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You're gonna hate yourself for admitting this but I suspect you actually like Bowling For Soup more than you'd happily admit to your friends. Often erroneously lumped in with the loathsome likes of Sum 41 and Good Charlotte in the "pop punk" file, the truth is that while the two aforementioned groups deal in the sort of faux-teen angst that frankly makes you cringe, Bowling For Soup actually have a sense of humour that makes you laugh with, rather than at them. Essentially, this lot know that thirtysomethings singing about girls in your sixth form college class going off with the local jock instead of you ("Girl All The Bad Guys Want") is inherently silly and, credit to them, don't make any pretence at it being otherwise.
The upshot of this is a set tonight which is pure cartoon punk fun just like the Offspring used to be before they played the "wacky" card one too many times. Bouncing around stage in the manner of four guys going "aw shucks, all we are is four dumb blokes, can you actually believe we get paid for doing this?" (which is no doubt the simple honest truth), tonight is one pop-punk bawlalong after another ("Suckerpunch", "Greatest Day", new single "1985", "Bitch Song", a truly righteous kicking of Bryan Adams' "Summer Of '69") that resistance is truly futile.
It says a lot for Bowling For Soup that four albums in they're still doing this stuff as effortlessly as when they started off while their one-time peers like Alien Ant Farm and Wheatus have simply fallen away under "difficult second album syndrome". Just switch your brain off and let your ears do the listening and your feet, no question, will follow.
Review by Andy James
