Bowling For Soup’s ever stable popularity shows no sign of wavering and anyone who saw them in 2018 will testify to the band’s nostalgic nouse. Recorded at the sold-out Brixton show.
in front of a rabid crowd of Ska-Punks and thirtysomethings. Every song, break and chorus is sung pretty much word for word as Jaret holds the iconic venue in the hairy palm of his crowd conquering hand. ‘I Don’t Wanna Rock’ and ‘Emily’ are both eclipsed by a (very) early fan favourite ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’. BFS play the superb ‘Drunk Enough To Dance’ album in full and ‘Surf Colorado’ may work better in Jaret’s solo acoustic gigs but it’s still a BFS classic. ‘Bitch Song’ is hollered from the steaming floor while ‘Running From Your Dad’ sounds like The Levellers with accents. Live albums pick up every bum note, heavy breath and missed word but that’s all part of the beauty of them. ‘Ohio (Come Back To Texas)’ a rocking ‘Star Song’ and the grand finale of ‘1985’ which is speeded up for pogoing purposes and includes the crowd singing a spine-tingling albeit skewed verse/chorus. A top gig by a top band recorded at London’s premier live venue, what’s not to like.
BOWLING FOR SOUP
OLDER, FATTER, STILL THE GREATEST – LIVE FROM BRIXTON
8/10
