Live Review: Wheatus - Foundry, Sheffield
1st December 2025
Support: Thomas Nicholas
Words & Photos: Martin Hingley
December is always prime season for sing-alongs, and tonight is no exception as New York's Wheatus bring the 25th anniversary tour of their debut album to Sheffield’s Foundry.
Opening the evening is the Thomas Nicholas Band who kick things off with a twist on Fountains of Wayne’s Stacy’s Mom, reimagined, naturally, as Stifler’s Mom. Thomas Nicholas is, of course, known for playing Kevin Myers in the American Pie cinematic franchise, and this nod to his past is the perfect nostalgic ice-breaker, generating plenty of laughs along the way.
Performing solo, Thomas proves you don’t need elaborate production, fancy graphics, or choreographed lighting to hold a room. Moving through a mix of pop-punk covers, including Blink-182’s All the Small Things, Bowling for Soup’s 1985 (which Thomas once parodied as 1999), and Foo Fighters’ Everlong, he keeps the audience engaged with stories about how some of his own songs came to life. He wraps up with “the saddest song he knows”, a heartfelt cover of Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle, before heading straight to the merch stand to meet fans.
With everyone eagerly awaiting the main act, Brendan B. Brown, Wheatus’s frontman, suddenly appears onstage in a hood, casually asking the audience what the band should open with, as if he’s hosting an open-mic night. After a flurry of shouted suggestions, Truffles wins and minutes later the full band arrive to huge applause and dive straight into it, sparking the first big singalong of the night.
Rather than sticking to the expected album order, Brown continues to let the crowd steer the show, “You say it, we play it”. Early highlights include A Little Respect, Punk Ass Bitch, and Leroy, reinforcing that tonight is not only a celebration of the debut album, but of the band’s entire catalogue. With such a large lineup onstage, this loose, request-driven format could easily fall apart, but Wheatus handle it with total class. I find it genuinely impressive how they are able to play any song from their extensive back catalogue at the drop of a hat. Every member is perfectly in sync, chopping and changing with a professionalism most bands could only dream of. The crowd are also treated to a handful of covers, including What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, Green Day’s Basket Case, and My Girl by The Temptations.
As the set nears its end, Brown guides the crowd back toward the debut album to ensure they tick off as many tracks as possible until finally, after working through a hefty and impressive 23-song setlist, the moment everyone’s been waiting for arrives. “It’s Dirtbag time” he announces, and the room erupts. Teenage Dirtbag becomes a full-venue choir singalong, celebrating nostalgia, joy, and genuine connection.
Tonight proves that, over two decades later, Wheatus remain an exceptional live band who deeply appreciate their fans and Sheffield has shown them that love right back.
Photo credits: Martin Hingley
