BAD NERVES AT THE LEADMILL: A CHAOS CAUSING JOB FOR THE DRY CLEANERS

LIVE REVIEW | BAD NERVES w/ UltraQ | SHEFFIELD LEADMILL 16/12/2024 by Gracie Erskine

Bad Nerves blend showmanship and rebellion with their riot of a gig at the Leadmill on Monday. After an 18-month tour, the Essex rockers returned to the iconic venue with a bang, the first Sheffield strike since 2021.

Californian quartet UltraQ ignited the night with their Wunderhorse meets Green Day resonance. Embarking on their first UK tour, the band played an eclectic mix of songs from their 2024 album Waiting. An electric reception from the crowd begged the ever-awaiting presence of the headline.

Bad Nerves stormed the stage with fan favourite Baby Drummer, whilst the crowd seemed relatively tame locked in a trance of head banging for now. It only took the second song Palace before the ruckus commenced, an animalistic pint-chucking, chaos causing job for the drycleaners.

Vocalist Bobby Nerves exclaimed mid-set about the ‘breaking stage’, praising and applauding the crowds un-worldly Monday night antics. He perfectly balanced the plates of maintaining his nonchalant and cool persona against an engaging showmanship flare. His flamboyantly boisterous style is a luring watch for when you’re not wrestling with the sweat-drenched mayhem-ees, stamping the band with their own unique flare.

The intentional theatrics continued with a return to the stage for the encore where the band entered the stage one by one before locking themselves into a death stare, awaiting the presence of Nerves. Reminiscent of The Hives trick within their live shows, whom they’ve just jumped off a North American tour with – great note taking lads.

Alas the band returned to the stage raising hell with ‘You’ve Got The Nerve’. Nerves raided the stage, stomping his way across the 8ft and amped out stage he’s got to work with. Fan favourites and debut album sisters ‘Can’t Be Mine’ and ‘Dreaming’ concluded the site and didn’t go out without a bang, a sense of shame a relief when the band left the stage as you could finally wipe the sweat from your brow.

This UK tour comes off the back of their latest album Still Nervous released in May this year, 4 years since their last. It broke through the shackles of catchy riffs into the mature older brother of punk unlike their debut album.

Admis all the chaos, Bad Nerves delivered and exceptional gig that the crowd seemed to be grateful for, lacking in three minute long video filming, or gormless silence. Truly refreshing to see this kind of raw energy in a room. Surely the mark of a good gig is when your phone alerts a liquid detection, the choice of liquid yours to worry unfortunately. Even quoted by Billie Joe Armstrong on SiriusXM Canada saying “I really like them a lot, I think those guys are gonna do well”, and he didn’t think wrong. The boys have failed to be off the road in the past year and they’ve still got a long one ahead.

The Essex rioters are to finish their tour next week before concluding in January with their biggest headline show at the infamous Electric Ballroom Camden. If you wish to join the chaos tickets can be found here.