A night when the old school garage rock grandmasters that are The Hives take young jedis in training out on tour to show them how it’s done by the best in the business and give them the leg up they deserve as they continue their upward trajectory to what can and should be a deserved seat at the top table.
Bad Nerves have been constantly touring and recording their second album then touring some more across the states they’re certainly not afraid of hard work and know that you have to go out and get every single sale and work for it. Tonight they strode onto the well-trodden boards of the great hall in Cardiff to a very healthy audience. They purposefully took up their stage positions and with an effortless cool, they exploded into ‘Don’t Stop’ and don’t look back for the next half hour.
With ‘Still Nervous’ getting its timely release at the end of this tour Bad Nerves have global domination in the pal of their hands. They’ve got the chops, tunes and attitude to one day go toe to toe with The Hives but at this point, they are the perfect Garage punks to open up this Rock n Roll show.
Bobby Bird leads the troops through a blistering set of well-worn in tunes and a couple of new ones. They look the part on the big stage and seem super comfortable pumping out their power pop punk anthems. It’s like all the vital ingredients for success and the right place at the right time but all that is immaterial if they don’t have the tunes but on tonight’s evidence they don’t have to worry on that front because the new songs are so strong. ‘USA’ is a vicious romp through the best power pop punk rock and with ‘You’ve Got The Nerve’ they have the punk rock authentic attitude to pull this off. As was pointed out by Mr H they have the songs like the mighty Cyanide Pills (who would be fantastic touring partners when they finish their stint with The Hives)
There was no fuckin about, no bullshit just Rock n Roll from top to bottom and Cardiff Uni had just been served up a lesson in how to open a show good and proper. Belting performance, catch em while you can Bad Nerves are going places.
After an impressive opener we readied ourselves for The Mighty Hives a band I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many times in many venues and this being their second time here after playing the smaller Yr Plas across the corridor two decades ago! Wow, Those twenty two years have flown by I’ve been lucky to see these Swedes play in front of 100,000 in Hyde Park and less than 1000 in Cardiff but the one thing I had on each occasion was a rock and roll show of the highest calibre. There aren’t many who can match the energy and drive of The Hives and that’s before we get to the arsenal of songs they have at their disposal. they treat each performance the same be it in the tiny Fleece in Bristol or a football stadium or a students union The hives put on a show and every night is nothing short of 100% they leave nothing on the stage when they leave except a puddle of sweat and an audience of beaming smiles on sweaty faces leaving knowing they’ve seen one of the best garage rock bands anywhere on the planet.
From the opening of ‘Bogus Operandi’ through the hits like ‘Main Offender’ or ‘Walk Idiot Walk’ the energy is incredible only matched by the quality of the music. In Howlin Pelle they have an exceptional frontman who has every audience eating from the palm of his hand from the moment he steps on the stage but he is enabled by an incredible band none more so than his brother Nicholaus who doesn’t stop making eye contact and moving like a cat on a hot tin roof.
Its a magnificent performance and the levels they reach are second to none be it old classics like ‘Hate To Say I Told You So’ to new songs of the Death Of album that peaked with ‘Trapdoor Solution’ or who cares they’re all spectacular and there can’t be single person wedged into this room who left disappointed with the garage rock majesty that is the Hives.
After seventy five minutes its a brief encore before a devastating one two three of ‘Come On’, ‘Smoke And Mirrors’ and ‘Tick Tick Boom’ and we’re done. Another magnificent evening with the Hives. Lets do it again same time same place next year. Simply magnificent!
Author: Dom Daley
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