Bad Nerves rocked the Saturday night
How many times do you get lucky enough to see a band in prime time? This Saturday, we had the huge fortune of seeing British band Bad Nerves at their peak, and that’s something you’ll forever remember.
The Essex natives released a second album that’s just as flammable as their first, and the punk poppers of Green Day not only brought them on tour to South America, but Billie Joe Armstrong himself didn’t hesitate to call them “the best band in England right now.” Fortunately, in addition to the show with Green Day at the Huracán stadium, they also gave an incendiary performance at El Teatrito for those left wanting more or those who wanted to see them for the first time. Recall that in 2017, when Armstrong’s band played at the Vélez Sarsfield stadium, the guest band was ska punks The Interrupters, another act that left everyone speechless. These Californians know something about music…
If you cross the Ramones with the Strokes and add a dash of Turnstile, you get Bad Nerves. That’s what those in the know say, and what tremendous praise it must be for them. And what an incredible visual and auditory pleasure it was to see them melting the stage with that blend of influences and good taste.
When the guys from DosmilDos (the guest band) took the stage, I doubt they were aware of the historic moment they were living in. But that’s the charm of youth, doing things almost by inertia. Their thing was to go up and set everything in front of them on fire: a solid and overwhelming base, a drum set that smashes everything in its path, a unique and charismatic singer, and a double act of sharp and squealing guitars—a very 90s sound, extremely guitar-driven and garage-like, which was applauded by both fans and strangers. I applaud the fact that there’s young blood out there eager to kick the ass of the world and the old bastards who run it.
The moment the Ramones’ timeless “Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio” started playing, we all knew something tremendous was taking shape before our eyes. Bobby Nerves, with that knowing smile, greeted us in perfect Spanish, and “Baby Drummer” came out at full speed to tell us they came for this, to burn our heads and ears.
The band has everything you’d expect from rock ‘n’ roll of this era: a bit of vintage nostalgia, influences oozing from their pores, a drummer with a wrist that never stops hitting the hi-hat (Samuel Thompson), two guitarists who complement each other perfectly (William Phillipson and George Berry), a solid bassist who was impossible not to relate to Sid Vicious (Jonathan Poulton), and the aforementioned Bobby on vocals, who must have enjoyed the show as much as we did, since he expressed it both verbally and physically.
And the songs are little bombs destined to become hits: how could you not go crazy with songs like “Electric 88,” “Radio Punk,” “The Kids Will Never Have Their Say,” or “You’ve Got the Nerve”? It’s the typical case of when a band is in a state of grace, and everything you see on stage is perfect: the choruses, the gestures, the guitarist using his instrument as if it were a rifle, the singer communicating in our language, the speed, the whirlwind, the adrenaline, and the audience participating in a unique moment.
Speaking of unique moments, how beautiful it was when the drummer started hitting the bass drum/snare drum hard and evenly, and the crowd began singing the old and beloved “Hey Ho Let’s Go” from Ramones’ “Bliztkrieg Bop.” But of course, that was just the intro. Because right then, they hooked into the Fab Four’s “Cretin Hop,” and the frenzy was instant and contagious. Oh yeah, it seems like they only played that song in our country. Because being Ramone-land by adoption has its privileges.
And they were saving that anthem “Can’t Be Mine” for almost the end! It’s impossible not to move your leg, your head, or your whole body to that song. When “Dreaming” started playing, it was the beginning of the end of the show. Those of us who were there, sweaty, sweaty, happy, and rocked out, looked at each other as if to say, “This was crazy.” When, in a few years, this show achieves historic status, we’ll remember that seminal moment of being knocked out by this British steamroller for the first time. They wanted rock? Bad Nerves came, saw, and conquered. Hats off!
Photos by Juan Bertuggia
Review by Rodrigo Cardozo
Produced by Move Concerts Argentina
Press María Nolte & Nicolás Tavella
