LIVE REVIEW: Bowling For Soup @ O2 Brixton Academy, London

“It’s been two years and two months since we last stepped foot on this beautiful island. We missed you London.” On a sunny but windy Saturday evening, Texan pop-punk legends BOWLING FOR SOUP ended their first UK tour in 24 months at London’s O2 Brixton Academy. The evening was peppered with the quartet’s signature humour and American Pie soundtrack-worthy tunes, as well as a sprinkling of sadness and regret with the knowledge of their drummer, Gary Wiseman, flying back to the States prematurely due to illness. 

Before that though, American punk rockers THE DOLLYROTS took to the stage amidst a glass-half-empty room. Coming from the party town of Los Angeles, the trio’s music was centred around family, friends, and having a good time. With so much of their material hammering the subject home though, the tracks My Best Friend’s Hot, Twist Me to the Left, and I Know How to Party, became monotonous and lacked variety. Drummer Justin McGrath and bassist/vocalist Kelly Ogden were rendered immobile by their instrumental duties, putting the performance pressure on Kelly’s husband and guitarist Luis Cabezas. After failing to maximise the stage space, the introduction of their two young children to the stage to ‘perform’ distracted the crowd with brooding wholesomeness. 

Rating: 6/10

Alternative rockers LIT entered the scene to an epically spooky atmosphere and an ominous intro fit for a headliner. Subwoofers emitted low bass frequencies that shook the floor. Kicking around their setlist were brand new singles Do It Again, Mouth Shut, and Kicked Off The Plane, the true story becoming evident with vocalist’s A. Jay Popoff’s sleeveless denim jacket, boundless attitude, and swagger. All whilst drinking wine straight from the bottle. With the audience engaged in arm waving and sing-alongs now that the room had filled out a bit more, the crowd participation petered off after the second track which resulted in a few awkward call-and-response fails. The energy came back tenfold for the band’s most famous hit and set-finisher, My Own Worst Enemy, making it feel as if the night had come to a close and that LIT were the headliners. 

Rating: 7/10

Between band sets, journalist, radio presenter, and podcaster MATT STOCKS took on DJ duty. With his extensive history presenting on Kerrang! Radio, he knew his place, “my name is Matt Stocks and it is my pleasure to play other people’s songs for you.” The question of whether or not this was just a friendly favour and an excuse for old friends to hang out for two weeks across the country cropped up on more than one occasion.

On the opposite end of the epic intro spectrum, headliners BOWLING FOR SOUP’s set opened with vocalist Jaret Reddick walking out unceremoniously on stage to give an emotional and sombre speech about their absent drummer. Playing their first ever shows without him in their almost-three decade long career, drumming duties were rotated by LACEY’s Dave Pearson and LIT’s Taylor Carroll. Opening acoustic track Turbulence was aptly dedicated to Gary Wiseman. 

Energetic tracks My Hometown and High School Never Ends utilised erratic strobe lights, whilst latest single I Wanna Be Brad Pitt, from the brand new album Pop Drunk Snot Bread, played with on-screen cinematic visuals. The flashy stage production worked overtime to make up for the lack of physical movement from Reddick, guitarist Chris Burney, and bassist Rob Felicetti.

One of the most endearing and appealing things about a live BOWLING FOR SOUP show is the brotherly banter and entertainment on stage. ‘That’s What She Said’ jokes abound, the Comedy Jam section of the show felt disjointed and like they were stalling for time. Having never attempted it before, the overused and unimaginative punchlines didn’t have the audience convinced, leaving a sour taste in the mouth. Kicking into Alexa Bliss, Punk Rock 101, and Ohio (Come Back to Texas) brought the oxygen back into the air.

Ending with Almost, 1985, and Girl All the Bad Guys Want, the evening left a questionable expression upon the faces of onlookers as the encore began with Chris Burney singing acapella the words “Hey, we want some pussy. Face down, ass up, that’s the way we like to fuck.” It’s 2022 and punk rock should be growing up. 

Whilst the evening felt fragmented, most likely due to the proverbially spanner in the works that was losing their drummer, the prospect of BOWLING FOR SOUP coming back in December will be a chance for redemption. 

Rating: 7/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Adriana Vasile Photography here: 

Like BOWLING FOR SOUP on Facebook.