How many people can you squeeze into the Wardrobe? Throw five-piece band Nothing But Thieves into the mix and it turns out, a good few hundred. This intimate Leeds venue presented a rare opportunity to get personal with the up-and-coming band on their sold out UK tour.

Building upon the hype of supports Witterquick and Pretty Vicious, Nothing But Thieves sprung to life with their debut album’s first track ‘Excuse Me.’ High musical standards became clear from the outset, with supernatural melodies effortlessly dancing across the basement walls.”There’s so much fog, I can only see the front row!” mused lead-singer Conor, peering over the mic stand. The fire alarm rang out in agreement, audaciously interrupting ‘Honey Whiskey’ mid-flow. With the crowd defiantly refusing to shift, unfazed drummer Price happily filled the room with impromptu beats until power was regained. The stylistic priorities of the band favoured precision over outlandish stage antics, with spontaneous sirens merely bolstering performance. As the crowd fell deeper under Nothing But Thieves’ spell, each song continued to generate greater applause than the last. Despite closing with the popular track ‘Wake Up Call.’ this was insufficient to satiate the audience’s clamours for an encore. Nothing But Thieves graciously delivered a further three songs, and encouraged fans to say hello after the performance had concluded.

This intimate gig thus revealed both the staggering raw talent of Nothing But Thieves, but also a commendable dedication to their growing fanbase. In the knowledge that Nothing But Thieves’ sell out tour will inevitably lead to greater venues and prospects more generally, the evening itself was made even more magical.
Sarah Boon