Live Words and Photos: DJ
The Spirits 2023 II Tour’s second leg is back due to high demand. The seminal rockers Nothing More have done very well for themselves since their early days. Way early on in fact 13 years ago we reviewed Nothing More’s “The Few Not Fleeting” Album, back then a shocker of an alternative record that seemingly brought back interest in the Rock Alternative genre for many. We saw something there and boy we were right. Credit to the guys for evolving their sound and massively reaching a wider audience with their intense shows, high-impact energy sets and just being creatively different.
It’s not just that the music is catchy as hell in the end, and fans love that. Having seen the guys live multiple times over the years, they are fun live.
Luckily we get this portion of the tour in Huntsville, hitting Mars Music Hall for a long week of shows here. The night starts early with another Texas alt-rock band Post Profit. Those guys put on a cool energetic show, every one of the bands tonight just has so much friggin energy, is quite clear. They fit the bill perfectly with NM. Songs like “Smother and “Haunt Me” we’re on point and pretty lively. Check them out if you haven’t already.
Next is Hyro the Hero, the label Better Noise has been pushing the artist with plenty of fire and belief. And judging by his performance live, is clear to see why. The man is electric onstage. With his mix of Hip/Hop meets Rap/Metal and a live band that’s pretty damn loud, you have a high-impact and entertaining show. When you hear him you think hints of Rage Against the Machine and Fever 333. At one point in the set, Hyro decided it was time to jump in with the crowd and go bang your head, then crowd surfs some more, he was even courteous enough to take some beer off a fan, this dude is having some fun on stage no doubt. The last tune “Bound for Glory” off his new album was pretty hefty live, and a heck of a way to end the night. An artist to watch out for in the future, check out his new album is out now!!!
Next was Dead Poet Society, who played the same venue earlier this year opening for Highly Suspect. Again the trend of the night, all these openers bring plenty of heat and fire. Dead Poets is the same, singer and guitar player Jack Underkofler is fun to watch live as well as how he interacts with the fans, and his intensity of playing is off the charts. The songs “Running in Circles” and “.loveyoulikethat.” are always crowd favorites. The guys do their best to get everybody amped up for NM. Great set.
Finally, stagehands come on to prep for Nothing More with their customary drum arrangements and unique lights. The backdrop of the Spirits album logo is illuminated which makes for a nice backdrop. Singer Jonny Hawkins having dealt with some turmoil earlier this year, I’m sure is happy he’s back on the road and the band has been able to get back to touring life. He did shortly allude to some of this on stage. He comes out in his customary body paint, and shirtless and jumps right into the killer groove of “Spirits”, a banger of their last album. More catchy melodic zest plays on with “Do You Really Want It”, as Hawkins’s intense presence resonates on this Tuesday night. Another favorite “Tired of Winning” plays loud, the rhythm and bass combo of Daniel Oliver and Mar Vollelunga are as tight as ever. The emotions in “Jenny” always hit a note live, and later followed by the war chants in “Go To War” and “Let ‘Em Burn’.
If you have never seen the guys live (hard to believe at this rate), you are missing out as they are one of the better live bands we have going now. There is a reason they stay so busy on the road. Their music is modern rock/metal mixed with prog elements and artsy and unique grooves and sounds. It does make them stand on their own in today’s often matched and cloned world of mainstream Rock music. I don’t have anything negative to say, the crowd was great for a Tuesday night, their set of 16 songs I believe ended way too short, typically the case when each song is good. Again they deliver the goods live and if you haven’t checked them out on the Spirits II tour, you probably should go ahead and book that right now!!!
About Author
