Nothing More : Carnal Nature Tour with Catch Your Breath, Archers and Doobie at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas

Rocky Kessenger Words and Photos
6 hours ago
5 min read

Getting approved to shoot Nothing More's The Carnal Nature Tour flipped the switch immediately; calendar locked, batteries charged, lenses cleaned. Naturally, the day refused to cooperate. A Teams meeting ran long, the kind that steals five minutes at a time until you’re suddenly doing Strip traffic math in your head. I parked at Caesars, slung the camera bag over my shoulder, and hustled across Las Vegas Boulevard through a crowd that proved, once again, anyone saying Vegas is “dead” has never been late here.

I made it to the Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, grabbed my media pass, and took a quick lap just in time to catch Doobie already onstage. No pit access for his set, but the VIP sightlines gave me room to shoot and, more importantly: to actually watch. He opened with “Until I Get to Heaven,”and within minutes I realized I’d misjudged him. I’ll own that. What I’d heard online didn’t prepare me for the live response. When “Hate Song” hit, the room erupted with full-voice chants, middle fingers in the air, and raw energy everywhere.

Between songs, Doobie talked about where he came from, thanked his TikTok community, and made a point to tell everyone he’d be at merch afterward signing and taking photos. That still matters. In a world where live music keeps getting more expensive, that kind of access counts.

As the stage reset, I moved into the pit for Archers and ended up talking with another photographer who couldn’t believe I wasn’t already deep into the band. He’d been waiting months for this show and had just landed an interview with them. That moment, right there, is why this still works; we’re professionals, but we’re fans first. Archers opened with “Made for Love,” the stage drenched in pink lighting that somehow felt exactly right, and Nathanael Pulley came out confident and locked in. They dropped straight into “Drag Me Out,”and live, the dual vocals gave the song a heavier presence than expected.

I moved through the pit grabbing shots, jamming between bursts, taking it in as much as documenting it. They didn’t overtalk short cues, momentum-driven transitions, and a few “jump” and “sing it with me” moments; that Vegas answered every time. “Perfect Strangers” closed the set, and Nathanael reminded the crowd that this moment; me, you, right here, right now, belonged to us. Before labels, before marketing, before everything else. That line landed hard!

Then came Catch Your Breath; a band my wife has been talking about for a long time, which meant I was giving this set my full attention whether I wanted to or not. They hit the stage under a deep red wash and opened with “Savages,” immediately pulling the crowd forward. “Deadly” followed in green and pink lighting; the intro breathing before the vocals turned it into a full-room singalong. Josh Mowery carried the emotional weight of the set with confidence, especially on “Ghost Inside the Shell," where his delivery felt raw and direct.

“Lost” started with a simple question, have you ever felt lost?, and instantly became a melodic crowd moment. “Good in Goodbye” gave me straight-up ’80s teen movie ballad vibes, and I mean that as a compliment! The closing run “21 Gun Salute,” “Dial Tone,” and “Shame On Me” turned Brooklyn Bowl into one long chorus. For a solid stretch, it was hard to tell who was louder, the band or the crowd. The acoustics helped but Catch Your Breath knew exactly how to use them. Strong set. Strong connection. No complaints.

By the time Nothing More took the stage, the room was fully primed. I first saw them two years ago on the Wage War co-headliner and knew even then they were built differently live. Shooting them at Brooklyn Bowl felt like a full-circle moment. They opened with “House on Sand” under red lights, coming out ferocious; hands clapping and waving within seconds.

“Let ’Em Burn” followed, and the first three songs alone set the tone for the entire night. They eased off just enough to put a spotlight on Jonny Hawkins before sliding into “If It Doesn’t Hurt,” then surged back into “Don’t Stop” and “Go to War.” Ben Anderson drove the momentum from behind the kit, keeping the intensity high without letting it feel rushed. “Freefall” brought a controlled slowdown with cassette-style backing audio, before launching into a standout instrumental section where Mark Vollelunga and Daniel Oliver traded guitar and bass focus on the band’s custom structure; Jonny joining them to lock all three together. That dissolved into a full-band Bass vs Drum off, followed by a crowd vote on their next song which landed on “We’re in This Together,” a NIN Cover.

Then came “Jenny,” introduced with a personal note, stating this song here was written for my sister IYKYK, flowing straight into “Stuck.” After thanking Las Vegas and the Brooklyn Bowl, Mark stepped forward to introduce “Fade In / Fade Out,” written for his father; a song that hits differently when you’ve still got multiple generations of family around. “This Is the Time,” saw Jonny seated at the front under a blue-green light; pulling the room inward, before the night closed with the drum solo of fans holding the kit at the barricade. Sticks flew into the crowd and the lights finally came up.

Walking out of the Brooklyn Bowl, that ‘post-show buzz’ lingered the way it only does when a tour actually works from top to bottom. The kind of night where every band fits the room, the crowd never checks out, and the energy doesn’t fall off between sets. The Octane influence was impossible to miss not just in the music, but in the room itself. Seeing Shannon Gunz and Caity Babs in the house, supporting a band we all know they genuinely love, felt right. It wasn’t performative. It wasn’t industry optics. It was real support, and that still means something in this scene.

As the crowd filtered out; ears ringing, merch bags in hand, voices hoarse from singing along; it was clear this wasn’t just another stop on a long tour. People weren’t rushing for the exits. They were standing around, talking about moments, comparing notes on songs, and replaying parts of the night out loud. That’s always my tell. When a show hits, it lingers. You could feel it in the hallway conversations; in the smiles, in that shared ‘did you see that?’ energy; that sticks with you long after the lights come up.

This tour works because it’s cohesive. Doobie surprised people. Archers proved why their momentum is real. Catch Your Breath showed exactly why they connect with listeners on an emotional level. And Nothing More closed the night with authority; relentless without being exhausting, intense without being chaotic. They may not be the heaviest band in modern rock, but they’re far from light, and they’ve carved out a space that’s entirely their own! On this night, in Las Vegas, at one of the best venues in the city, they reminded everyone why that space keeps getting bigger!

Words and Photos from Rocky Kessenger / Through The Metal Lens

Nothing More Photos @Rocky Kessenger / Through The Metal Lens