LIVE FROM THE PIT: Nothing and Hitmen
- Jasmine Longhurst
- Apr 20
- 2 min read
On a night that joined two bands, one from each of Philadelphia and London, there was NOTHING to see at Hackney’s Moth Club. Supported by local band HITMEN for two nights - this being the second of the two - the American shoegaze icons took to the cosy confines of the East London venue to entertain and impress on equal measure. The gold glittered ceiling sparkled in anticipation as various punters grabbed a Red Stripe on tap as we waited for both bands to step on stage, and as the venue filled and the noise rose, we all took a step closer to the cramped stage to be at the forefront of the sound tsunami to come.
Openers HITMEN had but half an hour with us, but their upbeat and energetic approach to shoegaze was somewhat reminiscent of MILITARIE GUN, and their setlist ran through both their 2024 EP Rock to Forget as well as both recent singles Early Riser and Three Drains. Even in that short time (and with a mild issue involving a bass guitar and its string) they presented themselves as a great live band who would be as much at home on small stages like the one in front of us as they would on a far grander one. A great start to the evening, and a fantastic introduction to a cracking local band.
With only one band opening for them, it was a relatively short but sweet night for us with headliners NOTHING. The five piece are touring on the back of their recently released record a short history of decay, which showed on a night that had five songs off the record feature on the setlist. From opening the set with purple strings to playing the title track of the LP, we were treated to a healthy spread from across an excellent release, made all the better by the hefty volume and extra energy within the room.
The lights were low, with the golden backdrop behind them rarely showing its true colours, but the simplicity and openness the band displays every time they play live always makes for an evening of earnest emotion and heart-on-sleeve feeling, from both audience and act. Of course, not everyone was getting caught in their feelings, with more than a couple of people headbanging along or jumping around to the higher energy portions of the event, but for a band as happy at Outbreak as they are anywhere else this is nothing new. Wrapping up with a song off the latest record, never come never morning, into an older fan favourite Eaten by Worms, the Philadelphians gave as good as we could’ve asked and finished with a flourish.
Words: Jasmine Longhurst
Photos: Herbert Barlow
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