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NOTHING BUT THIEVES
+ The Moving Stills
@ The Fortitude Valley Music Hall,
Brisbane,
1st May, 2024
(Live Review)Live Review & Photography by Wezzy Cruze (@wezzycruze)
The lead up to seeing English alt-rockers Nothing But Thieves live in Australia has been long overdue for myself. After waiting months to see them on the 2016 Soundwave line-up (RIP), and then missing their 2023 tour coinciding with Groovin The Moo, I made sure my calendar was clear to see this performance, hell or high water.
Enter “Dead Club City”, their fourth full length LP released in 2023 to solid critical praise. With a switch up in sound layering style and synth, and an ARG (augmented reality game) to tease the lead up to the launch of the album, the concept has well and truly paid off for the quintet. But the question I’ve wondered, “how does it go live mixed in with the rest of their catalogue?”.
Arriving at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, I was met with a line-up stretching way beyond the doors of the venue, a great indicator for the support NBT has here in Australia.
Open the night is The Moving Stills, not to be mistaken with The Moving Pictures of “What About Me” fame. There’s an honesty and innocence to their music, their surfy pop rock leans a little more towards the Kings Of Leon than The Beach Boys, but it’s delightfully refreshing to hear, and always optimistically upbeat.
Performing a string of songs for their catalogue, including “Best Friend”, “I Got You”, and “Sunshine” from their 2023 release, “Wabi Sabi”, it’s an incredibly well received set. A major highlight of their performance comes with their cover of Ladyhawke’s “My Delirium”, originally recorded as part of triple j’s Like A Version.
The Central Coast group get a massive thumbs up from this reviewer.
In the lead up to Nothing But Thieves, their ARG theatrics are in full swing, with “Dead Club Radio” playing over the speakers in between the bands. Their’s fake radio announcers, fake ads selling unrealistic products/services, fake interviews with fake bands (The Zeroes, part of the ARG), but there’s also plenty of disco inspired songs played in and around this, with Electric Six’s “Danger Danger High Voltage” and Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky” included in the mix.
Their set begins with the title track from their latest album, “Welcome To The DCC”, electric, sleek with synth and hitting hard. The perfect way to start the show. Through self-admitted jet lag, the band deliver on their performance, coming alive with energy, with all of them members moving around on the stage and adding theatrics to their performance to enhance the show.
Having been a band for over 11 years, there’s no shortage of where the set could go. The band still includes many of those live staples from their self-titled album, with “Drawing Pins” really highlighting what I love about their bass and drum section, Philip Blake and James Price, respectively. Through the whole show they’re locked in tight and really work well together, keeping the groove and rhythm on pace and complementing the guitar/keys work that occurs.
There’s a line in the song “Do You Love Me Yet?” that references ELO (Electric Light Orchestra), and I can’t help but draw that comparison on how they’re able to bring the sound of string and synth to their rock music and make it work, especially in the context of their heavier or faster tracks in a live environment. Being only half way into their set at this point, and I’m delighted at how well it all flows together seamlessly and never feels out of place. Interestingly, this song is introduced by “Dead Club Radio”, and performed as The Zeroes, I wonder if the band will continue to build upon this fictional reality and implement it in further shows.
The show takes an interesting detour, with an instrumental medley of three songs without Conor on vocals, with “Ce n’est Rien”, “Gods”, and “Number 13” all reduced to their heaviest and riff-melting parts, giving guitarists Joe Langridge-Brown and Dominic Craik the opportunity to steal some of the spotlight, before coming back into one of their heaviest tracks of the night, “Unperson”.
“Lover, Please Stay” is a truly intimate moment, with Conor taking front and centre on the stage, the rest of the band taking a back seat (literally). This performance really showcases Conor’s vocals, hitting the highest of highs and complementing the instrumental production with him, very reminiscent of Jeff Buckley.
“Impossible” is a massive fan favourite, the Moral Panic track seeing a sea of phones rise up for capture the moment. Conor conducts the crowd to carry the whoa-ohs while he delivers the bridge line, and even after hearing both the studio version and the Abbey Road version, this was still a moment in the set that gave goosebumps.
Their encore set kicks it off with their latest single from the re-release of the Dead Club City album, “Oh No :: He Said What?”, the Duran Duran meets Peter Gunn bonus track that makes me wonder why something like this wasn’t included on the original album. “Amsterdam” rings out as the last major heavy rock tune of the night, before leaving on the optimistic and powerful “Overcome”.
“It means the world that we can come literally to the other side of the world and sing for our fans!” – Conor Mason
Even with the shift in musical adventures, the heavy synth elements certainly didn’t dull their sharp guitar heavy groove they’ve become known for. If anything, I think it helped to showcase the band in a different light. Ambitious, and playing to their strengths.
Check out Wezzy Cruze’s (@wezzycruze) full gallery of this event HERE
Check out the NOTHING BUT THIEVES DEAD CLUB CITY DELUXE Album Review by Amelia Torresan HERE
Follow NOTHING BUT THIEVES
Press Release 15th March 2024 (below) HERE
NOTHING BUT THIEVES
release
DEAD CLUB CITY DELUXE+ Share focus track
TIME :: FATE :: KARMA :: GOD++ Touring Australia Nationally
in April and May
.XIII Touring, Untitled Group, triple j, Wasserman Music & War Road Management Presents
NOTHING BUT THIEVES
WELCOME TO THE DCC
Australian 2024 TourTUESDAY 30 APRIL – HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY
WEDNESDAY 1 MAY – FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE
SATURDAY 4 MAY – MARGARET COURT ARENA, MELBOURNE
TUESDAY 7 MAY – HINDLEY STREET MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE
THURSDAY 9 MAY – THE POWERSTATION, AUCKLAND – SOLD OUT
FRIDAY 10 MAY – THE POWERSTATION, AUCKLANDTickets from HERE
.AMNPLIFY – DB
My nickname is “The Amnplifier”. Why? Because around here my focus is on being a conduit for providing greater outcomes that people come here for. My day to day “work” is living in the moment, and I love helping others concentrate on finding their connection to themselves through their experiences.
Why start a music environment? The truth is I love music, I love writing, and I love life. I work with musicians every day, and I feel certain that I will be until they put me in the ground. I have been managing people in businesses of some sort for over thirty five years so along the way I have developed some “wisdom” from my regular and constant “observations”.
Amnplify your experience. That is what we want you to do here, and if you want to let me know why you do, or don’t, shoot me a message on Facebook.
Hope you enjoy yourself here and find something that hits you somewhere.
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