LESS THAN JAKE - BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE, 06 APRIL 2022

BY SHARI BLACK VELVET

2022 (July 13th to be exact) marks the 30-year anniversary of Less Than Jake, and although we’re a few months short of that, that’s most definitely an amazing feat and, while the band are going out on a 30th anniversary tour later in the year, the Gainesville, Florida-formed outfit deserve to be celebrated all year round. Their set seems to do that, with a list of songs picked from their entire catalogue of music, from the 90s up until their most recent album, ‘Silver Linings’. They kick things off with ‘Rock-N-Roll Pizzeria’, a yummy opener from their 1996-released ‘Losing Streak’ album, which then opens the door for the illustrious and charismatic ‘Gainesville Rock City’ from 2000’s ‘Borders & Boundaries’.

The opening song of latest album ‘Silver Linings’, released in December 2020, while COVID-19 was rife and most of the world was in lockdown, ‘The High Cost Of Low Living’, is particularly tuneful. ‘Silver Linings’ is an album the band hasn’t had chance to tour until now, so we get to hear some of the album’s songs live for the first time. Later in the set, bassist/vocalist Roger Lima sings ‘Anytime And Anywhere’, one of the released singles from the album. It’s a heartfelt song, with Roger sincerely singing ‘Just so you know I’ll be there anytime and anywhere’.

The entertaining five-piece bring their inflatable Pez’s, toilet paper blasters that shoot toilet paper into the crowd (although one gets a little bit stuck), and a few red balloons which are thrown out into the crowd during ‘The Science Of Selling Yourself Short’, bouncing up and down over the crowd almost in time to the melodic tune. “We’ve been coming to the UK since the last century,” Chris says to the audience. The vocalist/guitarist eats a banana while asking the audience who suffers from leg cramps. Apparently, they are caused by a lack of potassium and bananas are high in potassium so help.

The band play a humorous song about Fat Mike being on drugs before inciting the mosh pit to open up for ‘Motto’. The crowd does not disappoint. Covid is just a distant memory as some fans crowd surf like it’s 1999. Millie Manders joins the band on stage to add backing vocals to ‘Look What Happened’, while other classics such as ‘History Of A Boring Town’ and 'Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts’ are just a couple of songs that are always a joy to hear and tonight is no exception. Chris asks the audience to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ for his father-in-law Dennis, who is celebrating his 70th birthday. The crowd is happy to oblige.

The encore and show ends with ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’, which sees Mr. Skull back out on the stage (he came out earlier holding a ‘DRUGS’ sign up during ‘Fat Mike’) to dance – along with the crowd.
It seems only yesterday that we first caught Less Than Jake on tour supporting Bon Jovi in the USA back in 2000 and as the show ends, Bon Jovi’s ‘Never Say Goodbye’ plays out of the speakers as we all leave the venue. We definitely hope Less Than Jake never say goodbye – and hope we get to say hello to them again soon.

Click HERE for photos from Less Than Jake's previous tour.