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Conor Mason, Dom Craik and Joe Langridge-Brown divulge some of their personal setlist favourites from across the Nothing But Thieves catalogue following their huge Aussie tour earlier this month.
A band routinely willing to seek beyond their creative comfort zones while staying true to their core of guitar-driven rock, Essex-hailing rockers Nothing But Thieves are a magnetic force to be reckoned with.
Evolving from days spent crafting songs in garages during high school and university, Nothing But Thieves bucked formulaic craftsmanship early on, instead embracing their own unique hallmarks, capably rounded out by earworm hooks, sharp hip hop and electronic influences and the classically-trained might of frontman Conor Mason. From their 2015 debut self-titled release through to their 2023 behemoth of modernity, Dead Club City, it’s little wonder that the group have ticked off multiple stints along the way at Glastonbury, tours alongside the likes of The Rolling Stones and Muse, and multiple sold out headline shows, including recent sold out events at Wembley Arena and Manchester Apollo.
Returning to Australia in 2024 following their entirely sold out run in 2023, Nothing But Thieves arrived armed this time around with some brand new material, courtesy of the recent deluxe makeover of their 2023 acclaimed album Dead Club City. With the 2023 original album securing the group their second Top 10 ARIA Album, a spot in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown of 2023, and the band’s first ever #1 UK Album, Dead Club City Deluxe swoons with new additions and stripped-back versions of steady favourites, beckoning fans even deeper into the conceptualised realms of the titular Dead Club City universe.
With their energetic live performance increasingly becoming the stuff of legend, the return of Nothing But Thieves to Australia in 2024 offered fans another chance to witness some of the beloved Nothing But Thieves catalogue live in action alongside. But beyond that, it also offered the band a chance to wholeheartedly celebrate Dead Club City and its deluxe follow up, with the original album only dropping in full following their last trip down under. And for vocalist Conor Mason and guitarists Dom Craik and Joe Langridge-Brown, there was zero hesitation to travel halfway across the world so quickly in 2024.
“We had such an incredible tour last time we were in Oz and we genuinely wanted to get back there immediately,” shares Craik over a Zoom alongside Mason and Langridge-Brown with The Soundcheck's Tiana Speter. “We spoke to our agent as soon as we got off that tour to get back as soon as we could. It was some of the best gigs and best experiences that we’ve ever had.”
And with brand new material to play with in 2024, the decision-making process for constructing a present-day Nothing But Thieves setlist isn’t taken lightly, as Langridge-Brown reveals, especially with the short space of time since their last visit.
“There’s non-negotiable songs we know people want to hear, and there’s also songs that we just enjoy playing,” he says. “There are also songs that for some reason don't work as well live as they do in the studio. I mean, now that we're coming back to Australia in less than a year or just over a year...I'll have to think of what we actually played last time and maybe change that up a little bit. Keeping track is hard!”
With the band's Aussie tour earlier this month still reverberating in our minds, Mason, Craik and Langridge-Brown today part the veil behind some of their own personal favourite songs to play live.
AMSTERDAM
Dom Craik: Amsterdam is definitely a favourite and it’s one of our most raucous songs. It doesn’t matter if we’re having a bad gig, this song always turns it around and picks things up. I always look forward to playing this one no matter what gig we’re playing.
DO YOU LOVE ME YET?
Conor Mason: Do You Love Me Yet? from the new album is in our new set too at the moment, and that one always seems to really get the people going!
OVERCOME
Dom Craik: We’re currently closing our set with Overcome, which is a bit more of an uplifting, kind of hopeful and euphoric song that we don’t necessarily have on our other albums. That definitely offers something different on Dead Club City than the rest of the albums. When we get to that moment closing the gigs, hands are in the air and it’s a really good vibe.
LOVER, PLEASE STAY
Conor Mason: Lover, Please Stay is always a really nice moment in the set for everyone too. Phil [Blake] and [James] Price get a break, so I’m sure they’d say they enjoy it too.
Dom Craik: That’s absolutely their favourite song of the set because they can go off for a cigarette! Lover Please Stay offers a bit of respite and it also really showcases Conor’s vocal. I’m allowed to say that!
OH NO :: HE SAID WHAT?
Joe Langridge-Brown: Lastly, Oh No :: He Said What? is another favourite at the moment, just because it’s the newest one! That always tends to make it fun. I haven’t played it a million times yet!
Dom Craik: We’ve only really been playing Oh No :: He Said What? off the deluxe album at this stage. Actually, we have done the stripped back version of Tomorrow Is Closed, we did a little bit more of an acoustic rendition of it. But, like Joe says, for us it's fresh paint, something new, and ultimately Oh No :: He Said What? has also got the DNA of Dead Club City in it. We all love playing it!
NOTHING BUT THIEVES
Deluxe Version of Dead Club City Out Now.
More info here.
BY TIANA SPETER