The Other October Gig: Bowling for Soup – Farewell UK Tour

So, while I've been busy winning a couple of cool-points by seeing Spector (that's a thing, right?), a couple of weeks ago, I also did a little bit of making up to my teen-self by checking out Bowling for Soup at the 'new' O2 Academy Southampton Guildhall for their Farewell UK Tour.




We've seen Bowling for Soup a few times now and to give them credit, it's always a fun night out and this certainly was no exception. Their support, Patent Pending really won me over by appealing to 16-year-old-me with their bouncy, happy pop-punk, they swam through the crowd too!

Bowling for Soup pretty much only played the hits, with only a few new ones thrown in, which is definitely what you want as a old fan who's not kept up to date.


I know I've taken quite a few photos and I do take photos at gigs, what was pretty noticeable at this gig though was the sheer amount of people videoing everything, definitely a new peeve of mine. I mean, do it, but at least video things the right way round - really though, all you're achieving is a sore arm and Bowling for Soup are even kind enough to give you a 'photo opportunity' moment so really in this case, you have no excuse.






I felt a little bit out of place, what with all the much cooler people with blue hair, but I laughed and danced a lot, you simply cannot beat a bit of pop-punk. Apparently this isn't Bowling for Soup's last UK tour ever, it's just for a bit, but it does mark the end of something.

Hello.

A photo of a potato I cooked last night and some photos from today's trip to Southampton which involved a lot of guilty spending and eating at Ikea. We also saw a Spitfire which was quite cool, it was pretty loud.

© Ruth Johnston 2011.

Jamie T @ Southampton Guildhall: 02 February 2010.

Overall I'd probably give this around a 7/10, which isn't to say that the gig wasn't good, just that my experience was not as good as it could have been. Jamie T was on top form as always though, it's a pity that the audience didn't follow suit. Although considering who the support was, I'm not surprised they were slightly riled up, because this guy was a tosser.
He went by the stage name, Chester P and made almost no sense, what link to Jamie T that he had was quite weak and his act was definitely not enough to get us going. And that's leaving out the random mega quiet acoustic parts - performed by his cousins. I can't believe this guy was for real, and he gave up 'rapping' - for which he was accompanied by one of the aforementioned cousins - to preach to us about how corrupt everything is, well, obviously, but I'm here to enjoy music not be indoctrinated into Anarchy. So he was bad, if I hadn't wanted to be at the front for Jamie T, I wouldn't have bothered being early.


As I mentioned before, Jamie T himself was as good as when I'd seen him previous times, but as he kept saying it's 50-50 and if the crowd are a bunch of lairy morons, it's not going to make for the most wonderful experience ever. I nearly got strangled when a guy shoved me into Moon with his elbow. I have awoken this morning covered in bruises, were it for an appreciative crowd, I probably wouldn't have minded so much but any quiet song was met with talking over the top except by a select few, and the response was the same whenever there was a break between songs and Jamie T addressed us - the banter is one of the best things about his gigs and I hardly got to hear any of it, especially over a particularly inconsiderate idiot who threw a football shirt onto the stage and expected Jamie T to wear it ("Put the shirt on! SHIRT! SHIRT! SHIRT!") - why would he? This guy was persistent though, which is what was so annoying, he's also the guy that nearly strangled me.

My favourite part of the gig was when all the bottled got hurled at the stage, only because it reflected well onto Jamie T's personality. I'd be pissed off it stuff had been chucked at me an entire gig as well, so I'm glad that he let everyone completely loose and then put them down, just because of how horrible everyone was, they deserved it.



But I survived it, and I enjoyed the music, so even though my shoes and handbag were covered in chewing gum at the end of the night and I had beer all over me and I'm covered in bruises now AND I still don't know the name of the bassist in The Pacemakers, I had a good time.

I just hope that next time I see him it's more controlled (like The Roundhouse) or smaller (like The Wedgewood Rooms), I don't think I'd stand in the same place either, dead center is where all the idiots flock to.



One great thing about the lairiness though, a girl was singing really loud (and badly) in my ear for about two songs, then she disappeared.

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