GIG REVIEW: Bowling For Soup @ Scarborough Open Air
Scarborough Open Air Theatre on a warm July evening felt like the perfect setting for a three-band bill that balanced nostalgia, (some) earnest lyrics and pure party energy.
First to grace the stage were American Hi-Fi, bounding on with an insane amount of energy. They might have been first of the night, but their vitality shouted different! Opening with the first track from their 2001 self-titled album, Surround, their set short yet sharp, with songs like The Breakup Song, The Art Of Losing, and closing on Flavor Of The Week, they warmed the crowd up magnificently, and with the sun shining down, it was hard not to feel like you were in an MTV music video!
Next up was Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls. Now admittedly, I hadn’t heard of these before, and then they first played, I was a little dubious, however consider me turned! The patriotic folk-punk sounds filled the air and did not dilly-dally in communicating with the crowd to get them clapping and dancing along. After a couple playful debates about whether the North or South was better (a risky game to play in Yorkshire may I add), a mighty set filled with storytelling and fan favourites such as I Still Believe, Long Live the Queen, Recovery and The Way I Tend To Be. By the end filtering notes of Four Simple Words, the crowd burst into applause.
The sun is setting, condensation on cold pints are dripping and the crowd eagerly await the final act. A game-like loading screen paired with a crowd camera lights up the venue, and the anticipation slowly builds. Bowling For Soup are in Scarborough! The first notes of Almost filter through and the crowd are already ready and cheering. After a jesty spiel from frontman Jaret Reddick, they weren’t afraid to launch straight into fan favourites and popular tracks like High School Never Ends, Ohio and Punk Rock 101. As if almost on queue, a cardboard sign pops up in the crowd with a very peculiar green animal friend (those who know a platypus… PERRY the Platypus?!) and into Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day, not long followed by a cover of Fountains of Wayne single Stacy’s Mom.
Throughout the set, the crowd interaction was amazing to see and felt spontaneous, to go as far as signing a girl’s sign, saying she had missed her prom for this night! I hope her night was truly amazing. I love to see a band still be 100% invested with crowd interaction, it really can make or break a night.
Finishing the night on a double whammy of Girl All The Bad Guys Want and 1985, the audience was bouncing against the floor and against each other. The whole night really delivered what it needed; spark, heart and party. A memorable night for many for rewarded both longtime fans and eager newcomers, leaving the audience with sweaty dispositions and smiles all around.
Let’s get more pop-punk frivolity back into Scarborough!
Review and photos by Neve Saltmarsh.