Nothing but Thieves- Just another band?

They may not be as well known as some other bigger bands, but they bring something different to the musical world, and they have strong voices, that show they aren’t just another churned out rock band

The artwork is odd to look at at first. Blurs of colours, mainly orange and reds, giving a sense of fire, or uncertainty, fear, or perhaps the feeling of panic. It can be a little unnerving, especially the ominous black shadows of what resembles two figures, one looking much more menacing than the other. It’s a very interesting piece of artwork, that can perhaps only be explained by the album creators themselves, Nothing but Thieves

The Essex based band are due to release their third album at the end of October, and for fans of the boys, it will be an extremely pleasing moment in amongst the darkness of 2020. They have been fairly dormant for the past few years, releasing an EP to tease, before giving the world a string of singles this year that will appear on the highly anticipated “Moral Panic”.

The upbeat alternative rock group have slipped under the radar for a lot of people. More people will be familiar the names Muse and Biffy Clyro, whom they have supported, and have only in recent years stepped out of the shadows of, to come into their own. Though perhaps not a large fan base because of this exact reason, they have a loyal one, and with more recognition being gained in the competitive world of music, it will probably only get bigger in years to come, especially if this new album provides plenty of hits.

The band, led by frontman, Conor Mason, appear to be living a very aspirational life, but like all rock stars, there is more to a band than the front that an audience see when they perform. One of the worst things that have haunted them since 2017, have been the false claims of assault made against them, which despite having denied when first put out into the media, reared it’s head again at the beginning of this year.

A statement from the band’s official twitter reiterated that the claims had in fact been false and the police had been involved and ‘warned the person in question about making false allegations in the future.' Though this issue has been resolved, it cannot reflect well on a band that are trying to breakthrough their industry, and it probably also, unknowingly to the general public, has a large impact on mental health.

Despite loving making music, being out on the road and playing gigs and festivals (before early 2020 anyway!), we all have some battles with our mental health occasionally. Conor Mason has been very open about his struggles with depression and anxiety. Talking to Huffpost in 2017 after the release of their second album, Broken machine, Mason said, “My sleep just deteriorated to an hour a night...it just made me have awful panic attacks.”

Since speaking out about his mental health battles, which though have continued to torment him, with the support of his friends and bandmates, Joe Langridge Brown, Philip Blake, Dom Craik and James Price, he has been able to cope better in recent times. He regularly speaks about his mental well being in interviews, highlighting the importance of talking about how you feel, and proving that male mental health is an issue that needs to be acknowledged more widely as a problem in today’s society.

Nothing but Thieves

Having a close group of people to surround you in hard times is so important, and that’s when there are big benefits to being in a five piece band. There weren’t always five members though, as they began as three, just Conor, Joe and Dom, when they started out in their hometown of Southend on Sea. They had been playing together for a very long time, since 2012 to be exact, writing songs and sharing a love of music. With potential for being an actual band, that eventually got their breakthrough in 2014, it expanded opportunity to having more members and more talented musicians to help shape up the sound they had today, which was “always going to be rock” according to an interview Joe Langridge Brown gave to magazine, It’s all Indie, “as we play guitar”

Of course, rock music has been a genre that many musicians have attempted to break into, but it can be hard to be spotted in a sea of equally good artists all trying to do the same thing. Nothing but Thieves didn’t want to be just another rock band that blended into the background and faded from people’s memories after short periods of time, and taking inspiration from lots of already existing bands, most notably Radiohead, it was important they they tapped into the alternative side of rock music. Taken from the same interview, Joe said, “We try to be more than just your typical rock band.” This is why their main influences behind their sound are also alternative rock musicians, so that they could be acknowledged for their unique music and bring a new take on a well known genre to the table. Even their unusual album artwork stands out from many other artists.

Now bringing out their third album, it seems like their efforts to be different paid off, because their listeners have been buying their last two albums in masses and attending their sell out shows, allowing them to rise higher up the ranks of success. As well as their interesting take on their genre of music, they are also proud to speak out on issues like mental health, giving them an even stronger voice and platform for their music and general personalities. There will probably be no doubt that their latest release, Moral Panic, out from the 23rd October, will give them even more success, and perhaps even more fans, as well as the recognition they deserve.

Buy Moral Panic here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moral-Panic-Explicit-Nothing-Thieves/dp/B08BJBWRNR