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
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.
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