Beers, cheers & tears as Bowling For Soup wave goodbye to UK

Flecking favourites Bowling For Soup are about to become the band you can wave goodbye to in the UK.

Bitter sweet will sum up the announcement that this autumn’s Bowling For Soup shows will be their ‘Goodbye’ to the country that, for well over a decade, has been their adopted home. The Bowling For Soup Bids Farewell Tour will be their final shows on UK soil, but don’t for a second think you’re getting rid of them that easily!

BFS frontman Jaret Reddick is quick to assure fans that this is not the end. “We’re all excited about the future and what’s next. Honestly, it opens up the whole world for us! If you’re a fan of Bowling For Soup, this really is better news than it seems. You may not be seeing us in person as much, but you’re definitely gonna have more new songs.”

With almost twenty years as a band, the past fifteen constantly on tour, life on the road has begun to hit hard on the Texan Power Pop maestros, who will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary next summer.

“The UK has given this band everything, so I’m being honest about our reasons. We still love being Bowling For Soup but touring really does begin to take it’s toll on both you and your family after a while.” reveals Reddick. “We want to go out on top! We have seen too many bands on our level run it all into the ground. I can’t do that to BFS, to my friends, or to the fans.” he continues truthfully.

Those fans have been the life blood to the band, whose infectious radio friendly hits ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’, ‘1985’ and ‘High School Never Ends’ have become the benchmark for rock music video channels. Even in a climate when many bands struggled in an unpredictable music industry, Bowling For Soup effortlessly toured and recorded with success thanks to a loyal fanbase who continue to support them year after year – this tour is all about them.

“We want this final tour to be a celebration of what we’ve achieved in the UK for the past thirteen years. There’s no way I would have believed we’d have been able to do this for so long. This band, and everything we’ve accomplished, is so important to us, that we never wanna look back on it and think we took it too far.”, Jaret admits.

With a brand new, fan funded album set for release in September; this will be just the start of a whole host of Bowling For Soup productivity. Next year the band aim to release a re-recorded Greatest Hits along with an album of covers to celebrate their landmark 20th Anniversary in June 2014.

Unlike previous BFS tours there will only be one opening band, to be announced in late April, so fans can expect the biggest Bowling For Soup live set EVER! Alongside the bands hit filled catalogue they promise a whole host of songs not heard for sometime. If there was ever a Rock Show not to miss, this is the one!

Reddick finds it easy to sum up what the most important thing he’s taken from a career of performing in the UK “It’s the easiest answer and the most truthful thing. I know for a fact that every single person who comes to our show leaves with a smile on their face that lasts two or three weeks. Knowing we’ve created that many memories, for both the fans and for ourselves, is just the best feeling in the world.”

BFS are absolutely our favourite band to see live, so make sure you catch them at one of their final dates:

10 Oct – Guildhall – Southampton
11 Oct – UEA – Norwich
12 Oct – Rock City – Nottingham
13 Oct – Manchester Academy – Manchester
14 Oct – O2 Academy – Leeds
15 Oct – O2 ABC – Glasgow
16 Oct – O2 Academy – Newcastle
17 Oct – O2 Academy – Sheffield
18 Oct – O2 Academy – Liverpool
19 Oct – O2 Academy – Birmingham
20 Oct – University – Cardiff
21 Oct – O2 Academy – Bristol
22 Oct – Pavillions – Plymouth
23 Oct – The Forum – London