Bowling For Soup bring Pop Punk Nostalgia and Punchlines to Teesside

★★★★☆ (4/5)

BOWLING FOR SOUP PERFORMING AT STOCKTON’S GLOBE
PHOTOCREDIT: JOHN HAYHURST

Stockton-on-Tees on a Friday night, not for the faint-hearted, but I’m on my way to the Globe Theatre, an art-deco revamped musical theatre that The Beatles played at back in the day.

Tonight we have some pop punk nostalgia as Bowling For Soup are celebrating ‘A Hangover You Don’t Deserve’ 20th Anniversary and have brought along those teenage dirtbags Wheatus and Orlando’s Magnolia Park for the ride.

Magnolia Park rose to the occasion with an electrifying set that had the crowd hooked from the start. The Florida-based pop-punk newcomers brought a fresh, modern edge to the night, blending classic punk energy with elements of hip-hop and emo, creating a sound that felt both nostalgic and refreshingly new.

Frontman Joshua Roberts commanded the stage with infectious energy, making sure even those unfamiliar with their music were fully engaged. The band’s tight musicianship and polished sound proved they are more than just an opening act—they’re a band on the rise. Although other than a few diehards near the front and those in the circle pit (about 5 people) it largely fell on deafened ears.

Wheatus, on the other hand, kick off their set with a perfect version of The Darkness’s ‘Growing On Me’ and then tell everyone they are not The Darkness. Self deprecating humour is the order of the day, plus some well chosen covers. Following The Darkness with Erasure’s ‘A Little Respect’ was a bold move, and the set up on stage was a little bizarre to say the least. Frontman Brendan B. Brown’s rig was on the far left of the stage and the drum kit was on the opposite extreme side, keyboards, bass and 3 backing singers left a huge gap in the middle which was only filled with Brown when he ventured away from his mic.

Those signature high-pitched vocals were as distinctive as ever, effortlessly carrying through fan favourites like ‘Leroy’, leaving ‘Dirtbag’ to the end was the right call and was undoubtedly the biggest moment of their night—sending the audience into a euphoric frenzy—the band proved they’re far more than a one-hit wonder and will be returning to the UK for a full tour later in the year.

Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick, the ever-charismatic and larger than life frontman, wasted no time cracking jokes between songs, setting the tone for an evening that was equal parts concert and stand-up comedy show. “We’re here to have fun, drink some beer, and play some songs that are older than some of you!” he quipped, sending the crowd into laughter before launching into ‘Almost’.

Even without guitarist Chris Burney, who has stopped touring for health reasons, the now 3-piece Texas pop-punk veterans turned the night into a whirlwind of nostalgia, energy, and pure fun, it was clear the night was going to be a blast.

Reddick’s signature humour was on full display as he introduced the show. “We’re playing ‘A Hangover You Don’t Deserve’ in full to celebrate its twentieth anniversary,” he said. “We’re playing it in order, so the first 20 minutes will be a blast—then there’ll be a bit of a lull.” But there was no lull—just an unstoppable, hits-fuelled party from start to finish.

The band then tore into ‘Trucker’s Hat’, before Reddick said “This is the earliest we will ever play this song in our set” and their cover of SR-71’s ‘1985’ had the entire venue singing in unison, whilst getting caked in confetti from the first of many cannons that would go off tonight.

Despite these songs being two decades old, they still feel fun and relevant, lets face it, the genre really hasn’t moved on. Gary Wiseman’s drumming keeps everything in order and the guitars were bold and brash. Rob Felicetti’s basslines added extra depth, while he also upped his stage presence to take account of the missing Burney, which gave the performance even more energy.

As always, Bowling For Soup isn’t just about the music—it was about the experience. Between songs, Reddick kept the crowd entertained with his quick wit. Introducing Ohio (Come Back to Texas), he grinned: “This is a song about our home state, Texas. It’s called ‘Ohio’. I’ve been using that joke for 20 years, and I still think it’s funny.” The audience did so too before launching into another passionate sing-along.

The energy never wavered and after ‘Sad Sad Situation’ they interrupted the album play through for ‘Punk Rock 101’. After ‘Friends o’ Mine’ the closing track from the album, the encore became an “anti-encore”. Rather than leaving the stage and coming back, the band made fun of the tradition, joking about how exhausting it would be to walk off and return. Instead, they went straight into ‘Girl All the Bad Guys Want’, ensuring the night ended on a high.

As the final chords rang out, sweaty, confetti covered fans started leaving the venue, another huge success for this Theatre in the North East that is starting to attract quality touring productions and less of the usual tribute acts. A full house tonight saw pop punk nostalgia at its best.