 Tonight was my first of a triple whammy of gigs
at the O2 Academy in Bristol this week and what
a way to start with everyone’s favourite
festival and party band Less Than Jake.
We got in the Academy just as We Are The Union
were finishing, from what I heard they sounded
good but the venue was pretty empty and lacked
atmosphere, but during the twenty minute break
from when We Are The Union finished and main support
band Zebrahead took to the stage the venue started
to fill up a bit more.
Zebraheard took to the stage at 8.40pm coming
on to the Team America World Police soundtrack
and they wasted no time sending the crowd into
a frenzy, they had the whole audience in the palm
of their hand from the start of the set right
until the closing moments of their hectic set
closer ‘Anthem’.
 The Zebrahead set consisted of lots of fun and
games for the audience such as getting the whole
of the audience to sit down for a good 30seconds
before demanding them to jump up and mosh like
fuck during ‘Jag Off’, they also invited
their tour manager Bobby on stage to sink a can
of beer in the quickest time I have ever seen
in celebration of his birthday and also managed
to get a massive 5 circle pits on the go at once
during their beefed up cover of Britney Spears
‘Oops I Did It Again’ which went down
amazingly.
The highlight of the set for me was when they
played ‘Playmate Of The Year’, I still
remember buying the album of the same name back
in 2001 and 9 years on I still love the album
and song as much as I did back then, another highlight
was when they split the crowd down the middle
and got them to charge at each other in the hope
of making some zebra babies it was fun and energetic
but I very much doubt any zebra babies were conceived
in the academy tonight.
As far as support bands go Less Than Jake could
not of picked a better band to support them as
zebrahead played like it was their own headline
show and fully psyched the audience up for Less
than Jake.
 After Zebrahead left the stage it was a 25minute
wait until Less Than Jake were due on, that time
went pretty quick and before we knew it the lights
were dimmed and the Gainesville Florida 5 piece
took to the stage and blasted straight into ‘Plastic
Cup Politics’.
The set that Less Than Jake played was a massive
greatest hits set which consisted on 22 songs
which ranged from ‘Automatic’, ‘Al’s
War’, ‘Nervous In The Alley’,
‘The Ghost Of Me And You’ and also
‘Scott Farcas Takes in On The Chin’
which made one kid in the audience who was standing
still all night go mad like he had just popped
a few disco biscuits, this is however the effect
that Less Than Jake have as they have so many
classic songs which appeals to different people.
The show may well of been a greatest hits show
but at the same time it was also partly a comedy
show with Roger and Chris having banter with the
crowd before and after each song with jokes being
made about Mick Jagger, Scottish people and also
the size of My Chemical Romance band members cock
or should I say the lack of as Chris stated.
 Less Than Jake made many firsts happen at the
show tonight they started a circle clit which
happened to be an all female circle pit, the pit
was small but it was quite funny watching all
these girls running around in circles with everyone
else just watching on, as the show progressed
they invited a drunk guy on stage and then a random
female, Chris made them hug and then asked them
to stimulate the 69 sex position on stage, the
drunk man got straight down on the floor but the
girl chickened out so Chris wasted no time going
in for the 69 which happened to be comedy gold.
The highlight of the set was the closing tracks
of ‘All My Best Friends are Metalheads’
which got the crowd going mental for the last
time and then the slow anthem of ‘Look What
Happened’ which helped the crowd get their
breath and energy back as everyone slowly sang
along for the last time.
Overall Less Than Jake are one of the happiest
bands around and at every Less Than Jake show
you are guaranteed to leave with a beaming smile
on your face and tonight was no exception as Less
Than Jake were on top form and I am sure that
everyone left happy well except for the security
who Rodger and Chris kept picking on but I am
sure they will get over it eventually.
Less Than Jake 5/5
Zebrahead 5/5
Review By Trigger |
