There’s something strangely appropriate about a Less Than Jake show being held in an American themed bar which also doubles as an ultra-cool bowling alley (yes, such a thing does exist!); it captures the playfulness of ska-punk perfectly, and it gets us well and truly warmed up for the night ahead!
There is a certain image people hold of ska-punk, part of which includes the notion that bands just dine out on hits from their ‘90s heyday without bothering to release anything new. With Less Than Jake, however, that’s simply not the case; they slip a couple of tracks from their latest record See The Light in with pride, and songs ‘Good Enough’ and ‘Give Me Something to Believe In’ fit in tonight with ease.
Less Than Jake are still well aware that fans clamour for the old hits, mentioning their pinnacle album Hello Rockview to inevitable cheers. As their set list goes, it’s a ska-punk pick ’n’ mix of classics, from Hello Rockview’s iconic minority anthem ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’ to the emphatic sing-a-long opening of ‘Look What Happened’. The ska riffs of ‘The Science of Selling Yourself Short’ and ‘Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts’ have everyone grooving away like it’s 1999, while the band’s punkier selections include ‘Ghost of You and Me’ and ‘Overrated (Everything Is)’, both of which see the whole room bounce.
As if the infectious fun of their ska-punk stylings wasn’t enough, Less Than Jake have a little extra something up their sleeves. Even a small venue like the Brooklyn Bowl gets special treatment, with confetti shooters, toilet roll guns, balloons and a costumed stage invader all making an appearance right from the off. It’s one big punk party – but a party isn’t a party without some games, right? Less Than Jake definitely deliver, as they drag three single guys and girls up on stage for their idea of seven minutes in heaven (although it’s more like three minutes in hell – we’re far too British for public displays of affection, so the band’s tour manager has to step up to the plate and give one of the girls a peck on the cheek!) The band’s on-stage banter and carefree atmosphere creates the ultimate feel-good vibe.
There’s plenty to keep this crowd entertained tonight, from the happy, upbeat ska-punk tunes to the crazy live antics, it’s hard to imagine anywhere more fun to be on a Saturday night than partying with Less Than Jake!
