Bad Nerves – The Art School – Glasgow

Some bands take a few listens to win you over.

Bad Nerves managed it in about three songs.

The first time Emma and I saw them was when they supported The Darkness at the Barrowland. We hadn’t gone specifically to see them, but by the time their set finished they were the band everyone was talking about on the way home.

They were that good.

Naturally, when they turned up supporting The Hives a short while later, I wasn’t exactly disappointed. If anything, I was almost as excited about seeing Bad Nerves again as I was the headliners.

Then came their first headline tour at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, which only confirmed what I already suspected.

This band were the real deal.

So when a Glasgow date at The Art School was announced, there was no debate, no hesitation and certainly no checking the bank balance.

Tickets were purchased immediately.

To my ears, Bad Nerves are the closest thing we’ve got to a modern-day Ramones. Short, sharp, ridiculously catchy songs delivered at breakneck speed with absolutely no unnecessary nonsense.

And that can never be a bad thing.

First up on the night were Spyres.

I’d heard very little about them beforehand, but they made an immediate impression. Their songs had plenty of energy and attitude and they did exactly what a good opening act should do: get the audience interested and set the tone for the evening.

By the time they left the stage, the crowd were fully engaged.

Next came Balancing Act.

I’ll be honest, my first impression of the singer wasn’t entirely favourable. He had the sort of larger-than-life confidence that can sometimes go either way. At first I wasn’t quite sure what to make of him.

Then the set progressed.

Gradually he won me over.

Partly because the songs were strong, partly because the band were excellent and partly because he was throwing absolutely everything into the performance. At one point he admitted he was struggling for breath because he’d recently given up cigarettes.

Fair play to him.

Most people use that as an excuse to take it easy.

He seemed determined to compensate by working twice as hard.

By the end of the set, I was firmly on side.

Then it was time for Bad Nerves.

And they absolutely kicked ass.

For roughly an hour they delivered exactly what everyone had come for: loud, fast, infectious rock and roll played with total conviction. There was no let-up, no filler and no dip in energy. Song after song flew past in a blur of hooks, guitars and sweat.

The crowd loved every second of it.

Before the show, I’d been chatting to a young woman in the audience who was clearly excited to be there. Afterwards, she summed the evening up perfectly with a simple observation:

“That was amazing.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Sometimes gigs don’t require lengthy analysis. Sometimes a band simply walks on stage, tears the roof off the place and leaves everyone grinning afterwards.

This was one of those nights.

Looking back, it’s remarkable that Bad Nerves still aren’t a household name. They’ve got the songs, they’ve got the energy and they’ve got the live show. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time before more people discover what those of us who’ve seen them already know.

Rock and roll is alive and well.

The videos below include sets from Spyres and Balancing Act, along with another blistering headline performance from Bad Nerves. If you’ve never heard them before, do yourself a favour and press play.

Just don’t blame me if you end up buying tickets to the next tour five minutes later.

Balancing Act were next up and although at first I thought the singer was eat himself if he was chocolate, by the end he won me over, especially as he struggled for air cause he was giving up cigarettes.