When you think of Bowling For Soup, you probably think of summer right? But here we are on a saturday night in mid February at a BFS show. Tonight is a pretty special show as the band are celebrating 20 years of their album A Hangover You Don’t Deserve. Writing that out has instantly aged me by a good 10 years…seriously where has that 20 years gone?
This is also the bands first run of shows without founding member and guitarist Chris Burney who departed shortly before the tour began. His absence is notable and he is definitely missed from what is a celebratory and memorable moment in the band’s history.
Before we get to the main event though, there is the little matter of the support bands. First up to bat is Florida five-piece Magnolia Park, who frankly have the energy of a set of Energizer bunnies powered solely on Monster & Skittles. Their hybrid brand of pop punk goes over well with tonight’s audience and they make a big impression with their limited set time. Blasting through the likes of Misfits, Do or Die, Addison Rae & their cover of Tevin Campbell’s I2I from The Goofy Movie with ease. They may be the youngest band on the bill, but the tightness of their performance and the number of bangers already in their back pocket suggests they’ll be in this for the long haul.
Up next is Wheatus. A curious band who has managed to make the most out of having one phenomenally successful single over 2 decades ago. With that in mind, when you are considered by the majority as a “one hit wonder” it certainly is a choice to open your set with two cover songs. Admittedly, A Little Respect was a single in its own right, but playing Growing on Me by The Darkness as your opening salvo is perhaps ill advised. Wheatus put in an admirable performance tonight, but it’s obvious the crowd is just waiting to hear Teenage Dirtbag and when it drops the place goes suitably nuts.
This will be the third album in full set I have seen this year. I always have mixed feelings about these kinds of shows. How will the album be played, what will the presentation be, how invested are the crowd going to be,so on and so forth.
Well by the band’s own admission A Hangover You Don’t Deserve is an album that didn’t really come out here. Perhaps as a result of this, there is a noticeable dip in enthusiasm from sections of the crowd during the more deep cut moments of the set.
Bowling For Soup are old pro’s though and managed to get the energy levels right back up with their trademark in between song banter which is a spot on as ever. It’s incredible to think that not only are BFS themselves 30 years old now, but the songs from A Hangover… themselves are over 20. That’s the great thing about pop punk when it’s written and played properly it’s timeless. Almost, Trucker Hat, Ohio (Come Back to Texas) and the mega hit 1985 all have the same charm & youthful exuberance now as they did back then.
Friends O’Mine has added poignancy tonight in light of Chris Burney’s retirement from the band giving everyone in attendance an extra kick or two in the feels. Tonight feels like one big celebration with the big screens flipping between cartoon graphics and photos/videos of the band throughout the years; it elevates the experience helping to balance out the heartfelt and the hilarious.
You get the usual stuff you would expect as well with confetti cannons, a wheel of fortune moment deciding the fate of a random song, which then descends into an impromptu birthday celebration for a member of the band’s crew. During the encore the band is joined by Jenny Deacon and the Alt Choir for a run through of their other smash hit Girl All the Bad Guys Want, which is tremendously done.
Bowling For Soup have always been one of the best live bands around, and have earned that reputation, because they know their audience and always give them what they want. With that said, for a band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously generally they know how to craft a rock show that has serious thought behind it. Jaret also takes a moment to address the important topic of mental health awareness which feels earnest & sincere rather than performative.
Tonight’s show is everything you could want from a BFS show. Well crafted pop punk bangers played by masters of the craft, leading to a celebratory and gag filled evening leaving everyone in attendance with mile wide grins on their faces. Roll on December at Wembley for another round then…
9/10
Photos captured by Abbi Draper at Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, 13th February 2025
For more information on Bowling For Soup including tickets for the Wembley show click here
