LIVE REVIEW: Nothing But Thieves, Kid Kapichi, King Nun, Bournemouth International Centre, 15/11/2023
Photo Credit: Jack Geddes (Garage, Glasgow – 31st October 2023)
With this show delayed almost two weeks following Conor Mason’s illness, Bournemouth fans were more than ready to see Nothing But Thieves and their Dead Club City tour in action.
Luckily the supports for the show hadn’t changed meaning we got to see King Nun’s energetic support slot set. Opening off tonight with Golden Age, taken from their latest album Lamb it was clear that they intended on making the most of every part of the large stage. Mainly performing Lamb tracks, it was a perfect taster of what the band are about; powerful stage presence, swirling guitars and a real willingness to work for the crowd’s attention. “It’s a Wednesday night, we’re gonna have a good time“, commented vocalist Theo Polyzoides before Do You Know Where You Are?. Even for those who might not have heard of the band before tonight, it was hard to not be singing along to the catchy chorus of the track.
Closing track Escapism saw Ethan Stockley-Young, heading jumping down to the barrier to get to know the crowd a little better. It was a little chaotic, yet at no point did their set falter. King Nun deserved a lot more than the crowd gave them tonight, but hopefully on their January and February headline tour they’ll be getting the love they deserve. 7/10
At BTN, we’re no strangers to a Kid Kapichi live show so we already knew this was going to be a fun support set and this it was as thrashed through tracks including Working Man’s Town and Rob A Supermarket. Jack Wilson’s raw, at time spoken vocals were complimented by the dual guitars face offs which were going off between Eddie Lewis and Ben Beetham behind him. “Nice of Conor to make the effort to show up today!,” joked Wilson before kicking into new single Tamagotchi. The track is taken from their forthcoming new album There Goes The Neighbourhood and is a nostalgia filled throwback, with a stomping chorus receiving a great reaction from the crowd who could relate to many of the references.
Taking a moment to acknowledge the world outside the room and everything bigger than tonight’s show, Beetham commented on the importance of a ceasefire and standing with Palestine. As band who have never shied away from the trickier to navigate topics through their lyrics, it’s great to see this translate into their live show. Closing their set with New England and Smash The Gaff, this tight set was the perfect introduction to new Kid Kapichi fans and a great gift to those already on the ride, reinforcing their status as one of the best live bands on the circuit right now. 9/10
Good things come to those who wait and the packed out Bournemouth venue were finally getting their Nothing But Thieves fix. Prior to their set, the Dead Club Radio played over the speakers even fooling the crowd with “Next up is Neon Brother“, much to the disappointment of fans waiting to hear the much loved NBT deep cut we were in fact all rick-rolled. After a full venue sing and dance along to Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) it was time for the headliners.
Opening with Welcome To The DCC, immediately something felt and sounded off as Mason’s vocals were barely noticeable and when heard incredibly strained, raising doubts over whether he was actually up to doing tonight’s show. These were quickly brushed aside when Is Everybody Going Crazy? began, instantly gaining the vocal strength which was matched with tight guitars from Joe Langridge-Brown, Dom Craik and Phil Blake. Is Everybody Going Crazy? You bet they were.
After the earlier vocal blip, Mason was sounded better than ever during slower numbers Sorry and the emotive efforts of Real Love Song. The varied setlist offered up a little bit of everything genre the quintet have explored during their four albums as he explained “we have love songs but also songs that make you want to have sex with people” before sultry You Know Me Too Well. Earlier material Trip Switch, Broken Machine and Sorry were just as well received by the crowd as newer material, with the later giving a chance for the crowd to carry the first chorus much to the delight of the band before Mason’s unique vocals became the star of the show.
The Bournemouth crowd didn’t come to mess around as I Was Just A Kid unleashed pockets of moshpits across the crowd, which were sound tracked by instrumental drum and guitar sections seeing Langridge-Brown Craik, Blake and James Price owning the stage. This was further highlighted during instrumental Ce n’est Rien / Gods / Number 13, as Mason left the band to lap up the attention from the adoring crowd as they showcased their tight bond which continues to grow tour upon tour. This arena level show had visuals and an impressive albeit at times a little overwhelming levels of lighting which detracted from the songs on occasions. Also acknowledging the slight delay in the show, “I really appreciate that everyone has come back“, Mason’s sincere apology for the unavoidable reschedule made it clear it wasn’t a decision made lightly.
A standout moment came with Do You Love Me Yet? As the lyrics popped up alongside the band, it became a venue singalong whether you were here for the old or the new. The tongue in cheek, pop anthem became one of the most fun parts of the night, seemingly for the band too who were making use of the venues larger stage. But Impossible; with the delicate vocals of Mason and flawless crowd participation stole the show tonight as a sea of lights lit up the BIC from front to back taking the mosh pits to a swaying pace.
As tonight drew to a close, Amsterdam began the encore with those who could stand rising to their feet whilst the vocal lead offs and higher notes from Mason were simply sublime to witness live who had captivated the audience with his frontman abilities. Ending the night on empowering Overcome, it felt as if despite a slightly rocky start to tonight they’d become stronger as their set progressed which in turn increased the crowd energy. As emotions were running high, you couldn’t help but admire the rise this band have had over their decade as a band which it was clear none of them have taken for granted, thanking those across the venue as they gave their final looks out to the Bournemouth venue.
Next year already looks set to be another huge one for Nothing But Thieves as they’re opening up for Green Day during the summer alongside an extensive run of European headline show. We don’t think we’ll be seeing the band headlining venues as small as the BIC for much longer! 8/10
Written By: Nicola Craig
