Irish west coast experimental punk act Nerves have released Empty, the first single from their upcoming debut EP Glórach. We asked singer and guitarist Kyle Thornton the BIG questions . . .
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Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Me and Adam started the band properly in 2016 after a couple months of unproductive but fun jam sessions in his house because a local festival organiser asked if I had a band and wanted to play. I lied and told them I did, then went to Adam on our school lunch break and told him we had two months to become an actual band because I'd booked us a show. He took it pretty well after the initial "YOU WHAT?"
We played our early shows amongst an independent punk scene in Ballina, Co. Mayo. My guitar teacher was in a lot of bands and ran shows in a bar called Emmett's, and when he found out that I had a band they took us under their wing and started giving us shows.
Charlie joined about a year into the band’s existence when me and Adam met them after moving to Dublin. I think I'd seen them around the college for a day or two but hadn’t properly chatted. At a freshers’ week gig, Charlie decided to introduce themselves properly by coming up to me mid-mosh pit.
How would you describe your music?
I suppose you’d call it noise rock or post-rock, it's very loud and cathartic. We love playing with dynamics, going from quiet sparse sections to an overwhelming amount of noise very quickly. We feel that there's no point in our music having staggering amounts of volume if there's nothing to contrast it with.
Who are your musical inspirations?
I suppose there's the more obvious influences for our kind of music like My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai, Bauhaus and The Cure, but we take a lot of influence from electronic music as well, mostly trying to incorporate that into our rhythms and the textures we make with guitar and bass. Stuff like Burial and Ricardo Villalobos would be touchpoints there. Even folk and traditional music would inspire us, I'd listen to lots of Planxty and Lankum and that works its way into songs in terms of lyrical themes and soundscapes.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
It was probably Royal Blood in the Olympia in 2015, I'm gonna say. Me and Adam our drummer both went, we were sixteen which is pretty late for a first big show but growing up in Mayo meant that if you wanted to go to a show like that you’d first need to convince the parents to let you up to Dublin for it. I wouldn’t be a massive fan of them anymore, it's not really the type of music I'd listen to nowadays but one thing I do remember is how loud it was and I think that probably influenced me into my love for bands that can shake buildings. Since that the physical power of loud music has always been one of my favourite feelings.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I could be wrong but I think it was Bleach by Nirvana, which is pretty solid as first teenage record purchases go.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I've been on a real folk kick lately which always seems to happen to me in winter so it’s probably The Blacksmith by Planxty. It's a song I would have grown up hearing and I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever, the instrumental section towards the end is one of my favourite instrumentals from any genre.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"I don't give a f*** about the past, Our glory days gone by, All I care about right now Is that wee mole inside your thigh" - The Turning of Our Bones by Arab Strap.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Just Like Heaven by The Cure
Where can people find your music/more information?
Our music is available on Spotify, Apple Music and all other streaming services. The best way to keep up with us is probably via Instagram @nerves_ire. Our debut EP is on preorder at Blowtorch Records.
Alan Corr
