I’m not convinced the members of Bowling For Soup know what sleep is. Midway through their biggest UK tour ever, they announced their next UK date (December 13th at Wembley Arena if you’re wondering) Now coming off the heels of that aforementioned tour they have dropped a “surprise” acoustic live album.
Stoked on Trent was recorded in 2022 during the Acoustic Sing – A – Long with Jaret & Rob tour. In many ways this feels like a spiritual successor to the bands previous acoustic live album Acoustic In A Freakin’ English Church.
The fact that Jaret & Rob have the sheer cheek to name their onstage banter moments & give them their own tracks in the tracklisting lets you in on how much fun they are having here. Yes, sorry to say Adam’s Birthday, Vodka Talk, Taking the Piss & Phone Calls Are Stupid are not BFS classics you may have forgotten.
BFS gigs always have the loosest of loose feels about them and this is no different. Somewhere between a stand up show & gig is the vibe. It works perfectly as the idea of Bowling For Soup acoustic is something that shouldn’t work, but very clearly does. The onstage mess ups and banter between Jaret & Rob keep things light & breezy. The setlist throws out some curveballs as well. A cover of Freebird done to the tune of Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty anyone? We also get a dose of The Clash with Should I Stay or Should I Go? and the customary Stacy’s Mom to keep that joke alive.
Elsewhere is a treasure trove of stripped back hits from the band’s catalogue including an airing of lesser known track Turbulence, we are even given a Jaret solo song from his Country album in the shape of Royal Family.
It’s been said a million times what a great live band Bowling For Soup is. Even without the bells & whistles, playing restructured versions of their songs they still hit. Recording this in such an intimate setting captures everything perfectly, whether its the crowd reactions, the minor mistakes, Jaret & Rob’s unique interplay. It’s all here and makes for a well preserved snapshot of the band having fun, connecting with their fans and putting smiles on faces.
Stoked on Trent is a cheeky little surprise from the Texas lads and the perfect dessert to their main course of a UK run. It fits perfectly in the bands canon and will give you something to smile about on a gloomy February morning.
For more information on Bowling For Soup including tickets for the Wembley show head here
