Last Saturday we had the pleasure of going to Nothing But Thieves’ sold-out concert at the Lotto Arena. This was the second concert of the European leg of their “Welcome To The DCC World Tour”. For this part of their tour they were accompanied by Bad Nerves.
Let’s rock and roll
Bad Nerves, a punk rock band from Essex, came on stage at 8 o’clock sharp and were welcomed with mild enthusiasm by the audience, probably due to the fact that the band isn’t well known (yet) by the general public.
That didn’t stop them and they started their set with ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Baby Drummer’ and ‘Palace‘. As the evening progressed, the crowd began to move and the applause grew louder and louder. The band showed no signs of slowing down, as they tore through their catchy tunes. They managed to warm up the crowd, but it was clear that they were there for no one else than Nothing But Thieves.
Setlist: Don’t Stop – Baby Drummer – Palace – Terminal Boy – Radio Punk – USA – Electric 88 – Can’t Be Mine – Mad Mind – Dreaming
Dead Club Radio presents… Nothing But Thieves
Right after the opening act the crowd could listen to Nothing But Thieves‘s Dead Club Radio. It’s a fictive little radio station the band has put together to entertain the fans between the opening act and their show.
A little before 9 o’clock the lights went out and music started playing loudly and we could immediately recognize ABBA’s hit ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)’, great sing-a-long to warm up the vocal cords of the audience before the show. And finally, the moment everyone was waiting for…
The band kicked off the show with their hit single ‘Welcome To The DCC’, a catchy and energetic song that set the tone for the rest of the night. The crowd sang along to every word and cheered loudly as the band moved on to other songs not only from their newest album but also from their older albums, such as ‘Is Everybody Going Crazy?’, ‘Tomorrow Is Closed’, and ‘Broken Machine‘.
Nothing But Thieves played a lot of their older classics, such as ‘Trip Switch‘, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Amsterdam‘. The name of the tour made us suppose they would mainly play songs from their latest album, but they managed to combine their older and newer hits flawlessly to the delight of all the fans. They even played ‘Lover, Please Stay‘, a ballad they haven’t performed in Belgium since the beginning of their career.
The band’s frontman, Conor Mason, impressed with his powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence, while the rest of the band, Joe Langridge-Brown, Dominic Craik, Philip Blake, and James Price, provided the perfect musical backdrop with their guitars, bass, and drums.
During and before the end of the show Nothing But Thieves took the time to talk to the fans and to thank them for their support. They promised to come back soon at Rock Werchter next summer. To our surprise, they didn’t end their set with ‘Amsterdam’ but this time with ‘Overcome‘. In our opinion, a worthy successor as a finale.
Setlist: Welcome To The DCC – Is Everybody Going Crazy? – Tomorrow Is Closed – Broken Machine – Real Love Song – City Haunts – Drawing Pins – Sorry – Do You Love Me Yet? – Jam – Unperson – Phobia – Lover, Please Stay – Trip Switch – Futureproof – Impossible – Pop The Balloon // Oh No :: He Said What – Amsterdam – Overcome
Full gallery HERE
Nothing But Thieves proved once again why they are one of the best rock bands of their generation, with a concert that was full of passion, energy, and remarkable talent. The crowd clearly enjoyed every second of the night. Nothing But Thieves came and conquered the heart of their fans, once again. The fans left the Lotto Arena with a smile on their face, and so did we.
