Never Mind A Wet Night In Stoke, Bad Nerves Made The Best Of A Cold Tuesday Night At The O2 Institute Birmingham

Bad Nerves rolled into the O2 Institute tonight armed with a setlist built for chaos, and although the room was a little quieter than expected, the people who were there lit the place up. A smaller Tuesday night crowd didn’t dull the spark – instead it made the gig feel like a secret show shared only between the band and the diehards. And the band fed off it.

Bad Nerves @ O2 Institute, Birmingham

Bad Nerves @ O2 Institute, Birmingham (Nick Allan)

Frontman Bobby Nerves was a lightning bolt from the moment he stepped onstage, pacing, leaping, and tearing through every lyric with his usual wide-eyed intensity. His voice – equal parts desperation and swagger, powered the opening run of Television, Don’t Stop and Baby Drummer, setting the tone for a night with absolutely no brakes. By the time Palace and Plastic Rebel hit, the front rows were fully locked in. The crowd bouncing and going nuts.

On either side of him, guitarists Will Phillipson and George Berry were pure kinetic energy, leaning into the crowd, throwing shapes, and firing riffs that pushed each track into overdrive. Their chemistry is a huge part of what makes a Bad Nerves show so addictive: chaotic, sharp, and totally unhinged in the best possible way. Radio Punk, Bored Of Babies and Last Beat felt like pure jet fuel because of them.

Holding down the low end was Jon Poulton on bass, a steady but commanding presence whose bass lines gave Jimmy the Punk and USA their punchy backbone. His grooves anchored the frenzy happening around him. And at the back, Sam Thompson was a machine on drums, tight, relentless and clearly loving every second. You really could set your watch to him. His playing on Mad Mind and Electric 88 pushed the band faster, louder, and wilder.

You Should Know By Now, Antidote and Kids kept the electricity high as the main set closed, before the band re-emerged for a fiery encore.

They kicked it off with Loner – freshly released as a single just yesterday and the room erupted. Hearing something brand new land with that much instant impact was a moment in itself. They followed with You’ve Got the Nerve, Can’t Be Mine and closed with Dreaming, ending the night in a sweaty, euphoric whirlwind of feedback, adrenaline and beaming faces.

Bad Nerves didn’t just show up tonight – they owned it. Every member firing at full tilt, every song delivered like it could be the last. When you get given lemons on a cold Tuesday in Birmingham, Bad Nerves really made lemonade. Give it time, Bad Nerves are carving themselves into the kind of punk legacy that will one day be mentioned in the same breath as The Ramones.

Everyone who walked out tonight knew they’d witnessed one of the UK’s most thrilling punk bands doing exactly what they do best, going full throttle.

Live review & photography of Bad Nerves at the O2 Institute Birmingham on 18th November 2025 by Nick Allan.

New Found Glory Never Miss, Only Hit At O2 Academy Birmingham

Garbage Celebrate Three Decades Of Defiance At London’s Roundhouse

Thirty years into a career built on challenging convention, Garbage arrive at London’s Roundhouse looking anything but content to trade on nostalgia. Despite three decades of touring the capital, tonight marks the band’s first appearance at the iconic Camden venue, and from the moment Shirley Manson, Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, Butch Vig and touring bassist Nicole Fiorentino step onto the stage, they perform with the urgency of a band still determined to push forwards rather than look back.

Nathan Leaze EP Launch @ Strand Palace Hotel (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Dreaming Of A Memory: Nathan Leazer’s Songs, Stories And Second Chances

There are album launches, and then there are evenings that feel more like an invitation into somebody’s life. Nathan Leazer’s Dreaming Of A Memory EP launch at The Strand Palace Hotel was firmly the latter.

Alison Goldfrapp @ Summer Series Somerset House 2023 (Simon Reed)

Somerset House Summer Series Gets Underway As 2026 Festival Brings Eleven Nights Of Live Music To London

One of London's most eagerly anticipated outdoor concert series returns today (16 July) as Somerset House Summer...

Lifehouse @ O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (Kalpesh Patel)

Full Circle At O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire: Lifehouse Return To London In Intimate Acoustic Triumph

There are gigs that simply entertain, and then there are gigs that transport you. Lifehouse’s long-overdue return to London at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire is very much the latter. Eleven years since their last visit to the capital, Jason Wade and longtime guitarist Steve Stout strip everything back for the second of two London acoustic shows—following the previous evening’s performance at nearby Bush Hall—and in doing so remind a packed Shepherd’s Bush Empire exactly why these songs have endured for a quarter of a century.

Metallica Double Up For A No Repeat Weekend At London Stadium

It’s the first weekend in July and The Metal has taken over Westfield Stratford. Friday evening shoppers mingle with sweaty black clad rockers, because Metallica have brought their No Repeat Weekend M72 tour to this corner of East London. Now into it’s fourth year, the final weekend of this tour will see the metal giants play two completely different sets over Friday and Sunday night at London Stadium — an immense treat for the diehards, and introducing some deeper cuts for the casuals, providing something for everyone.

Sydney Rose @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Sydney Rose Builds On Breakthrough Success With Intimate New Single ‘Track Team’

Rising singer-songwriter Sydney Rose has returned with her latest single, Track Team, continuing the remarkable momentum that has transformed the Georgia-born, Nashville-based artist into one of alternative pop’s fastest-rising new voices.

Duran Duran @ BST Hyde Park 2026 (Sienna Lorraine Gray)

Duran Duran Crown A Sun-Soaked Day Of Pop Royalty At BST Hyde Park 2026

It was yet another warm, sunny London day, the start of the country’s next heatwave, as thousands descended on Hyde Park for the final day of the second BST Hyde Park weekend of 2026. There was another event looming over the evening too: England’s World Cup Round of 16 clash with Mexico, kicking off at the decidedly unsociable hour of 1am. Football could wait though. Sunday belonged to disco legends, glam-pop icons and one of Britain’s most enduring bands as Duran Duran headlined a day that effortlessly balanced nostalgia with timeless musicianship.

The Script Celebrate Friendship And Forgiveness On New Single ‘The Crowd Was Singing Wonderwall’

The Script have shared the latest preview of their forthcoming album The User’s Guide To Being Human with the release of the uplifting new single The Crowd Was Singing Wonderwall. Arriving ahead of the band’s eagerly anticipated new album on 14th August, the track follows the anthemic lead single Man In The Arena and continues to showcase a record that promises to balance heartfelt storytelling with the arena-sized choruses that have become synonymous with The Script throughout their career.