Nothing But Thieves - North American Tour Part II

From the likes of Charlie XCX to the band of my dreams, Nothing But Thieves, it’s been quite the British Invasion in my head.

That’s right.

The boys of Nothing But Thieves graced the stages of the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago October 18th. After all, all good things happen in threes and the collective trifecta ignited the stage last Friday night like no other.

Looks like the American alternative rock crowd held strong as the boys returned for their second leg of the North American Tour. Now, I may be biased, but I strongly recall them calling Chicago their favorite American city…

Lots of really great memories in the uniquely established “Egyptian Space church” venue as described by the lead singer, Conor Mason.

Nothing But Thieves shared the stage with Tai Pei Houston, a two piece garage band composed of brothers, Layne and Myles Ulrich. Sound familiar to anyone? If not, that’s okay. Metallica’s Lars Ulrich may ring a bell for some and while the influence, talent and stage presence are very much evident, the boys of Tai Pai Houston have a vision and are talented in their own right. With their curly, luscious brunette locks, their sound is very raw and complimentary to that of NBT. It reminds me of The White Stripes coupled with Beauty School Dropout.

NBT came up on stage and opened up the show with “He Said What” followed by “Futureproof”

I wonder if it had anything to do with the futuristic ambiance of the Egyptian Space church, but nevertheless the crowd erupted in song. Conor’s vocals, as usual, carry through very distinctively and emotionally...especially during the performance of "If I Get High"

That song just does something to me.

This show was special to me for a number of reasons. I was joined alongside a really talented photographer, Mary Sunde, that captured the show in its full guitar riffing glory. The venue that the band was performing at is one of my favorites and the staff are always the most gracious hosts. Although the venue isn’t necessarily known for its great acoustics, the boys sounded amazing and I feel like since my euro-trash rave hopping days, the venue has gotten a major facelift.

NBT’s pop indie tinge sound is oftentimes influenced by the likes of Muse and Radiohead. They, however, surprised the fans on this leg of the tour with their own rendition cover of The Pixies “Where Is My Mind?”

I really loved that the setlist was combined in such a way that it almost felt like a love letter to its long esteemed fans, yet a great display of their diverse discography for those that have seen the band for the very first time. With some of my favorite hits from Moral Panic and then trailing back to the DCC universe I experienced last fall and then teleporting us back to the era of Broken Machine with “I Was Just A Kid” and “Number 13”.

What was missing that could have made this show an even more spectacular event? I’m obsessed with their deluxe song “Pure You” but I think given the raw rock-intensive energy we had all craved, this gem of a slow jam is better suited for next time.

I'm already missing them, but I know we'll meet again very soon.

Relive the show by indulging in the setlist below.