Photos and Review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

Nothing But Thieves took the stage at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on October 7, 2023 to the sound of a roaring crowd, and the roaring never stopped throughout their 20-song set. Fresh off the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento two days earlier, and then a San Diego date in between, NBT has proven to be a hardworking, far-traveling band that will go to great lengths for its fans.

Their Dead Club City US Tour has had lots of success with many sold out dates, and that’s coming after not touring the States for six years. But their UK chart-topping latest album “Dead Club City” has brought out a new legion of fans to shows and reinvigorated lovers of older albums to take trips to the city to see them live.

With Conor Mason’s near operatic vocals, and full-throttle support from bandmates James Price, Dominic Craik, Philip Blake, and Joe Langridge-Brown, NBT killed each of the twenty songs of the night. Beginning with “Welcome To The DCC” which got things started with an energy bang, they played tracks from almost all of their 4 albums and 6 EPs, with some big favorites of the night being “Pop The Balloon,” “Amsterdam,” and “Overcome.”

The crowd was all ages and diverse, with the lyric-yelling demographic spanning from young women to dads rocking with their teenage sons. Two big fellas next to me in the back of the hall grabbed each other’s shoulders and sang every song and did a little dance together, while a young woman in front of us jumped up at down at the start of each song like she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to be there. During the song “Unperson,” after Conor Mason sang the lyrics “This is not what you think it is, it’s worse,” the crowd yelled back, “It’s worse!” Before the encore and after “Pop the Balloon,” the crowd demanded the two-song encore by chanting “NBT! NBT!” to bring the band back onstage.

With the skill of the band and the pipes of Conor Mason, NBT was a fantastic show all around, and their catalog of songs is vast and warrants a deep listen. When I hear Mason sing, lots of talented folks come to mind – Tom Chaplin (Keane), Aaron Bruno (AWOLNATION), Matt Bellamy (Muse) – not to mention he looks a little like the offspring of Martin Gore (Depeche Mode). It’s a treat to hear someone sing live who can really sing, and Conor Mason is that guy.

For the latest Nothing But Thieves info, check out www.nbthieves.com and then drive to the city for a night of great live music when they come to your town.