Live Review: Bowling For Soup - Wembley Arena, London
13th December 2025
Support: Wheatus, Punk Rock Factory
Words & Photos: Tom Atkin
The legendary Wembley Arena, a place that has seen all manor of great artists, and tonight for the first time it plays host to Bowling For Soup. A pretty much sold out Wembley is no easy task, proving the bands growing stature.
Along for the ride tonight they have brought along acouple of acts that fit the bill perfectly. This show has attracted full families here displaying the draw of the diverse line up. First, we have Punk Rock Factory, a band that has rose to great levels by doing punk rock covers of Disney songs and they are probably the main reason that there is such a variety of ages in here tonight.
True to form the set is mostly covers. Songs of my younger years but with a more recent (and more alternative) twist on them is great, We get “Mamma Mia”, “C’Est La Vie” and "The Power Rangers Theme". Stepping up from local venues of some 1000 people, to the near 10,000 people the band take it in their stride. Performing like an arena band, and with a solid fan base that knows all the songs. They are hugely welcomed, and a perfect start to the night.
Next up are legends from a similar era of Bowling For Soup, Wheatus. The last time we saw them the show felt very crowd controlled, taking requests and interacting with their fans. Tonight that is a far more difficult to do when you are at a show of this size.
Therefore this felt a lot more like a traditional set from them, playing the songs you would expect from their hits. So the likes of “A Little Respect”, “Lemonade” and “Leroy” are all an obvious inclusion and finishing on “Teenage Dirtbag” I think is pretty much a given by now for them.
It was a spot on performance from them as per usual. They were fun, added to the atmosphere, and fitted the vibe very well. However, maybe this size stage doesn't fits them, that is not me saying they were bad by any means, just that seeing them at a smaller show is a much better environment for their shows.
Now for Bowling For Soup and bit of a throw back as last year I took part in an event called 1k Lights which Jared had some involvement with which had a heart felt message about mental health.
By the time they hit the stage the arena is now packed out, the families are still here and the fans are absolutely eager to see what is to come. Weirdly, there is seating on the stage as well, along with a bar, these areas ended up being filled with both friends and family of the band. A nice show of appreciation for supporting them through out the years.
The setlist was the perfect amount of fan service, balancing beloved classics with surprising twists that kept the crowd engaged throughout. Opening with the irreverent intros “Fuckin’ Shit Ass” and “Here Comes Bowling For Soup” set a playful tone. By the time they launched into “The Bitch Song” and “High School Never Ends” the arena was already singing back every word.
Of course, we had the absolutely iconic “Today Is Gonna Be A Great Day” which was written by Bowling For Soup for the TV show Phineas & Ferb. Throughout the evening, everyone was having a really good time, the fans were loving every single choice of song, the band looked to be having a load of fun, and the guys seated on the stage looked very proud of the band performing to this many people on their own show.
There was a lot of punk rock nostalgia in the show, “Punk Rock 101”, “Ohio (Come Back To Texas)” and “1985” all bringing the crowd back to the years that we heard them for the first time.
There really was no bad song on this set list, with eleven albums that they can pick from, it is near impossible to pick a set that everyone will enjoy, but alas, it seems that they have done. Not a single disappointed face throughout the whole crowd.
The final song of the evening was of course “Girl All The Bad Guys Want”, arguably one of the biggest songs of the 2000’s, but definitely the biggest song of Bowling For Soups career. Sounding just as great as it ever did, the song that threw the band into the limelight across the world.
Photo Credit: Tom Atkin
