Live Review: Bowling For Soup – Lincoln Castle
27th June 2026
Support: Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, American Hi-Fi
Words & Photos: Martin Hingley
As the hottest week of the year comes to a close, Texas pop-punks Bowling For Soup and English troubadour Frank Turner take on a run of English castles on the Bowl My Bones tour. Tonight, it’s the turn of Lincoln Castle.
With temperatures already soaring, they’re joined by Boston outfit American Hi-Fi, who arrive on stage under glorious sunshine. As the huge crowd files in, they waste no time getting to work, opening with Surround from their 2001 self-titled album. The fans already in the venue understand how rare tonight’s performance is, as it’s been a very long time since the band last played the UK, yet there are still plenty singing along. Stacy Jones’ vocals remain as strong as they were in the early 00s, sounding solid across every track. The whole performance has a polish that only long-established bands can bring, with Jamie Arentzen and Drew Parsons providing tight backing throughout. The set’s final track and biggest hit delivers the evening’s first big singalong moment as they tear into Flavor of the Week, met with a huge cheer from the crowd.
Who’d have thought something as simple as rock and roll could save us all? To borrow Frank Turner’s own words: he might have been right. From the moment Frank and his backing band The Sleeping Souls step onto the stage, the crowd erupts. Opening with 2011’s I Still Believe and the raucous Don’t Try This at Home, Frank has the audience in the palm of his hand from the outset. A few songs in, he reveals that doctor’s orders advised him to rest, but he didn’t want to let anyone down. He then utters two words you don’t expect at a folk-punk show, “circle pit”, and the crowd at the front duly oblige, forming the evening’s largest pit.
Although Frank mentions he’s battling a cold and “doesn’t sound like Gary Barlow tonight”, it’s barely noticeable, he still sounds tremendous. At points, you can see how much effort he’s putting in just to push through the set, but it never affects the quality. The Sleeping Souls, meanwhile, are as tight and energetic as ever, matching his charisma perfectly.
From wall-of-hugs moments to tongue-in-cheek stories about meeting up-and-coming American bands playing after him, Frank Turner proves once again what a class artist he is. He takes the audience on a real emotional journey with a solo performance of The Way I Tend to Be, which draws a tear from more than a few in the crowd. The energy then snaps straight back up as he heads towards the end of a standout set, finishing in spectacular fashion by crowdsurfing during Four Simple Words.
As cheers of relief rise from the crowd and rain finally breaks after the heatwave, the temperature soon climbs again as pop-punk heavyweights Bowling For Soup take to the stage for their first ever castle show. The Texas trio arrive to their usual intro, with the backing screen displaying a loading symbol for each member’s instrument.
Once everything is in place, Bowling For Soup dive straight in with a run of hits; Almost, High School Never Ends, and Emily, each met with a huge reception. There’s also a rare appearance of a phoenix (pigeon) in the rafters, which Jaret Reddick jokes is bringing the band good luck.
Having been on the scene for over thirty years, Jaret and co. know exactly how to put on a show, and tonight is no different. The set is packed with hits and delivered with real energy throughout. Jaret sounds strong both vocally and on guitar, backed solidly by bassist Rob Felicetti.
Taking a moment to soak it all in; after all, how often do you play an 11th-century castle, the band also take time to speak about mental health before delivering a stripped-back, emotional version of Turbulence and Friends of Mine.
From there, the crowd effectively become the fourth member of the band as they race through Girls All the Bad Guys Want, The Bitch Song, and 1985 to close out a celebratory set. With over 8,000 people in attendance, it’s a statement night for Bowling For Soup, proving they can still deliver a huge show more than three decades into their career and long may it continue.
Photo credits: Martin Hingley
