369 days ago, Nothing More paid The Hall a visit to celebrate the lead up to their new
album Spirits, and it was an electrifying show with the now blown-up band Sleep Token opening
for them. Now, they are back to prove themselves once again with a stacked lineup, such as Dead
Poet Society, Hyro the Hero and Post Profit, along with them. Fans lined up around the corners
of the street, and Little Rock was ready for Nothing More again.
First up was Post Profit, which I’ve heard the name before but hadn’t checked anything
out from them yet. Right away, I was surprised by the amount of energy coming out of both the
band and the audience as well. Hard-hitting songs and energetic jumps and headbangs from the
band got the crowd to start the mosh pits right away for the first opener, and I loved their
performance as a whole. I couldn’t tell you the names of any songs that were played, but they are
definitely a band I’m going to add to my Spotify to check out more.
Next up was Hyro The Hero, someone I’m very familiar with and have seen multiple
times already. I have always loved his shows for how ridiculous his performances are, and this
was no exception. He may have come on stage a little fashionably late, but he made up for the
lost time immediately by getting the crowd pumped up with his jumps around the stage and close
interactions getting into the crowd himself. A bunch of new faces from the rest of the band that
Hyro explained they were all from France touring with him. Even with the new members, every
song still hit just as hard, and it was great getting to hear so many of his newer songs that he’s
put out recently since this is his first tour in two years. For anyone interested, his new album
Bound For Glory comes out September 15th from Better Noise Music.
After that was Dead Poet Society, a band I’ve seen once before and somewhat forgot
about them. This time, their performance definitely scratched something in my brain as the four-
piece kept the crowd bouncing with their groovy instrumentals and physical slams on the down
beats for more emphasis. Something that seems like a trend to me is when a vocalist also holds a
guitar to play, they feel less energetic and held down to that spot on stage; this band was an
exception as he still jumped into the crowd for face-to-face moments and was using the space on
stage to his advantage. One song that really caught my attention was .SALT. as the consistent
backbeat groove really flowed throughout the entire audience. After the show, my family who
attended with me also commented on how there was one song that felt like something else, and I
showed them that it was this song that hit. They will be on my radar from here on out now.
Now it was Nothing More’s turn to end the night once again. Starting off with their
album-ending title track Spirits, the performance felt like a good recap of everything we were
about to witness for the next hour. Bass-heavy riffs, small guitar solos sprinkled in, “in the
pocket” grooves on the drums, and vocalist Jonny running and jumping all over the stage and
onto his custom-built kit known for the Scorpion Tail. It had everything a Nothing More show
usually does, which is why I keep coming back. The next few songs bounced back and forth
from their latest two records with no intention of lowering the energy level in the room. Crowd
surfers made their way up to the front, guitarist Mark physically slammed his notes on the beat,
and Jonny’s percussive movements kept everyone on their toes. About 6 songs in, Jonny says the
words, “here’s a new one.” They brought out something they’ve been cooking in the studio as
part of a new album in the making, which seems pretty quick since it’s only been a year since
Spirits dropped, but they seem excited to get a new body of work done. The part that surprised
me the most was the drop during the bridge; it kept the same style as the rest of the song, but then it dropped into a half-time groove that really had you headbanging. I’m excited to see how
that will sound in a studio environment. Shortly afterwards, it seemed like they listened to the
fans and brought out Valhalla (Too Young To See) for the first time on a tour too, which was my
personal favorite and got me emotional seeing the response for the crowd. The rest of the set
came from the big hits of the last three albums, ranging from heavy hitters such as Go To War
and Let ‘Em Burn to the emotional rollercoasters like I’ll Be Okay and Fade In/Fade Out. They
ended their set from the song that pretty much started all of the huge success for them, This Is
The Time. At the end, a signature drum session between all members had a few lucky audience
members hold the floor toms while Jonny stood on the barricade to play them. I can’t even tell
you how many times I’ve seen this band now, but they never fail at what they do. It was a
captivating and engaging show that I saw left fans speechless, and I highly recommend going to
catch a show off this last leg of the album cycle before they go back into the studio for who knows how long.
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