Article: Dale Harvey @daleharvey

After playing Glasgow earlier in the year supporting The Hives’ tour, it was time for Bad Nerves to headline their own tour at the legendary King Tut’s.

UltraQ has been the support band for this tour, and as soon as lead singer Billie Danger started singing, there was a wave of recognition around the room. Billie Joe (of Green Day fame)’s son, with an unmistakably similar voice. They were a tight support band with an undeniable root in pop punk, but through the set, they bounced between a variety of genres. From the growling on Peace of Mind to the surfer rock vibes of Some Dice, there was something for everyone.

Before the show started, the security began going around the room hanging up “No Crowd Surfing” signs, which was a pretty good warning about the energy everyone was expecting to be brought tonight. “Here we fucking go” echoed around the room before the band even got to the stage, not dampening that expectation much. “The Ramones on crack” was being used to describe the band, and it was immediately accurate. The whole band was a bundle of energy from the start with Baby Drummer and Palace, and the crowd matched them with a mosh pit forming in a way that doesn’t happen too often in Tut’s. Lead singer Bobby Nerves is effortlessly cool, and while the comment “I knew this was going to be a good crowd” was predictable, the beaming grin on his face made it clear it was a genuine sentiment.

Much like their often-referenced influence, the Ramones, the songs flowed smoothly from one into another. There weren’t a lot of breaks for the band or crowd, nor, like the support band, much experimenting across genres. But when everyone was clearly enjoying themselves that much, why change something that works so well? The punk rock influences would have been worn on sleeves, but of course, they were mostly all in vests.

After a lengthy and sweaty set, everyone was granted a brief respite before the encore as they finished with You’ve Got the Nerve, Can’t Be Mine and Dreaming. Those three songs alone made it clear that getting a ticket to this show—as Bobby Nerves informed everyone earlier, “the fastest sellout of the tour”—was pretty lucky. When Bad Nerves are back in Glasgow, it is almost certain to be in a much bigger venue.

Article: Dale Harvey