Bowling for Soup are One Big Happy band with October 2012 UK tour

Bowling for Soup

Texas is probably most famous for exporting serious country and western acts, but with pop-punk outfit Bowling for Soup, the state's reputation as a strait-laced 'oddworld' has probably (hopefully) been dashed forever.

Formed in 1994, it isn't entirely surprising to learn that their light-hearted and jokey stage demeanour could be down to the fact they were christened after a Steve Martin comedy-skit of the same name. With one foot on the pedal tagged 'great live band' and the other hovering over the one marked 'don't press', Bowling For Soup are likely to step on both and end up steamrollering their audience with anarchic cover-versions and typically infantile rockers such as the Grammy-grabbing "Girl all the Bad Guys Want", "Somebody Get My Mom" and "Sorry for Partyin'". Good times.

Last year, the band's Jaret and Erik embarked on a successful acoustic tour, as well as a sell-out band jaunt in support of last album, "Fishin' for Woos" (incredibly, their eleventh album). This year heralds the return of the band 'proper' for some full-scale gigging in support of their 12th set, "One Big Happy", which is set for release in the autumn. Although Bowling for Soup haven't emulated the success of 2002's "Drunk Enough to Dance", the band have an enormous following, so tour tickets don't tend to hang around for long.

First stop on the tour is Newcastle on 14th October, followed by Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin and plenty more until Cambridge on 28th. Support comes from Florida's The Dollyrots and New Yorkers, Patent Pending.

Tickets are on sale from 9am on Friday 8th June. For those in search of a London date, you should head to the Vans Warped Tour 2012 appearance at the Alexandra Palace on 10th November - tickets cost £40 for the whole day which also includes Lostprophets, Bring Me The Horizon, New Found Glory and more.

Paul Pledger