Nervo

Though they are not yet a household name, Miriam and Olivia Nervo have grown and taken over the Electronic Dance Music scene across the world with various hits, remixes, and collaborations.  The Nervo twins which were originally models in Melbourne Australia at sixteen decided to join the music scene at the age of eighteen and expanded within a few years to now have extensive collaborations with top forty artists such as Kesha, Richard Grey, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and many more.  What made them finally have a big break was their co-writing with Kelly Rowland of David Guetta’s rise to fame track, “When Love Takes Over,” which dominated the dance charts in 2009.

Nervo stopped by Houston this past weekend and played a set at Lumen Lounge, a posh club with overpriced drinks, a dress code, and valet only parking. This was the first time the venue was to house world renowned DJ’s, and was a great opportunity to enter the new mainlining of the emerging Houston dance scene. Its style was that giving off the illusion of glamour and leisure with a bottle costing four hundred dollars and accompanied with a flare to show everyone in the club that your party just purchased a bottle. It felt fake and though aesthetically pleasing lacked true originality.

The show started at midnight as the guards pushed the crowd to the side as the Nervo twins walked through them to the small stage. Olivia was wearing a loose tank top and a leather jacket with her famous bowled hat and tight spandex pants while Miriam who is known for her attire wore a frilly blouse with striped pants.  As they began to take over the turn tables, the lights dimmed and strobe lights as well as LCD panels behind them took the true lighting of the venue. They began their set with the track that they did with Afrojack, Like Mike, and Dimitri Vegas after they played in one of the largest Electronic dance festivals in Europe, Belgium’s “Tomorrowland” entitled, “The Way We See the World.” This track started off with Miriam singing the lyrics and the crowd closest to the stage screaming along and jumping to the rhythm of the pulsating bass that was made famous by Afrojack as well as the hi hats and build that is well established by Dimitri Vegas.

The crowd was mixed with normal club dwellers being a smaller portion of the audience, followed by people who came out just to go out on a Friday night, then finally those who like the music and duo from Australia. Since the crowd consisted of different people varying in age, Nervo played this to their advantage and did a mix of tracks from their own collection as well as some fan favorites. It lead off with a remix of The Killer’s Mr. Brightside, which was redone as a house track. The crowd was entranced by the sophistication the group showed by being able to make the famous indie anthem of this band into an even more danceable track. Later during the night they would also play a mix of Red Hot Chili Peppers “Otherside.”

They also played modern remixes like the ever popular “Somebody That I Used to Know,” by Gotye remixed by DJ Tiesto. There was also a surprise when they announced the release of a new track by playing it stating that, “It will come out in a few months.”

The mix was astounding and fired the crowd back into the mix of the throbbing bass was the duo playing “Greyhound,” by Swedish House Mafia. During their set they would merely sample tracks instead of playing them fully through keeping the edge up on transitions. As the night progressed Promises by Nero (Skrillex Remix) was heard as well as Calvin Harris’s top forty track, “I Feel So Close.”

As their set was coming to a close they played their famous dance track which placed number one in the UK club charts “We’re All No One” featuring Afrojack and Steve Aoki. Their mixing and set was phenomenal and sounded more European with subtle pitch changes contributing to the transitions.

Their fan interaction was all over the place from giving the crowd at the front shots of Grey Goose to posing for pictures and completing the heart made by the hands of the fans. Olivia Nervo unplugged the power while leaning over, and in an act of improvisation, Miriam picked up the mic and continued singing the track currently at play. As soon as the sound returned, they enticed the crowd with, “Levels” the track made famous by Avicci with a mix of Sebastian Ingrosso’s “Calling.” This was the highlight of the night with the show then ending with their new track which was produced by Avicci, “You’re Gonna Love Again.”