Words originally for Outline Magazine
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| L-R: Joe Langridge-Brown, Connor Mason, James Price, Dom Craik, Philip Blake |
This is the biggest year of Nothing
But Thieves’ lives so far. Having just ticked a stadium tour with Muse off
their bucket lists, the five-piece headed to Norwich UEA for an enormous
sold-out show for an evening of pop-rock insanity.
Black Foxxes
open, and turn out to be the best act on the bill. The three-piece unleash a
storm of grunge-induced fury, complete with thrashing hair and brain-melting
feedback. The audience are reluctant to get on board, but the band play fantastically
for their whole half-hour slot and gain one new fan in the process.
Tonight is my third time seeing Reading’s Sundara Karma, and the third time they’ve been painfully
unentertaining. Not to say that they don’t have all the necessary components to
create a half decent pop band – a gorgeous lead singer, a glittery drum kit –
but it lacks a spark that sees this act fall flat. Frontman Oscar Lulu’s stage
demeanour is more than a tad above brooding; tonight he looks downright
miserable, and his monotonous singing voice does little to better things. A Young Understanding is their opener, a
shimmery cascade of indie-pop vibrancy, but everything that follows is
completely indiscernible. Flame could
be a watered down version of Peace or Catfish and the Bottlemen, and LoveBlood is a predictable closer with
much the same aesthetic.
The last time Nothing But Thieves hit Norwich was at The Waterfront Studio, a
show that sold out in minutes. It was fast and furious with a refined edge that
left me thirsty for more.
Tonight, Itch punches things into action, frontman Conor Mason’s vocals
standing out unmistakably amidst crunching guitars. The sound levels are
slightly off – it’s a little quiet – but we’re off to a good start. Painkiller and Hostage are less impressive but continue the spiky, scuzzy theme
with energy.
The performance dips towards the
middle. Excuse Me seems out of place
in the centre of the set, Honey Whiskey
is hardly known by the crowd and a cover of Pixies’ Where Is My Mind? sounds painfully flat, doing the original far
from justice. In the audience, the enthusiasm drops and on stage, half of the
band can barely be seen through a thick wall of smoke. When they do appear,
they’re indistinguishable from one another, each member donning some variation
of a black suit that looks more X Factor rejects than up and coming rock group.
Perhaps the non-stop touring has taken it’s toll on poor little Nothing But
Thieves, as not a single member can be seen to show any form of emotion (other
than ‘swaying casually with guitar’) which notably dampens the tone in the
room.
Wake Up Call seems
like an appropriate way to lead into an encore, as most of the crowd have zoned
out by this point. If I Get High,
whilst more touching than the rest of the set, is too clean-cut and it’s only Ban All the Music’s sheer volume that
gives a bang to the end of the gig.
Nothing But Thieves' self titled debut album is out now.
Facebook: Nothing But Thieves / Sundara Karma / Black Foxxes
Twitter: Nothing But Thieves / Sundara Karma / Black Foxxes
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