Photos and Review by SILVIA PAVERI
LONDON – Nothing More, the heavy metal-hard rockers, have been on tour playing to sold-out shows and I was lucky enough to be in London, UK, when the band played the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
The band has been working on new songs for an upcoming album that will include the new single “If It Doesn’t Hurt,” which was released last January. The San Antonio, Texas-based group released their last album Spirits in 2022. And on their current tour, with support from SIM, Vukovi and Siamese, Nothing More delivered a high-energy and engaging performance that had the crowd, and myself, fired up all night long.
Known for their grand entrance and for not wasting a second, this show was no exception. The Texan quartet hit the stage around 9:40 pm with the explosive “Let ’em Burn” and singer Johnny Hawkins barefoot, shirtless and covered in paint as usual. The crowd was so excited, jumping and screaming the song back to the band.
The momentum kept going with “Do You Really Want it?” which sees Hawkins launching across the barriers onto the audience. He delivered incredible vocals along with commanding and impeccable stage presence. It looked like he had some problem with his in-ear monitoring system during the first few songs but he still managed to gauge a flawless performance regardless, showing an adaptability of a true pro. The rest of the band was no less impressive.
Nothing More consists of vocalist Hawkins, drummer Ben Anderson, guitarist Mark Vollelunga, and bassist Daniel Oliver. It seems like they’ve been on the road non-stop with their Spirits Tour, which just wrapped European/UK run.
What I love about Nothing More is the band members are all incredibly passionate and talented musicians who go out of their way to give their audience the very best possible live show.
The guys are engaged and interact with the crowd, getting close to their fans by playing near the barriers and throwing guitar picks. It was entertaining to see all the massive and crazy mosh pits during their performance. During the entire set, there was never a moment of rest, even on slower songs like “I’ll be ok” and “Fade in/Fade Out.”
I was curious to see if Nothing More brought their infamous “Scorpion Tail” during this tour but I am sure logistics is the main reason why they did not include it in the show. If you are asking yourself what I am talking about, the “Scorpion Tail” is a massive and scenic 400-pound, 14-foot-tall mechanical stage prop used by the frontman to manipulate the guitar, vocal and bass. The band delivered a 15-song set list, treating fans to a generous 90-minute show playing songs from the latest album but also many old fan favorites, as well as their latest music, which sounded great in a live setting.
Nothing More closed their set with the song “This is the Time (Ballast)” which ended with an amazing percussion performance by Hawkins as he, Oliver, and Vollelunga stood in the crowd playing their final notes. Really a Grand Finale!
These guys always put on an extremely high energy and engaging performance and it is clear that there’s only a way up for them.
A Nothing More show is not just a concert, it’s an experience and I invite you to attend one of their shows if you haven’t had the opportunity to check them out yet.
Nothing More will be touring in the US very soon, co-headlining with the band Wage War the North American Tour starting April 16th in Charlotte, NC and ending in Indianapolis on May 17th, 2024. Nothing More will also be playing The Capulet Fest, Louder Than Life, and Aftershock 2024. For tickets go here.
SET LIST:
– Let ’em Burn
- Do You Really Want it?
- Don’t Stop
– If it Doesn’t Hurt
– Go to War
– Jenny
- Angel Song
– If I were
– Tired of Winning
– Face it
– I’ll be Ok
– Spirits
– Fade In/Fade out
– Ocean Floor
- This is the Time/Ballast
