Music: Bowling For Soup

With a 16 year history, 10 albums, and a new one due to be released next year, tonight I was going to see Bowling For Soup, as they brought their 'Just Can't Get Rid of Us' show to Leeds. I'd been waiting about 8 years for this gig, ever since I heard one of my (now favourite songs) 'Girl All the Bad Guys Want' on the radio as a kid, and finally I'd get to hear it live.

The 'Dollyrots' kicked off the show with 'A' following them up. Both playing through a setlist of old and new songs, they were pretty good, especially 'A' who seemed to have fallen off the radar about 7 years ago. Finishing their set they promised they would be back next year, which might be a good gig to check out for some old school pop punk.

Forever the Sickest Kids were up next, who never fail to play a good show. The cheer they got when they took to the stage was nearly as loud as the one for the headliners, which showed the love that the crowd had for them. Playing through some of their older hits, 'My Worst Nightmare', 'Woah Oh!' as well as a couple of new songs off their new album due to be released in February, they showed great energy and really got the crowd in a good mood. They encouraged the crowd to throw their clothes on stage as they had a photoshoot with 'Kerrang' right after the show and they would wear anything they got for it. The crowd went wild throwing up anything they could, the band got swamped with hats, hoodies, tee shirts, scalves and even a few pairs of knickers, which they all proceeded to put on while singing their final song 'Shes a lady'. They also promised to be back in the UK next year, and if you haven't seen them live yet, you definatly need to, you won't be dissapointed.

They were always going to be overshadowed by the headliners though, and as the lights dimmed the excitmement in the air was immense. The band walked on stage to a huge cheer as they kicked into 'Star Song' and from their it was like a trip down pop punk memory lane, one big sing along from start to finish. Chris the lead guitarist was having fun with the crowd all night, doing tricks with his plectrums, like throwing them up over his head, catching them and continuing to play, which worked most of the time, and Jaret was clearly showing how pop punk he really was, swinging his guitar round his neck while playing, the classic move of any good pop punk group.

A band with ten albums were never going to be able to play all their greatest hits but the songs they did play did not dissapoint. They played through all their singles, with the music videos playing on a large screen behind them, which was sometimes a little depressing to see how much older and fatter, Jaret i'm looking at you, the band had got since all that time ago, but they still hadn't lost that Bowling For Soup sound or humour. Anyone that has listened to even one BFS song knows they have a great sense of humour, which was shown throughout the gig. Stopping in the middle of 'Punk Rock 101' for a "Bowling For Soup Photo Oppourtunity" which involved the band walking to either side of the stage and striking poses while Cee-Lo Green's 'Forget You' played, before they jumped back into the end of the song. They also stopped to tell stories, and like any good old school pop punk band there was a large amount of toilet humour jokes, for the crowd to enjoy. The highlight for me though was always going to be 'Girl All the Bad Guys Want', and they didn't dissapoint, I hurt my throat from singing it so loud. The band came back onstage after playing '1985', a cover of 'SR-71', close friends of the band, to sing one final song 'A Really Cool Dance Song'. The first song on their latest album, a catchy and as the title suggest, fun song to dance to, the crowd loved it, dancing and singing along. As the band handed their instruments over to the roadies to finish the song, waved to the crowd and walked off stage with the song still playing, I knew it had been worth the 8 year wait to see them perform live. The third group of the night to promise to be back in the UK next year, with an acousitc and full band show, I'll definatly be seeing them again.