Bad Sports – [Live]

Bad Sports
O Brien’s –  Allston, Massachusetts – April 4, 2019
Photos: Brittany Queen [@rosequeenphotography ]

If you were to ask me to name some of the best pop punk bands active today, I could probably narrow it down to an essential handful. And in that handful I would definitely include Bad Sports. This is a band that seems to boil pop punk down to the essentials. They’ve got the hooks, they’ve got the riffs, they’re masterful with their instruments, and they know how to write a tune that will get stuck in your head. They might not be as active as I’d like, but they’re still out there getting it done, as it were.

The thing about Bad Sports is that I can’t really put my finger on what I like about them so much. There’s a rawness to them for sure and if I were to pin down their style, I would maybe say punk rock and roll. Then again, there’s a poppy vibe to their songs for sure and you’d be hard-pressed to find a band that can compel head-bobbing quite like this one does. It’s only when I saw Bad Sports live this time that I think realizes this band has so much swagger. Maybe that’s it: they look cool doing what they do.

O Brien’s in Allston is simply the place to be if you want round the clock pop punk here in Boston, so it only makes sense that Bad Sports would headlining a bill here with local heroes like the Nice Guys. But Bad Sports seems to have been on a mission tonight, churning out their saucy music in just under 30 minutes in an effortless fashion. Focusing mostly on cuts from their latest album (and one of our favorites from last year) Constant Stimulation, and with an unprepared setlist it was a great reminder that this band is still making it happen and playing tighter than ever. Bad Sports songs are deceptively complex because some of these riffs would fit in perfectly in a Led Zeppelin or Johnny Thunders record, but you wouldn’t be able to tell due to the ease that this band delivers them. There was no pre set direction as the band simply consulted with themselves as to what the songs that night should be. Bad Sports was having fun and delivering a killer set in the process. It’s a shame that more bands aren’t like Bad Sports and more shows aren’t as intimate and fun as this one. I’m hoping this tour is a sign of more activity coming from this band, but if that’s not the case, you’d be a dummy not to play this music in your headphones and see them on tour if

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