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BAD NERVES - 'BAD NERVES' Album Review


Tracklist:

1. CANT BE MINE

2. MAD MIND

3. BABY DRUMMER

4. PALACE

5. Radio Punk LIMIT

6. Got A Baby

7. ELECTRIC 88

8. WASTED DAYS

9. NEW SHAPES

10. LAST BEAT

11. TERMINAL BOY

12. DREAMING


Everyone loves a bit of Punk don’t they? Whether it’s the attitude, the staccato guitars or the sense of being a part of something different, there’s something about it that appeals across all ages (which may explain William Shatner and Henry Rollins’ frankly unmissable version of ‘Jingle Bells’). Thus it was with great anticipation that I sat down to listen to the eponymous debut album from Chelmsford based BAD NERVES.


The band have been around a few years and have built up a loyal following having spent years playing gigs in the UK and Europe, including Leeds and Reading last year. All of which has reaped dividends in terms of the sheer brutal force of the musicality – the playing is so fast and tight it leaves you open mouthed in admiration, especially for the rhythm section who surely must have learned to bend the laws of physics in order to play as fast as they do.


They’ve also spent that time writing and perfecting the songs for their debut, which is a heady mix of Punk and Power Pop that pays homage to bands of the past like The Ramones and Radioactivity while mixing in the joyful exuberance of early Supergrass for good measure, and yet still manages to sound fresh and relevant to today.


12 tracks might seem a lot for a debut, but it flies by in such a breathless rush of energy that it leaves you wanting to take a deep breath and dive back in for another listen. And, in the best tradition of Punk, it’s superbly lean – like an aural Iggy Pop on hunger strike, there’s not an ounce of fat on this album, nothing that feels even remotely like filler which, of course, makes it harder to pick out particular tracks to highlight, although I have to say ‘Palace’, ‘Radio Punk Limit’, ‘Electric 88’, and ‘Baby Drummer’ raised the biggest smiles from me.


It’s been a while since I’ve heard such a refreshing and accomplished debut album - I would even go so far as to say listening to it this week has provided 216 of the best minutes of 2020 so far...whether that says more about my sad COVID ravaged life than the album, you can judge for yourself when it’s released on 20th November.



Review - Chris Watson

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