acclaimed album KIDS was released in March, a headlining tour of the US was announced and I was exhilarated to see Nashville was on the list of cities she would be touring.
The KIDS tour brought Noga to the Basement East last weekend. The Beast, as it is affectionately referred to, especially after last year’s tornado that ripped through it, is one of my favorite venues in town. I was very interested in what kind of turnout there would be since Erez is fairly new to the scene despite high caliber performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Kelly Clarkson Show and Nashville is not a city I think of when it comes to having a rabid indie-hip-hop fan base. I was overwhelmed with joy by the attendance of the show, as was Noga. She mentioned during her set that she honestly did not know what to expect when coming to Nashville and that she too was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd.
The crowd was in a frenzied rage from the very start of the show when she blitzed through several high energy numbers off of KIDS. The former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces wore one of the oversized pants suits, like David Byrne would wear when leading The Talking Heads, she’s come to be known for. Backed by a two piece band that featured her producer ROUSSO, Erez told the diverse crowd that she was still learning the importance of taking your time on stage and living in the moment. There were multiple times early on when her energy would get the best of her and she looked posed to run right through a wall. Once she harnessed the energy, the show took off and those in attendance witnessed a true star in the making.
Noga’s humbleness just makes her so likeable and her songwriting makes her even more relatable. The Gorillaz inspired “Views,” which features ROUSSO, was one of the highlights of the night and one of many songs in her set that surprisingly turned into sing-a-longs. “End of the Road” from KIDS was of many that had everyone trying to jump through the ceiling of the Basement East. She revealed before going into to 2018’s “Bad Habits” that she doesn’t have any issues performing the song in her homeland because no one understands what she is saying because they do not speak English, but felt uneasy singing the song in the States because of how many times she says ‘fuck.’
The singer does not seem to understand the concept of encores as she was asking for someone to explain it to her. She laughingly said they were going to do one more song, leave the stage, wait a moment, and then come play some more. Her raw energy just wanted to have her race to the finish line erasing all breaks. She is the human version of Barney Stinson’s “Get Psyched” mix CD from How I Met Your Mother, where it’s all rise no fall. If you ever get the chance to see Noga Erez live, which I highly recommend, then as Barney says, “prepare yourself for an audio journey into the white hot center of adrenaline.”
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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