Nothing But Thieves

Nothing But Thieves are coming to Cologne: the British rock band will be stopping off at the LANXESS arena on Wednesday, 13.01.2027. With their unmistakable blend of powerful guitars, atmospheric soundscapes and the distinctive voice of frontman Conor Mason, the group has established a firm place for itself internationally in the modern rock scene. In Cologne, fans can look forward to an evening that will bring the band's special live dynamic to Germany's largest multifunctional arena.

When a band returns to the place where it all began, it quickly sounds like kitsch in the pop business. For the five musicians of Nothing But Thieves, however, the return to Angelic Studios, a converted barn in Banbury, England, was a purely pragmatic decision. This is where they recorded their debut album over a decade ago. Back then, they were in their early twenties and felt like lottery winners. "We thought this was going to be our first and last record, so we just enjoyed the ride," recalls guitarist Dominic Craik.

Today, four top 10 albums and a British number one later, the band around singer Conor Mason is a global rock authority. The road to this status has mainly taken them to the world's stages. Live concerts and extensive tours are the foundation on which the band's success is built. Anyone who has experienced thousands of fans singing along to every line in sold-out venues such as London's Wembley Arena or the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam understands the power of this collective. On tour, the band has grown into a unit that knows exactly how to tame the raw energy of a live show.

They wanted to use this maturity in the studio. After the futuristic, strictly conceived album "Dead Club City" from 2023, the musicians longed for the opposite. "We wanted to write something that was a bit more raw, organic and chaotic," explains guitarist Joe Langridge-Brown. The new single "Evolution" captures exactly this feeling. The song is based on the dynamics that usually characterize their concerts: A stripped-down, driving guitar riff opens the track before Mason's distinctive voice kicks in and the track breaks through a massive wall of sound. Lyrically, Mason looks back on his beginnings in his hometown of Southend-on-Sea and the live club Chinnerys there.

Despite the commercial pressure that comes with billions of streams and platinum awards, Nothing But Thieves retain their independence. "We've always been like kids when it comes to creating music," says Conor Mason. "It's all about how it feels for us. You can't write songs just to sell shit. In the end, it's about the real moments on stage and connecting with the audience."