LIVE REVIEW: Nothing More w/ Crown The Empire & Thousand Below at Knitting Factory Spokane, Washington 4/29/2023

Nothing More has become one of the biggest rocks bands in the U.S. It’s hard to believe they have been a band actively since 2003. Since then they have went on to release a total of four studio albums, opened some of the biggest festivals, & manage to create a loyal fanbase. Tonight’s show was at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, Washington. The show was sold out. Crown The Empire & Thousand Below were support.

The Knitting Factory is a staple establishment for Spokane for its live music scene. Located in the downtown district of Spokane, it is furnished with big buildings and a rich history of culture. I showed up early to the accompanying bar next door called “The District” where you can grab a bit to eat before the show and even get early entry into the venue. Once doors opened we were granted access to the grand ballroom where the main floor was. Lights from above lit up the whole room, I have to say I was very impressed with the lighting system and the soundboard was upstairs accompanied by the bar.

It was almost showtime, the crowd was getting eager to see the opening band. Last December “Thousand Below” embarked on “Bad Omens Concrete Jungle tour” as direct support. They are an American post-hardcore band from San Diego. Their sound is best described as being emotionally charged, breakdown laden, & provides an atmospheric vibe. Their setlist included hits such as “Hell Finds You Everywhere”, “No Place Like You”, & “Silent Season”. Thousand Below is a band to look out for.

Crown The Empire have been around since 2010. I remember when the album “Fallout “came out and they were on Warped Tour, so it was nice and refreshing to see them apart of this tour. This was a special show for them because their new album DOGMA just came out the day before the show. Anticipation was at a new high, the crowd was ready to throwdown and get dirty. The setlist included “DOGMA”, “The Fallout”, “Black Sheep”, “What I Am”, & “Machines”. Crown The Empire are the staple mold of what metalcore sounds like today. Most recently they did a song with Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox called “In Another Life”.

Mr. Sandman was the intro song that introduced Nothing More to the stage, from there it was an adrenaline fueled set that did not hold back. Comprised of Jonny Hawkins (Vocals), Mark Vollelunga (Guitar), Ben Anderson (Drums) & Daniel Oliver (bass). Nothing More is a band from San Antonio, Texas. Nothing More’s sound is a mix of rock, progressive, metal, and hard rock. They don’t really fall into a single genre very avant-garde new wave – think Nine Inch Nails meets Royal Blood.

A lot of the lyrical content comes from real life events taken from Jonny’s personal life. Moments of heartache, sadness, frustration, fear of not knowing, questioning god and our existence. What makes Nothing More so special is that human element making the viewer connect on a more personal level. At this stage in their career they have a pretty big catalog of songs. The setlist included such hits as “Jenny”, “Go To War”, “Let ’em Burn”, & I’ll Be Okay”.

During “Fade In / Fade Out” everyone held out their phones illuminating the whole venue and singing along to Jonny belting out the words. They don’t do encores but had something special planned for the last song “This Is The Time (Ballast)”. Jonny submerged himself into the crowd with a snare drum for a final send off for the night. Mark joined him also holding up his guitar to take a bow. You really felt the love in the room with everyone, it made you feel like you were a part of the show.