"The whole point of this album and the way we wrote it, is that we don't really hold any barriers in our sound; we just explored and it's quite diverse. It's all over the place, but in a good way. " Nothing But Thieves first grabbed the nation's attention back when their song 'Itch' became a regular favourite on Radio 1's playlist.
Since then, they've been constantly touring with bands such as Twin Atlantic, George Ezra and Muse - to name but a few. Having released their self-titled debut album last month, the band's sound and technique is far advanced for a humble five-piece group of twenty-something lads from Southend-On-Sea.
We chatted to lead singer Conor Mason about the birth of their debut album, strip clubs in Poland and breaking bucket lists.
Gigwise: There's a great sense of cohesion in your new album Do you think it helps you've all grown up together?
Conor Mason: Joe (Langridge-Brown) and I met when I was 12 and he was 15 and he took me under his wing and let me play in his band. We just did terrible blues covers and funk songs but it was fun. I grew up with him, then the other boys are all mates from Southend and we've all been out partying before we made this band. It helps that we all come from the same background, because we just get it.
What's the craziest party you've had on tour?
Yeah, God, there's been a few. Whenever we go to Poland something crazy happens. It's normally Joe to be fair. He normally finds himself "a bit of Poland"...I really can't say what it is because he'll kill me. It's just your standard strip clubs and alcohol really - all accidental obviously. But it's good fun.
Is that your favourite place to tour then?
No, I'd say my favourite place is Japan. We played in Tokyo and it was such fun, everyone is so lovely. The fans are amazing. I could start a clap in London and a few people would be eager, but it would kind of grow towards the back, but in Japan it's instant; it's like an army. You just start clapping and everyone's there on the beat straight away. They just go for it and really get into it, I like that.
What do you guys get up to when you're not making music?
We're never really not doing band stuff, we're so busy. But we are quite ordinary, I do like my own time to read, see friends and just chill. We don't get it very often so we have to squeeze in family when we can, otherwise there's no point doing it all if we can't share it with people that we love. The other boys are the same, like Joe sees his girlfriend and the others see their friends. When we can relax we will though, because you have to be fairly mentally stable to do this job.
How does it feel to have your sound compared to Muse's early work?
Yeah I mean we're more influenced by Radiohead, but I get it because Muse were also influenced by Radiohead. Although it's a flattering comparison because we are from the same school of thought in terms of influences.
What do you think you can learn from a band like Muse?
We did learn a lot when we played with them in Rock in Roma about 5 months ago. It was a big 40,000 capacity and the way they just captivated the crowd, we learnt a lot from that. But it's also small intricacies you pick up on too, like the smoothness between songs and the little things that make it a very professional show. But that comes with playing to 40,000 people every day like they do. We pick up things from every front band we play with and follow.
Watch the video for 'Itch' below
Who's your favourite act you've been on tour with other than the mighty Muse?
The first tour we ever did was with Twin Atlantic. Maybe I say it's my favourite because they took us under their wing. They were very good to us when they didn't need to be. They took a nobody band and it really helped us gain some traction. I love those boys and we still keep in touch.
Why should we come to see you on your upcoming UK tour?
We're working on it right now and it's going to be a bit more of a show than what our fans have been used to. We're pushing ourselves and experimenting with new parts. Plus there's obviously songs on the album we've never played live before, so we'll all be hearing it for the first time. It's been 2 or 3 months since we last went on tour so i can't wait to get out there again.
If there's one thing you could tick off a bucket list for your band what would it be?
You know what? We just did one of the bucket lists, which was Reading Festival. We've always wanted to play there because we'd all been ourselves as kids. We played the Radio 1 Stage and sold it out, so that was one massive one for us. It sounds cliche, but we'd love to play Wembley before we die. There's a bunch of venues we've wanted to play since kids like the Roundhouse or Brixton Academy. Maybe selling out Brixton Academy is more realistic than Wembley actually.
They might not quite be ready for Wembley yet, but Nothing But Thieves embark on a UK tour, which includes a date at Shepherd's Bush Empire, in March. Get tickets and more information here.
Thu 31 Mar 2016 - Birmingham Library
Fri 01 Apr 2016 – London O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Sat 02 Apr 2016 – Manchester O2 Ritz
Sun 03 Apr 2016 – Norwich Waterfront
Tue 05 Apr 2016 – Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Wed 06 Apr 2016 – Newcastle Riverside
Thu 07 Apr 2016 – Glasgow O2 ABC
Fri 08 Apr 2016 – Sheffield Leadmill
Sat 09 Apr 2016 - Bristol Trinity
