Page 34 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 114

BV114 pg 34-35 LTJ.qxp_BV114 pg 34 12/06/2026 17:17 Page 1

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LESS THAN JAKE – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY, 28.02.26

Roll up, roll up. Less Than Jake are in town with their UK Winter Circus, and it’s a circus with a whole array of entertainment. With The Bouncing
Souls, The Aquabats and The Bar Stool Preachers all a part of the line-up, it’s a mini pop-punk/rock fest for all. You get the wacky, fun madness of
The Aquabats, complete with inflatable sharks, pizzas and balls, the more refined and flavoursome East Coast soulful punk of The Bouncing Souls,
while the UK’s own The Bar Stool Preachers open the show with some socially conscious tunes that pack a punch in the live setting. All three bands
warm the crowd up for Florida’s finest ska punkers, Less Than Jake.
A few lines of circus theme music signal the arrival of Less Than Jake onto the stage with Buddy Schaub’s trombone notes of ‘Nervous In The
Alley’ introducing the band and song. With its catchy beat and ‘woah’s, you’re instantly cast into party mode. The audience sings along to the opening
number and ‘History Of A Boring Town’, and there are lots of cheers at the end of each song. “You can tell we’re not in Derby anymore,” jokes Chris.
The audience features all ages, showing that the band are still making new fans as well as retaining their older, long-standing ones.
Celebrating 30 years of the album ‘Losing Streak’, the five-piece play the first song from the album, ‘Automatic’, which still sounds as fresh today
as it did back then.
“This feels like the first real show of the tour. This is awesome,” remarks Roger.
The band throw out some witty one-liners in between songs, making the show more
than just music.
The fast-paced ‘Last One Out Of Liberty City’ was made for circle pits and sees
Roger whip his dreadlocks around. The crowd clap along to the ending, while two
inflatable PEZ characters at the back of the stage inflate out of nowhere.

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