It takes a special band for my rock’n roll self to cope with a 630 PM show start, but Nothing but Thieves certainly qualify. I had missed their Twin Cities debut at a completely sold out Turf Club a few months ago so I jumped at the chance to cover them this time around at the Fine Line.
The first opener was Thousand Oak, CA band The Wrecks. The 5-piece is less than a year old but their set was tight and full of energy. They recorded their first 3 songs with no budget in just 3 days and out of that came “Favorite Liar” which got them quite a bit or airplay on Altnation. “95% of you don’t know who the F we are” said singer Nick, then responding to a shout from the crowd “Except this guy”.
Next up was July Talk. The Canadian band captured my heart, my lens and my ears with their fantastic stage show when I first stumbled up them opening for the Rural Alberta Advantage in 2014. This September saw the release of “Touch” their new album. Rooted in Punk the distinctive voice of Peter Dreimanis of balanced by Leah Fay and the chemistry the pair displays on stage is remarkable. “Thank you all for coming, this would be really boring without you!” said Fay, greeting the bands fans. And indeed many had come to see July Talk. I really enjoyed the new songs including “Push and Pull” and loved every minute of their set.
Hailing from Essex, UK Nothing but Thieves burst onto the US scene this year with their self-titled album. “Trip Switch” became a staple on Alt Nation. Suffice to say there was quite a bit a buzz around their show at the Fine Line. The band wasted no time and started with the high energy “Itch” pausing briefly after 3 songs to say “Hello”. “Hanging” had fans singing along and singer joked about accents. Nothing but Thieves sound is modern and big, the feel reminds me a bit of Muse but rocks a bit more. “Graveyard Whistling” had an acoustic intro before taking off. On a fun note, the band’s set list had changed song names (not sure if it’s a practical joke trying to trip us song announcements) but I got a good chuckle when I look at the image this morning. “Drawing Pins” became “Drawing Penises” and so on. Overall an impressive showing – looking forward to seeing the band at a venue with better sight lines.
Set List: Itch / Honey Whiskey / Hostage / Hanging / Graveyard Whistling / Drawing Pins / Six Billion / Painkillers / Excuse Me / Wake Up Call Encore: If I Get High / Trip Switch / Ban All the Music
