GIG REVIEW : Bowling For Soup

- Manchester Academy 1 - 25th October 2009 -

Support : MC Lars, Zebrahead.

 Toilet humour, sex, drugs and sister jokes; nothing is off the table tonight as Bowling For Soup return with more of the same ‘silly-but-cheerful’, low-brow, comedic, pop-punk that catapulted them to fame all those years ago. Fifteen years and ten albums into their career, the Texan punks have generated quite a following as young and old gather at the Academy to witness the aptly named ‘Party In Your Pants’ tour. MC Lars kicks off the rock bonanza, joined briefly onstage by BFS lead Jaret Reddick for ‘Download this Song’. Zebrahead are next up to bat, hitting a home run with a unique blend of high octane, rap-punk, warming the crowd to boiling point with jumping competitions, ‘party arms’ and a ‘Wall of Death’, (renamed the ‘Wall of Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows' for ‘legal reasons’).

 Bowling For Soup do in fact appear to be 12 year-olds stuck in adult bodies. Backed by a video of them prancing around in anatomically-correct ‘erection suits’, tracks from new album ‘Sorry For Partying’ are mixed with classics; ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’, ‘Punk Rock 101’ and ‘High School Never Ends’. The orgy of barely-concealed euphemisms, condom balloons, (a.k.a. the penis Zeppelin), and lycra hot pants indicate that for America’s most beloved party-band, High School really hasn’t ended. An un-inhibited celebration of juvenile humour, they pause and crank up the house lights, posing with beers and dancing to Kool & The Gang's 'Celebration' at the front of the stage, before strutting to the side to give a ‘Bowling For Soup photo-op’.

 They may be the poster-boys for fart jokes but one area where fifteen years of experience is visible is the show itself. Bursting with professionalism the no doubt, painstakingly-constructed combination of comedic banter, giddy practical jokes and humorous videos provide constant and consistent entertainment without being awkward, stilted or over- rehearsed.

Verdict : Ending with ‘1985’, (choruses sung in ‘your best Antonio Banderas accent’ and ‘falsetto’, respectively), the band who are ‘much too old to be this damn young’ score an ‘A’ for effort.

10/10

By Beth Cook

Bowling For Soup's latest album, 'Sorry For Partying', released October 12th 2009 on Jive, is available from online stores : http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=272123

Tour dates and ticket information : http://www.bowlingforsoup.com/tour/

GIG REVIEW : The Used

- Manchester Academy 2 - 21st September 2009 -

Support : Hexes, We Are The Ocean.

 The lights are dimmed. The crowd is hushed. The tension in the air is overpowered only by the sense of anticipation. Then, The Band jump into centre-stage, spitting out 'Blood On My Hand', the new single from their latest album 'Artwork'. The room goes wild. This is quickly followed by another new addition to their repertoire - 'Empty With You'.

 A whirling ball of infectious enthusiasm, frontman Bert McCracken's effortless cool, has the crowd following his every move, as he prances across the stage; jumping, dancing and engaging them with light comedic banter. His request for 'a bean and cheese burrito' has every smitten fangirl frantically 'Googling' 'Manchester mexican restaurant' on her iPhone. As they kick it into high gear with 'Take It Away', (a favourite from second album 'In Love and Death'), the room explodes into a mosh pit that wouldn't feel out of place at a Metallica gig. Next on the agenda, 'I Caught Fire' is met with cheers from those who are familiar with the band's earlier work, and 'Hospital' fosters a fresh wave of movement in the growing mosh pit.
 'The Taste Of Ink' takes on a new life as McCracken raps out the second verse during a retro medley, (alongside 'All That I've Got' and 'Buried Myself Alive'). They skillfully rattle off a mix of old and new songs, like the pros they are, delighting both the die-hard fans and those less intimate with the foursome's electric discography. A quick dip back into the new Album produces 'Come Undone', a screamo-punk power-tune that incites a roar of appreciation, and 'Paralyzed' has everyone singing along.
 Then Bert informs us all of some terrible news - 'this will be our last song... but I got some really good news too, this song that we're gonna play next is HEAVY AS SHIT!' - yes, it's time for a good old-fashioned wall of death, - 'You know what we should do? That we haven't done in a long time? Let's separate right down the middle.... YEAH!.... Call this shit Cowboys versus Indians...this is the UK versus the United States of America, this is the Crips versus the Bloods... YEAH MOTHERFUCKER!' - The crowd parts as 'Pretty Handsome Awkward' starts up, and with a scream, all hell is let loose. Armaggedon has reached Manchester and Bert McCracken is heading the horsemen. After, they retire, heading backstage for a well deserved rest and undoubtedly a few cold ones.
....... Yeah right. As if the crowd would let them get away that easily. Bert, and guitarist, Quinn, return to the stage, for the encore, and, ever humble, take a minute to elicit some applause for their support bands, thank the die-hard fans, and, of course, threaten to kill them all, before crooning out an acoustic version of 'On My Own'. Certainly a magical moment for any true devotee. The rest of the band join them to crack out another new one, 'The Best Of Me', before calling out WiL Francis, (of Aiden fame), who just happened to be 'in town doing some acoustic shows'. After demanding that we 'WAKE UP!' the duo launches into an energetic rendition of the song that first got them noticed, 'A Box Full Of Sharp Objects', Bert and WiL tear it up, their electric chemistry igniting the room and forcing the knackered crowd to respond and mosh with renewed vigour.
 Then, as quick as it began, it's all over, the band retreat for the night, to sleep and shower... or drink their body weight in beer and in Bert's case, find a burrito shop. Leaving the crowd in a tired but sated daze, wondering what the fuck just hit them and when they'll be back to do it again.

 Verdict : This is my third time seeing The Used, and like a finely aged wine, they just keep getting better, (wow.. Bert McCracken wine, wonder how much that would go for?). They never fail to impress, with fantastic songs, an effortless performance that seems second nature, and enough stage presence to fill the Taj Mahal three times over. You can really tell these guys love what they do, and so does everybody else for that matter, If you get the chance to see them, take it. You won't be disappointed.

10/10

By Beth Cook



The Used's New Album 'Artwork', released on Reprise Records, 31st August 2009, is avaliable from their online store : http://www.theused.net/shop
Tour dates and tickets : http://www.theused.net/tour