Bowling For Soup - Live And Very Attractive review

Another review for The Music Magazine.

It was a fun review to write as there is a lot to write about. I just wish more of it was about the songs but there aren't enough of them. Instead the DVD is padded with backstage footage of the band - some good and some bad. The band's laid back, funny image is never cracked and we find out nothing new about a band who try not to be emo. The good songs are brilliant but as I said, there are not enough. I would have been disappointed with the gig, even with some of the genuine funny banter and attempts to engage the audience. And who comes back on stage for a one song encore? /sigh.







The review:

Jaret Reddick, leader singer and guitarist with Bowling For Soup, says at one point on 'Live And Very Attractive' that he won't get a proper job as he cannot understand how people work if they are not allowed to drink. An interesting, if slightly irresponsible, philosophy. But this fuels the band's first recorded gig at the Manchester Apollo in the UK, as part of the 2007 'Get Happy Tour'. The on-stage footage is interspersed with 'documentary' of the band's before and after show antics, typically involving alcohol and toilet humour. The DVD package also has an audio only version of the concert.

The Set List

'Intro'
'My Hometown'
'Emily'
'Almost'
'Suckerpunch'
'High School Never Ends'
'Belgium'
'Ohio (Come Back To Texas)'
'The Bitch Song'
'I'm Gay'
'The Last Rock Show / Punk Rock 101'
'When We Die'
'Girl All The Bad Guys Want'
'1985'

Encore

[b]'Ring Of Fire'

The first highlight is the duo of 'Emily' and 'Almost', after the attention grabbing expletives of 'My Hometown', separated by a brief glimpse of the band sound checking. 'Emily' is delivered well and introduces the band's obsession with audience participation. 'Almost' is a slightly different animal and is complete with the 'big emo breakdown' as Reddick invites the audience to 'sigh for the emo kids'. It is another attempt to shake off the constant 'emo' tag pinned on the band by the media. Before the song, there is footage of fans queuing for a London gig taken with a hand camera from a high window. The band get the crowd to sing a quick preview. The opening songs are among the best from 'Drunk Enough To Dance' and 'A Hangover You Don't Deserve'. Reddick then makes a point of thanking the band's 'support' on the tour - Army Of Freshmen, Zebrahead and The Bloodhound Gang.

From here things get a bit shaky. There is a decent interview, conducted in the back of a car, about touring and the difference between UK and US fans. Then they meet some fans in the street who are typically over-excited and hyped up. Back in the gig, someone throws chocolate on stage for larger-than-life guitarist Chris Burney to eat - which he does, before the band launch into an early song 'Suckerpunch'. Ironically it lacks the impact of the previous songs. 'High School Never Ends', one of the singles from the band's latest and disappointingly average album 'The Great Burrito Extortion Case', continues the slump. If you joined Bowling For Soup at 'A Hangover You Don't Deserve' then you might not be used to the normal punk-pop version of 'Belgium' from 'Rock On Honourable Ones!!'. It is good but works better as a cheesy boy band parody. Reddick again breaks in the middle, this time for a 'drinks break'.

Another great song follows: 'Ohio (Come Back To Texas)' is received with energy and enthusiasm by the crowd who get to sing along again. The band attempt to capture the 'live' section of the studio version with some success and there is an odd ending when they walk off and are replaced by 'another' band for the finish. After a brief, but ultimately tedious, ramble about 'having penis on the brain', the gig continues with 'The Bitch Song' - another early hit. The vocals are starting to get slack, particularly in the 'la la la' mid-section and Reddick makes himself laugh. At least they are still having fun.

'I'm Gay' is introduced as 'a song about being happy'. Reddick asks "how many people have a lot of fun at rock 'n' roll concerts?" and some unfortunate editing cuts to a nervous young woman in the front row who isn't quite sure. The song is a joke too far and another example of why 'The Great Burrito Extortion Case' is not that great. The combination of 'The Last Rock Show / Punk Rock 101' works well, even with the breaks. This time the band stop for a 'photo opportunity', posing on stage for the crowd to take pictures. Burney treats us to a 'dance' and Reddick reminds everyone that they are still in the middle of a song. The band then finish 'Punk Rock 101'. Reddick gets serious and asks the audience not to make him laugh before the anthemic 'When We Die', an inferior rework of 'Where To Begin' from 'Drunk Enough To Dance'.

The gig closes predictably with the two big singles: 'Girl All The Bad Guys Want' and the fantastic '1985'. The band pull it together for a decent finale even if both tracks are interrupted with more breaks - firstly for an inflatable 'air guitar' rant and then for the final audience sing-a-long. There is another protracted scene when edible underwear is thrown on the stage. Then the gig ends with a mock argument about who farted on stage as the band walk off. The inevitable encore, after the crowd are left to chant 'more' for what seems like hours, is the punk version of 'Ring Of Fire' by Johnny Cash. But not before the guitarists assume each other's places and re-introduce themselves unflatteringly as the person they are not. It is another funny moment of alleged spontaneity. The cover is very good but a one song encore obviously leaves the audience wanting more. A sudden and frustrating end.

Bowling For Soup is a funny band. Or so they would have us believe. They seem to have a natural laid-back, care-free demeanour that must frustrate record company executives as much as it excites fans. How much of their work is meticulously planned only they will know, but they hide it well. But 'Live And Very Attractive' ultimately needs more songs. The 'documentary footage' contains very little substance and usually involves the band making fun of each other, talking about poo (a running theme during the gig is the annoying 'poop counter' which captures the amount of time bodily functions are mentioned), and getting drunk. Reddick is an engaging lead singer, all wild hair and boyish charm, who loves connecting with the audience. If anything, he lets this interrupt the songs too much, spoiling the flow, and coupled with the backstage footage there is a fragmented start/stop feel about the whole thing. It would be good to have a 'concert' only option on the DVD to strip out the often crude, drunken and pointless interludes. As for the version with video 'commentary', Reddick's cynical introduction, the band recording it in a local bar and the complete lack of genuine content, sums it up. Combining music and comedy is a fine art and Bowling For Soup do this well. But sometimes they just need to let the songs do the joking.

-- CS (for The Music Magazine 2008)