LIVE REVIEW: Nothing More @ SWX, Bristol
San Antonio-based NOTHING MORE have returned to the UK this week off the back of their latest release If It Doesn’t Hurt, and tonight they’re in Bristol alongside supporters SIAMESE and SIM.
First up tonight is Danish ensemble SIAMESE, who kick off the night with a short but punchy set filled with energetic, catchy songs that perfectly set the tone for the rest of the evening. In between songs, vocalist Mirza Radonjica engages the audience, hyping up the bands to follow and joking about his love of hentai. Everyone’s in good spirits, and the venue is filling up quickly.
Rating: 8/10
Up next are self-proclaimed “reggae-punx” SIM (Silence Iz Mine), who have travelled all the way from Japan for this tour, and their first ever show in Bristol. The band bound on to the stage and the growing audience is immediately captivated by their dynamic performance. They waste no time in getting the audience riled up, and demand a mosh pit before diving into their second track.
The energy is electric, and the crowd is eating up the reggae-ska-punk cocktail while the band leap, spin, and at one point, swing a baseball bat around the small stage. The Rumbling, which featured in Attack On Titan, acts as proof of the enormous crossover between metalheads and anime fans. It garners the biggest crowd reaction of the night so far, and is undoubtedly a fan favourite. SIM end their set on a fast-paced high note, leaving the crowd eagerly awaiting the headliners.
Rating: 9/10
NOTHING MORE enter to JOH DENVER’s Take Me Home, Country Roads, which in itself prompts a venue-wide singalong before exploding into Let ‘Em Burn followed immediately with Do You Really Want It?. NOTHING MORE‘s specific blend of progressive hard rock and metal, combined with vocalist Jonny Hawkins’ melodic vocals and brutal screams, translates perfectly into their live performance.
The setlist tonight features some fan favourites that get the audience moving, and they soon morph into a sea of pumping fists. An old favourite, Jenny requires little introduction. “Does anyone have a Jenny in their life?”, asks Hawkins (who [as always] is topless and covered in body paint, showing off his immaculate physique), before going into the opening verse.
The set is simple, with very little in the way of lighting effects, but the band demonstrate that they need NOTHING MORE than the basics to put on a memorable performance. “We’re not a band that does encores” Hawkins declares towards the end of the set. “This is our last song, so give it all you’ve got”, he continues, before ending the night with an extended version of This is the Time.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Serena Hill Photography here:
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