After being held at the UK Border Control in the middle of the night for a few hours because immigrants somehow managed to break into their trailer at 2am without anyone noticing, Nothing More looked fresher than you’d expect them to be tonight at Alexandra Palace.
I first saw Nothing More when they supported Stone Sour at The Roundhouse back in June. When I heard that they are coming back to London, this time alongside Of Mice & Men and Bullet For My Valentine, I knew I had to have another go at the Nothing More experience.
As I arrived at the venue on a very rainy Saturday evening, I was surprised to see how many people were already queuing outside so early on. Actually, with such a strong line-up of bands, I’m not that surprised at all. By 7pm the place was decently packed with more and more metalheads swarming in as the minutes went by.
Nothing More kicked off their (way too short of a) set with Do You Really Want It – also the opening song of their fifth album The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The answer was clearly YES- the Ally Pally crowd was fully engaged from the first chord and oh, how they wanted it.
Frontman Jonny Hawkins (who used to be the band’s drummer) did not entirely give up his previous role in the band- he had his hybrid-drum-kit-monster-thingie (there is no other way to explain this machine / instrument) on stage, and he played it during several times throughout the show. ‘Playing it’ involved pulling levers, twisting knobs, hitting snares and more, all whilst being lifted into the air by this instrument which seemed to have a life of its own.
It’s not just Jonny though. Nothing More’s lineup includes the talented musicians Mark Vollelunga (guitar) Daniel Oliver (bass) and Ben Anderson (drums). Together they played through a powerful set which included favourites such as Let ‘em Burn and Jenny.
There is something raw yet vulnerable in their songs and performance. Something that feels genuine and relatable, which makes them stand out in their uniqueness in a highly saturated scene.
It is only a matter of time before the force that is Nothing More will transform into something bigger and uncontrollable. With three Grammy nominations they will not go unnoticed and I expect to see them dominate the biggest stages and festivals this summer.
Nothing More supporting Bullet For My Valentine and Of Mice & Men
Alexandra Palace, 10 Novemebr 2018
Photos and words by Gili Dailes