Homecoming Gig for Nothing Rhymes With Orange at the Three Crowns Devizes

Friday evening in the liveliest of Devizes pubs, The Three Crowns, with Devizes best upcoming band, Nothing Rhymes With Orange pulling a two hour set out of the hat like a magician pulls a rabbit out of theirs. Surely a perfect match and an unmissable occasion; but, ah, shoot, did I do a cidered-up speech? There’s vague recollections of it this morning. Please accept my apologies!!

Something of a homecoming for the boys, with recent gigs at Bristol’s Louisiana, Bath’s Komedia, and the Gunners in London, and forthcoming dates ranging from the New Forest Rag-City Festival to Trowbridge Festival, only returning here for FullTone. They’re getting the bookings, gig bunnies of Devizes know why.

Changing from Saturday’s usual live music slot for the Three Crowns to a Friday may’ve reduced footfall a smidgen, but just as my arm was twisted, many sought the rare opportunity to see how they’re fairing in the fame, for free. Their devoted Gen Z fan base front and centre, millennial regulars taking up the support trench and anyone older in reserve, save for a few breaking rank, illustrating to those younger how it was done in their day; it was a mixed bunch but plentiful and hospitable, there only to enjoy themselves, and you know NRWO will deliver this.

The date change was to fit in an audition gig on Saturday for the Pilton Stage, a subsidiary of Glastonbury Festival, of which we wish them the very best of luck. In fact, I did wish them such while they were tuning, whereupon frontman Elijah Easton acknowledged precautions to preserve his voice for tomorrow’s big day, and I looked doubtful at him replying, “yeah, right, that’s not going to happen, is it?!” This contest today is one tough cookie, crossing fingers and toes may not be enough, but come what may, as I believe I said in my slobbering speech, this hometown loves and supports these lads, ergo, they wouldn’t halfheartedly perform to them least anyone. 

Because, and here’s the deal breaker; with over a year on a pedestal, this youthful quartet of indie-punk-pop still revels in the spotlight and this jubilant enthusiasm reflects onto an audience and reverberates throughout. It makes for a positive atmosphere, a benchmark for a memorable gig. And that is exactly what happened last night at the Three Crowns, a pub usually encouraging acts to perform covers but needn’t for this gig, as the passion these boys deliver has their fans here singing back their originals to them as if they were classic covers. Especially when the Greggs steak bake falls apart. 

It was a glorious occasion, the tremendous night I never doubted. Nothing Rhymes With Orange open a two-hour set, time was on their hands to play through every single they’ve produced to date, maybe try some new ones, and covers made the remainder. Blink 182, Kings of Leon, and particularly Arctic Monkeys got the Orange makeover, and there were some especially interesting smooth ambient breaks teetering on prog-rock. Yet it is rare even with a two hour set, for these boys to lower the bpm; it’s uptempo yet paced, but nonchalant rather than all out fury, therefore of universal appeal.

A telltale sign of said passion for their labour came at the finale, when the band didn’t want it to end anymore than the fans screaming for more. It was lead guitarist Fin Anderson-Farquhar who looked at me as I tried to fanboy my way to the microphone, that they had run out of songs to play. Therefore it was up the band to, tongue-in-cheek, knock up the archetypal Oasis cover.  

I don’t know what I needed to say so desperately, but I felt I needed to say something about wishing them the best of luck for today’s audition, to rouse the crowd and let them hear how the local fans support them, because they thoroughly deserve it in my book. Then, probably due to fatigue at an exhausting show of epic proportions, they idiotically left me alone on the microphone!! It was there where I thought I’d convey my compassion to local blues heroes the Hoax over thirty years ago, because I believe that was a Devizes phenomenon then, and we are witnessing the next right now.

Elijah, Fin, bassist Sam Briggs, drummer Lui Venables, are tighter as a band than ever before, as they journey to college together, they take with them a comradeship, and they take a shared passion for their music, and it is something which continues to improve; last night proved that on their hometurf, superbly.

Trending….

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Leave a comment