I’ve got 2 tickets to Iron Maiden… actually, no I don’t but, I do have a ticket for a trip down memory lane in the form of Wheatus.
The audience is primarily made up of those of us who being a teenager when Wheatus made it into the charts with the song “Teenage Dirtbag”. I would hazard a guess that it is the only song many in the audience could name from Wheatus, myself included! That said the atmosphere is great and everyone is in a jovial mood.
They have a very simple stage set up with the drums set to one side of the stage as opposed to the back, a couple of backing singers, keyboards and Brendon B Brown on guitar/vocals to the other side of the stage. Wheatus are clearly here for a good time, constantly engaging with everybody and even letting people shout out what song to play next, making for a truly unique setlist.
Between songs, Brendon throws out riffs from everyone from Iron Maiden to Black Sabbath, while paying homage to the infamous venue, KK’s Steelmill, in which they are playing. He talks about how special it is to be in the Midlands and the birthplace of heavy metal, much to the delight of the crowd.
These guys are very skilled and talented musicians, showing their versatility and being quite happy to play along with the audience. It makes for an unusually relaxed and casual atmosphere, more like a mate’s band playing at a party than an actual gig.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
We are treated to songs such as “Fourteen”, “Lemonade”, “Leroy”, “American in Amsterdam” and an absolutely epic cover of Erasure’s “A Little Respect”. Obviously, they closed the show with the song everybody had brought a ticket for, “Teenage Dirtbag”. The crowd get their chance to sing the famous “I’ve got 2 tickets to Iron Maiden, baby” line.
I would really urge people to go along to one of their shows if you get the chance. They delivered a fun filled evening in a very relaxed way, it almost felt like they were playing in their back yard for 300 of their college mates. “Teenage Dirtbag” aside, they have some stellar songs in their back catalogue and, if nothing else, I will be delving into their music more now to discover what other gems they have.
It really was well worth the small ticket price for what turned out to be a cracking Thursday night’s entertainment.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Photos by SRK Lens
