Following on from the success of their debut album, Nothing But Thieves arrived in Glasgow to a stellar welcome. Fans queuing outside the venues for hours prior to the show even in the dark, cold and gloomy weather of the city. While performing on their own headline UK tour, these Essex lads are also working their way through an arena/stadium tour with Muse as the main support. A busy schedule to say the least.
This time they are headlining the O2 ABC, famous for its largest disco ball in Europe, with support coming from Sundara Karma and local band Vukovi. First up were Vukovi who started the night off in style with lead singer Janine bounding around the stage and keeping the crowd in the palm of her hand. They blasted through a selection of songs along with their new single ‘Animal’ which was well received by the baying crowd. Next up were Sundara Karma, a slightly tamer bunch compared to the openers but they still played to their strengths for the exited crowd. Smashing through their set, Sundara riled up the crowd ready for the headline act with the excitement growing as the show went on. Building an atmosphere with their indie riffs and feel good music, they were the perfect warm up for an eager audience and they certainly gained a few extra fans for their own headline tour next month.
As the lights went out, screams echoed around the venue growing even louder when the silhouettes of Nothing But Thieves appeared on stage. It was time… Starting the night off with crowd favourite ‘Itch’, lead singer Conor Mason showed off just how incredible his voice is with his ability to reach such a high range of vocals. After only a handful of songs it was easy to see just how they have grown so quickly and been asked along on tours with Muse, Twin Atlantic and many more. With high energy everyone bounded around on stage getting the crowd moving and singing along to the music as the band progressed through the set, slowing things down ever so slightly with a Pixies cover before bringing the volume back up with crowd pleaser ‘Trip Switch’. This was anthemic and these guys were certainly showing that they belong in even bigger venues than the O2 ABC, the perfect support act for stadium rockers Muse. Finishing the night off with ‘Ban All The Music’ and the loudest sing along Glasgow has heard in a while, Nothing But Thieves showed that in a short space of time they have certainly come a long way. At this rate, it won’t be long until they are selling out their own arena shows.
