LIVE FROM THE PIT: Bad Nerves, Split Dogs and Balancing Act

Off the back of a string of supporting tours for the likes of The Hives and Green Day accompanied by the festival run of a lifetime; Bad Nerves take on a headline tour filled with sweaty venues perfect for the atmosphere they create, we headed down to their London date to see how they did.

With the gig being held in the absolutely beautiful O2 Empire Shepards Bush, Split Dogs opened the stage bringing a punk presence that is genuinely refreshing to see, they were absolutely unapologetic, from the singer's energy to the guitarist's pure aggression within his riffs, this band fit perfectly into the bill certainly covering the punk sector with a lot of spoken word and fun melodies that made for a great opening act.  

Next up was quite the vibe change, with the eccentric Balancing Act who immediately brought tone down to deliver a more atmospheric set; with the singer moving like Jagger and the rest of the band giving off a cool vibe, that was reminiscent of bands from the 70s era of Psychedelic Rock. Though pits were absent here unlike the last set, Balancing Act delivered a powerful set that only highlighted their pure talent, music that filled the hall with glide guitar, reverb vocals and a blend of indie and swim drumming that was only ever completed by complex and interesting bass-lines that make them seem like the calm before the storm.

And a storm Bad Nerves definitely brought to the venue. Opening with Television, Bad Nerves did not waste a second luring their fans into a frenzy that turned the venue upside down as it descended into one of the most chaotic sets the band have ever pulled off. Energy levels were high throughout the entire set and its honestly a commendable feat that the band had no pause and just gave it their all throughout the entire set not letting up for their whole hour on stage.  

They swiftly moved playing 3 more hits from the first self-titled album, that began the crowd surfing and oh boy it did not stop, you honestly had to feel bad for the security at the front as not one single song was without at least three crowd surfers.  

One thing that stood out at this show was genuinely how diverse the crowd was, people from all ages and backgrounds attended this show – even one of the bands grandfathers was in the stands – the show was an absolute brilliant unity of punk, pop and rock fans to blow off some steam for an hour. It’s undeniable the gravity that Bad Nerves have, with lots of new fans entering their orbit and we are all but sure that, this band is going to go into the stratosphere with their wild energy and unapologetic nature. 

Words and photos: Ben Blisset