19 October 2013 (released)
18 October 2013
Veteran pop punk band Bowling For Soup bring their farewell tour of the UK to Liverpool tonight. I caught up with bassist, Eric, to get a few words about the band, pop punk and the UK. Sitting in the hallway of the venue, beer is flowing and it is hive of activity ready for a cracking show to unfold.
1. This is sadly your last UK tour, why is it your final one?
It’s a mix. For one thing with families and homeland for all of us, it just doesn’t make sense for us to be out of the country for like a month at a time. But equally, we still wanted to be able to go out on top and not tarnish the memory of what we have been able to do for ourselves and our fans. You don’t want to be that band that play for 3000 people one year and 3 years later playing for 100.
2. You might be stopping touring in the UK but you’ve just brought out a new album “Lunch Drunk Love”, what are its themes? Is it much different to previous stuff?
Yeah, there are some bits of it which are very different to our older stuff. But some stuff is going back quite a way.
3. You’ve been around nearly 20 years, what keeps the band going for so long?
Mainly the fact we’re all best friends and really really love what we do.
4. You started off and pop punk was quite a new and fledgling genre and today it is huge. Do you prefer the old days? Or do you enjoy the direction it’s taking?
Before for sure. It is on its third generation now of mutating and we like what we did then and I like what we do now.
5. BFS play the UK seemingly every year, is much different to the US? Do you prefer it here?
It’s just a different type of music fan over here. I love touring here but I hate touring here at the same time, I don’t like being that far away from home.
6. Do you listen to much current music? What was the last album you bought?
Man, I haven’t bought a CD in years. But I do love the new Patent Pending album *cheers are heard from the support bands dressing rooms a few metres away*.
7. Music taste usually stems from what your parents listened to and what was listened to at early ages. Did you pick up from your parents? Or did you make your own into music?
Not really no. My dad was into really old stuff like The Letterman and stuff like that. Mum was into similar music to me, but her not to the extent that I do.
8. The internet has taken off a lot in the past decade to help promote bands. Do you think it’s easier to become a musician now than back when you started out?
It’s a lot easier for a band to get their stuff in front of people, but just because you’re able to be in constant contact with the people and have the immediacy, if you suck you still suck!
9. What has been the highlight of the past 20 years?
Just making it to 20 years. The fact that some huge bands just last for 3 or 4 years and we’ve been able to do it for 20.
10. What is next for Bowling For Soup?
We’re gonna take a nap. Next year we’ve got 2 albums and 3 dvds coming out. We’re not stopping!
Bowling For Soup that night did a huge 2 hour set list which any fan dreams of, complete with all the hits, a couple of covers, a lot of banter, a bar on the stage and even a marriage proposal in the middle of the crowd! Definitely a night that all that attended the sold out venue won’t forget.
