London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire was packed to the rafters for Nothing More, but before the Texan sensations took the stage, we were treated to Danish metallers Siamese and the extravagant SiM from Japan.
SiM – Siamese
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – 15 February 2024
Words: Dany Jones
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
SiM
Second up are SiM, who have come all the way from Japan. 
They sure take the place by storm with 7-string guitars, 5-string bass and plenty of barrage delivered by the man of the beat.
Self-dubbed as Reggae Punk, we see a cross of Asian Dub meets Hardcore, where lazy slurs of Caribbean-style grooves get juxtaposed to the classic ‘in yer face’ punching of straight, sharp-sounding beats. 
The excitable Ninjas play their hearts out and never stop stressing how grateful they are for this opportunity. This is their first-ever European tour.
To say that they are infectious is an understatement, and they sure capture the hearts of the crowd. The singer, MAH, takes great care at leading the audience, who knowingly sing along, follow his commands to head-bob, jump around and even do the monkey on a Madness cover. 
Several moshpits are seen to break out at various points in their set. Disjointed and totally bat-shit kooky, they have done a great job at delivering the perfect main support. Arigato, and they are off.
Siamese
Siamese take to the stage to begin proceedings. Riding the Metalcore wave currently ever so relevant, their image is slick, and their songs are loaded with melodic emotion, chunky down-tuning and inevitable breakdowns, with the stylish addition of a violin.
A solid set of singable tunes captivates the audience and makes for a great introduction to such a glorious evening.
