nothing, nowhere @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 8/2/2023
nothing, nowhere hit the stage in Adelaide for only their second ever Australian show and the man behind the music, Joe Mulherin, launches onto the stage spinning like the cartoon Tasmania Devil and when he stops to spit out his story, the room listens and vibrates with enthusiastic reciprocation.
Opening track CYAN1DE, off the forthcoming new album, goes off like bombs being detonated as true to his word, Mulherin takes the recorded song and makes it heavy, the live setting perfectly enhancing it. It’s warm in the venue however the electricity and energy only grows and Preteens is up next with the audience needing little encouragement to sing along.
The band have a great connection with the crowd as the band rabble rouse even more energy and Nightmare bounces as the audience, which seems to be made up of couples, echo every word back. No one is leaving the room for even one second.
The live setting does add something extra to nothing, nowhere’s music and Mulherin is finely adept at engaging with a crowd who are literally the 5th member of the show tonight such is their passion. But there’s no time to mess around as Love And Chemistry rocks the stage, Mulherin reaching out to every corner of the room before Lights (444) allows a breather and slows it down, if only for a minute, after the vibrant and explosive opening.
The band behind Mulherin is absolutely perfect as they switch between rap, metal and one point drum and bass. The drummer is like a robotic octopus with arms and legs in a blur of exquisite timing and dynamics as Pieces Of You turns up the energy even more with the crowd.
Fake Friend is outstanding and following that with Buck you become aware of how involved everyone is in the show when you realise no one is stood at the bar, every single face directed at the mesmeric performance on stage.
The mobile phones light up the room spectacularly for Hopes Up as the band still continue at a rocket ships pace before Letdown gets that fifth band member, the crowd, clapping and singing along in unison in an impressive display of sweat and commitment.
As we turn onto the final stretch, like any great performer, the dial is turned up – somehow – again as a couple of newbies M1SERY_SYNDROME – complete with a wall of death – and THIRST4VIOLENCE which brings a circle pit into the game, absolutely tear the place down.
For the uninitiated Death starts like a drum and bass song before lurching in a death metal blast beat of punk, yes I actually said that, and the band depart victorious to the cries of ‘one more song’.
Treating us to Hammer before leaving for the last time, the chatter amongst the crowd is how impressive a show this was, how engaging, how connected, and how it brought so many people together with Mulherins messages of hope through the music. Even this old reviewer was left shaking my head going ‘wow!’
Live Review By Iain McCallum