You’re always guaranteed a great time when Bowling For Soup rolls into town and last night at The O2 Academy in Bristol was no exception.
First up was regular Bowling For Soup touring partner, The Dollyrots. The LA duo are always entertaining, kicking off a brief opening set with banger My Best Friend’s Hot.
The Dollyrots serve up proper Californian pop-punk, and every track from I know How to Party to Kiss or Kill is catchy as fuck.
Always cordial, vocalist/bassist Kelly Ogden tells the crowd: “We learned to tour from Bowling For Soup, and they like to talk.”
The highlight of their set was their brilliant cover of the Werzels I’ve Got a Brand new Combine Harvester, Brand New Key. It was a gutsy move, which could easily have ended with them being dragged off to a Wickerman if they weren’t so damn good. They even got the crowd to go ‘ooh arr, ooh arr’ during the opening verse.
They finished their barnstorming set with their affirming ode to self-belief, You’re Awesome.
Next up was Lit, touring the UK for the first time in eight years.
The crowd was up for partying like it was 1999 as the Orange County rockers bounded straight into Four.
The Californian four-piece kept the energy throughout their whole-nine song set, with frontman A Jay Popoff doing a great job of getting the crowd going.
Highlights included everyone raising their lighters and phones for Miserable. As well as In Over My Head and Zip-Lock Bag, which sparked big sing-alongs.
They then bowed out with My Own Worst Enemy, or as I like to call it – the theme tune to my first marriage. The whole place went mental. From front to back, everyone was jumping and singing along.
Finally, it was time for Bowling For Soup.
As The Dollyrots said: BFS like to talk and tonight was no exception. After blasting through My Hometown, and their tribute to the great state of Texas, Ohio, the audience was treated to an impromptu riff about the difference between dicks in the UK and America.
Jaret then quipped he didn’t expect to be 50 in Bristol, and still singing about high school before launching into Highschool never ends.
Next up was The Bitch Song, or what the band like to call the UK career saver.
Next up was I Wanna Be Brad Pit from their upcoming album Pop Drunk Snot Bread (out this Friday). Jaret said it was the perfect time to go to the bar or buy a t-shirt. I did neither – the song is the shit.
I’ve often told people that Bowling For Soup live is half stand up show, half punk gig. It seems the band has decided to make it official by holding the Bowling for soup comedy jam, complete with the Seinfeld theme. Chris won… the right to wash the bus.
A huge circle pit erupted during Punk Rock 101 and ended with fire on the screen behind them, or what the band liked to call discount pyros.
ED: We would have had a much larger gallery of Bowling For Soup pictures for you, but some fuck tossed a pint that hit our photographer, and her camera might be toast. So remember kids – don’t throw drinks at gigs. It’s a dick move that ruins people’s evenings. If you see someone doing it, you have my permission to punch them straight in their fucking mouth. Now back to our regularly scheduled ranting.
Other highlights included Almost, a song about absolutely nothing, Two-seater, probably my favourite BFS song about vandalising an exes car, and the theme tune to one of the most successful cartoons of all time, Phineas and Ferb.
The band then asked for a singalong they could hear all the way in Torquay as they launched into their ode to WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss.
Finally, BFS finished their main set with the best song ever – Girl All The Bad Guys Want.
Chris then tried to convince everyone in attendance that the show was over while telling jokes and getting everyone to yell: ‘Shoop, there it is.’
The encore then kicked off with Emily.
While taking a swig from his Delicious Gary, made by the band’s bartender (yes, they had a bar). Jaret reassured the crowd by stating: “We’re not buying our Vodka from Russia because fuck Him.”
BFS then revealed they would be back for a Christmas tour in December and bring the baby Jesus. Before bowing out with 1985.
Thus concluded another great gig by one of the best Pop-punk bands touring today. Getting old may suck, but it doesn’t feel so bad when you’re favourite bands are along for the ride.
Bowling For Soup is on Tour now.
19th – Swansea Bragwyn Hall, Swansea
21st – De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill
22nd – Margate Winter Gardens, Margate
23rd – O2 Brixton Academy, London*
* Extra shows added due to huge demand
Tickets for all shows are on sale now from AEG
All existing tickets for the original dates rescheduled from 2021 will be valid. If you cannot make the rescheduled dates, please contact your ticket provider.
