RCA president David Dollimore has told Music Week that Nothing But Thieves have “never compromised” during their rise.
The band are set for a high chart finish with their third album, Moral Panic. And this week’s livestream performances should also give the campaign a boost.
While big Q4 releases from Bruce Springsteen and Gorillaz mean that the Southend five-piece will struggle to beat the No.2 peak for 2017’s Broken Machine, they could surpass that album's first week sales of 12,026.
Dollimore said the band’s relationship with producer Mike Crossey has paid off again.
“There are songs that appeal to a young audience and songs that will stream,” he told Music Week. “The record will sit nicely on radio globally, and I think they've really stayed true to themselves. They’ve adapted to the new streaming world but they've never compromised.
“I've been working with them for some time and their big strength is, actually, they are genuinely lovely lads. Going from the size of venues that they did two years ago to The O2 [in 2021], it can't be ignored. They have become much bigger than they were before – and they’re prolific.”
As well as The O2 date – their biggest to date in the UK – Nothing But Thieves have hit new airplay heights on this campaign with the single Is Everybody Going Crazy? It has also racked up 15,182,658 Spotify plays and the band have passed three million monthly listeners on the platform.
While they secured covers for major rock playlists such as Spotify’s Rock This, Nothing But Thieves also appeal beyond that genre audience.
“It’s a loyal fanbase,” said Dollimore. “While certain acts come and go very quickly, they have built this over a long time. And I think the music, as much as you call it rock, it has a pop sensibility, so it appeals to a much wider audience.
“The DSPs certainly have been amazing. There was a billboard in Times Square from Amazon, which was just an exceptional thing to see for the guys. With this new record, the support to date has been super strong.”
The global campaign includes support from RCA in the US.
“They've always been big fans and very supportive fans,” said Dollimore. “And [Nothing But Thieves] do well over there, they’ve built a good touring business.”
While touring is off until 2021, the band did launch their global livestream series of three shows on Wednesday (October 28).
Dollimore suggested the band deserved “more appreciation” at home for their global success as a touring and streaming rock act. And he is confident about the campaign going into 2021.
“We're all going in the right direction,” he said. “My team and the international team are really pushing hard, because everyone really does want this band to win. They all love this group of lads and it’s their best record to date.”
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