Bowling For Soup Acoustic - KoKo, Camden
Despite the fact that the acoustic tours have become a fan favourite, it was the first time I was attending one, so I was interested to see what Jaret Reddick and Erik Chandler brought to the table.
Erik kicked off the evening's entertainment with a stunning solo set, which showcased tracks off of his new EP Writing The Wrongs, and gave an opportunity for him to share the music he listens to in the form of covers. During his 30 minutes on stage, Erik proved himself to be a very competent and capable solo artist and an extremely talented songwriter. Highlights of his set included Did You Know and Tonight's The Night.
People On Vacation aka Jaret Reddick and Ryan Hamilton quickly hit the stage to pick up where Erik left off. Despite their diverse tones Jaret's and Ryan's voices really complement each other. People On Vacation perfectly executed songs from The Carry On EP, but the highlight of their set for me, was their epic cover of Slade's Cum On Feel The Noize.
In next to no time, Jaret and Erik were back onstage and Bowling For Soup acoustic was underway. The dynamic duo played a wide range of songs from Bowling For Soup's back catalogue, covering everything from 2113 to Turbulence.
As expected there was plenty of banter between the two and the audience, and somewhere along the way Erik volunteered that he would shave his eyebrows off. Within seconds, a pair of clippers appeared on stage and Jaret kindly took on the task of buzzing off Erik's eyebrows, which had everyone in the room in fits of laughter. Throughout the rest of their set, Jaret casually dropped in lines such as "Hey Erik, remember earlier when you had eyebrows?"
Eyebrows aside, the boys proved why Bowling For Soup have been around for almost twenty years. Acoustically or as a full band, I cannot fault them; they make what they do look easy and are always a pleasure to watch.
Throughout the night it was obvious that Jaret and Erik have as much fun playing these shows, as their fans do watching them. With plenty of banter and great music, Bowling For Soup's acoustic show was the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.