Live Review: Nothing But Thieves, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

The Brisbane leg of Essex rockers Nothing But Thieves' national tour promised to be a big one in light of their venue change thanks to overwhelming demand for tickets.

The ballroom floor of Eatons Hill Hotel is packed, the balconies crowded by underage punters, all ready and waiting for opening band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets to take the stage. The longhaired Perth locals kick things off with their intoxicating Jimi Hendrix-inspired sound. Drenched in red light they transport the audience to their psychedelic world with hits like Buzz and Cornflake, ultimately climaxing with an epic guitar heavy crescendo.

An almighty roar welcomes Nothing But Thieves when they grace the stage. They waste no time in launching straight into I Was Just A Kid from their celebrated 2017 album, Broken Machine, followed by broody tune Hanging and crowd favourite Wake Up Call. Clearly enjoying himself, frontman Conor Mason grins as he greets the crowd with an excited, "Wassup?!" The audience hanging off his every word, he banters with the mosh before deciding to "amp it up some more" and launch into the familiar melody of earworm, Soda.

The night continues with hits like Broken Machine, I'm Not Made By Design, Live Like Animals and an epic cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song; fully displaying the band's apparently limitless talent. Mason's flawless vocals led the crowd in an almost pub-choir-like rendition of emotional tune Particles, before producing a cork hat from who knows where and launching into the grungy rock beats of Trip Switch and Reset Me. With the end of the show looming, the boys slowed things down, Mason swapping his electric guitar out for an acoustic in order to serenade the audience with a passionate performance of If I Get High and finally Sorry.

The guys vacated the stage for a short break before incessant shouts of "encore" lured them back out for two more songs. The night ended with 2015 classic Honey Whiskey and finally an epic, extended version of Amsterdam that saw the entire house jumping and screaming.