REEL BIG FISH & LESS THAN JAKE BRING THEIR CO HEADLINER TOUR TO GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
Opening the show tonight we have Suburban Legends. All the way from California, they have the perfect ska sound and capture the audience in the Academy. The synchronized dance moves between the whole band are superb to watch and they continue for the duration of their set.
With a great mix of their own songs and some superb covers, including “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story and “I Just Can’t-Wait To Be King” from The Lion King, they set the tone for the evening ahead.
Storming the stage and launching into their hit “Rescue Me”, Zebrahead means business.
We get a beer drinking competition partway through the set, which takes between some of the band’s crew and Roll of (a Dutch fan at the show) and Matthew (a local Glaswegian). Matthew wins hands down, much to the joy of the crowd.
The highlight of the set comes in “Who Brings A Knife To A Gunfight?” which sees frontman Ali Tabatabaee jump down into the front row of the crowd to get everyone fully involved.
The brass section of Reel Big Fish makes an appearance for the set closer of “Anthem”, which has the whole venue jumping in unison.
Up next it’s Less Than Jake. Opening with “Gainesville Rock City”, the band is full of energy with all members constantly on the move.
We get toilet roll canons before “Look What Happened” which add to the fun of their set.
The highlight comes in “She’s Gonna Break Soon”, with this being the first time they’ve played this song in Glasgow since 2003/2006 (the band themselves aren’t quite sure!). It’s a great surprise which is well received by everyone in the venue.
“Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts” is another standout moment before things are toned down a bit for “The Rest Of My Life” and the set is then finished off with “The Science Of Selling Yourself Short” and “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads”.
The lights drop and it’s time for the happiest band on Earth, Reel Big Fish.
Opening their set with “Take On Me” takes everyone by surprise, as they normally use this song to close their set. We then get the double hitter of “Everyone Else Is An Asshole” and “Trendy” which has the whole Academy dancing along.
The band gets their friend Julie onstage to perform the female vocal parts in “I Know You Too Well To Like You Anymore” and “She Has A Girlfriend Now”, which she nails both off perfectly.
