Nothing but Thieves at the Studio at Webster Hall

Conor Mason

Vocalist Conor Mason spotted guitarist Joe Langridge-Brown in school in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, and instinctively knew they should be making music together. By 2012, they recruited classically-trained guitarist Dominic Craik, bassist Philip Blake (Craik's cousin) and drummer James Price. They took the name Nothing but Thieves from a lyric in a Steel Train song. After releasing three EPS, Nothing but Thieves released a self-titled debut album today.

Headlining a CD release concert tonight at the Studio at Webster Hall, Nothing but Thieves already secured a local following that eagerly jammed against the stage, bounced to the rhythms and sang along with the lyrics. The quintet played melodic pop songs highlighting Mason's soaring, wailing vocals as they were propelled by hard driving rock and roll. Mason's vocal styling recalled Muse's Matt Bellamy, Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jeff Buckley. The slow and tender "Lover Please Stay," on the other hand, showcased Mason doing his best Freddie Mercury, accompanied only by Langridge-Brown on electric guitar. If this band had been born in the alt-rocking 1990s, Nothing but Thieves would have been huge. As it turns out, the five members of Nothing but Thieves were born in the 1990s, so they are emerging in an era in which they might reinvent the music of their infancy.

Visit Nothing but Thieves at www.nbthieves.com.