Austinist Interviews: Nic Armstrong and the Thieves

Nic Armstrong was born in Newcastle, UK, but moved to Nottingham in order to attend art school. He wanted to be a painter or an architect, and playing the guitar was just something he picked up as a young teenager. He didn’t have any plans to be in a band and was, in fact, a little embarrassed the first time he performed his songs for a friend. He had decided to commit to a job in Nottingham when fate handed him a whole new deck of cards. His girlfriend entered his low-budget demo tape into a national contest. Although he didn’t win, someone recognized the talent and potential in Nic’s bluesy rock songs, which are reminiscent of 60s-era greats like The Beatles, the Yardbirds, the Kinks, and the Rolling Stones. Not long after, he was offered a recording contract and began working with producer Liam Watson of Toe Rag Studios (who has also worked with The White Stripes, The Zutons, and The Kills).

Thanks to even more good fortune, Jonny, Shane, and Glynn came into the picture to complete the band and take on the title of The Thieves. Their first album, The Greatest White Liar, was released in the UK last spring. Since then, they have signed to New West Records, a company based in both L.A. and Austin. They have toured Europe and the States with bands like Oasis, Jet, Louis XIV, and The Bravery, and they had a slot at Coachella earlier this summer. Nic & Co. also played SXSW this year, where the Austinist happened to see them at Eternal and was blown away by their show. Thanks to another twist of fate, Shane met the woman he’s going to marry while they were here for SXSW. He was hanging out with his bandmates at Shakespeare’s of all places, and a girl asked him the time. Now, several months later, the two are engaged. Isn’t that a lovely story? Austin brings people together!

Like Nic, the Thieves didn’t really have their sights set on becoming rock stars. Jonny has been playing drums (or was it performing puppet theatre?) for a while, and Nic heard him play and asked him to join the band. Shane grew up listening to rock ‘n roll oldies like Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis (he likes Chuck Berry better), but was actually inspired to learn to play guitar after watching Back to the Future. Remember the scene where Marty McFly played “Johnny B. Good” at the Under the Sea dance? Yeah, that’s why Shane is in a band today. We owe you one, Michael J. Fox. Add Glynn (who has a penchant for standing on drumkits or speakers – really, we’ve seen him do it!) and the sounds of his rocking guitar, and you’ve got yourself some Thieves.

After we had had our fill of tequila and beer, we took the boys over to the Parish. They played a fantastic show chock full of all-new material. The Greatest White Liar was written entirely by Nic (except for a superb cover of Chuck Berry’s “I Want To Be Your Driver”), but the boys are collaborating much more this time around. Each member has contributed his own songs to the new album, and during their performance last night Nic took a step back from his position as frontman a few times to let his bandmates step up to their mics. They each have distinctive talents, and the new album is sure to be a reflection of this, incorporating faster, even catchier beats and more variety. We can’t wait to get our hands on it.

You can check out Nic Armstrong and the Thieves this Friday when they open for World Leader Pretend at Stubb’s. Doors at 9pm, all ages, tickets at Front Gate.