This autumn, Kate Nash brings her inimitable, candid take on life to the De La Warr Pavilion.

Performing songs from her second album, My Best Friend is You, this new material displays a shift of emphasis in her songwriting. Her debut album, Made of Bricks was about wanting to be in love; her second album is about trust, sexism, homophobia, honesty and how being in a serious relationship has made her feel less selfish and more gr...own-up. 'I don't want to be gushy and weird about it, but I am in love! I don't worry about making myself too vulnerable: I always write with my heart on my sleeve. If you don't then you're not living.'

Kate had just turned 20 and her career was on fast forward: in the summer of 2006 she was a MySpace phenomenon before she even had a record deal; by August 2007 she was celebrating her number one debut album. Kate remarked on her new whirlwind life as a pop star: 'I feel normal. But quite cool. I feel like an outsider who's just sneaked in...'

Not bad for a girl from Harrow, whose early attempts at writing songs as a kid were on an old tape recorder 'where you had to hold down play and record at the same time'. Now, at the grand old age of 22, Kate looks back at her formative years in the world of pop with a huge grin: 'Everything was so mental and hectic and extreme. By August 2008 I was exhausted. I had to take a year off.'

More than anything, Kate wanted to do 'normal things'. Like sit around at home in her dressing-gown watching daytime television. The thing is Kate is unable to sit around for too long. Her insatiable work ethic meant that her year off was spent co-founding the Featured Artists Coalition with Billy Bragg and Blur's Dave Rowntree, working to ensure that artists took responsibility for having a voice at a time of dramatic change in the music business. She got involved in V-Day, the global movement aiming to end violence against women, and worked with self-harming young women at the Wish Centre, a shelter for abused women in Harrow. All, she says modestly, to stop her from watching Jeremy Kyle.

Kate is strict with herself. She won't allow her songs to be used in adverts and is resolute about not selling out. Equally, she wants to work hard for her money. She is 'totally' a feminist. 'I believe in equality so I'm a feminist. It's that simple. I see the girls' faces in the first three rows of my gigs and they're clearly thinking: "She's normal! She doesn't look anorexic! She looks comfortable in her body! This is cool!"'

Kate is rightly proud of her second album, My Best Friend is You. 'Nothing was rushed; I've developed as a writer' she explains, but does Kate still feel like an outsider? 'I will probably always feel like an outsider because I don't fit the format of a female artist. But I'm not worried about it. No way. I've always done things my own way and, for that reason alone, I'm happy.'

Doors at 7.30pm

Tickets £14

Tickets available to those aged 16 years and over. For bookings and information call 01424 229 111 - please be aware phonelines will be busy.