Bowling For Soup frontman Jaret Reddick says fans' ‘faces will hurt from smiling’ and Scarborough show ‘will be a night we all remember forever’

Reporter Claudia Bowes hopped onto a zoom call with the Texan star, a dark rainy day making her background amusingly dim in a stark contrast to the neon signs and vibrant collection of musical instruments that decorated Jaret’s space. Jaret spoke about his excitement to be touring with his friend Frank Turner, touching on which other musicians he would love to collaborate with and explaining why playing your hits at a show should be an honour rather than a chore:

How are you feeling about the upcoming show in Scarborough with your good friend Frank Turner?

We are excited! First up is American Hi-Fi who we brought over in 2005 and have been friends with ever since. They are such an energetic show!.

Then Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls is one of my favourite bands and he is arguably my favourite song writer of this generation, as well as a good friend of mine.

I am pretty lucky in that I get to watch two of my favourite bands and then go up and do what I love to do. So it is going to be an amazing night for me at least!

But I think everybody is going to have an amazing night.

I think everyone will leave with a smile on their face and it will be a night we will all remember forever.

Making sure people laugh and have fun has always been a big part of your shows hasn't it?

When I was a kid I dreamed of being a stand up comedian and somehow I managed to get into a band and combine those two things!

I am living my best life and I absolutely love making people smile. Not that our show is all hilarity - we have some substance as well. We play some songs that are not necessarily funny, so there are tears sometimes too.

Ultimately my goal is to make sure everyone's faces hurt from smiling, and I am glad to say that more often than not we accomplish that.

So you have played so many different cities throughout your long career, but how do you feel playing less centralised venues like Scarborough?

When you go to places that are more off the beaten path, there is such an appreciation and energy in that audience!

You can look out and tell some people are seeing their first show ever, or the band for the first time - enjoy it a lot! When you are someone like us who has been doing this for 32 years, we try to make every night different. So when you are in a new place and watching new people start to get it - it's a good feeling for sure.

Do you have an all-time favourite song to perform?

It is such an easy question - but it's “Girl All The Bad Guys Want”- playing those first three notes and seeing the instant reaction from the crowd is fantastic. The chorus we perform as a call and response, so we sing one line and the audience sings the next line; every single face in that crowd just looks so stoked that they’re hearing that song. It’s the highlight of my night every single show - I will never get sick of it! ..

Some artists want to distance themselves from their earlier hits; do you ever get tired of performing the same songs?

It is something I have never understood. There are definitely some artists out there who are not only sick of their hits, they are resentful of them because fans often come just for a certain song. They take their art more seriously than that particular song, or they feel bigger than that particular song.

I feel the exact opposite- I am so thankful for all of those hits! We have 9-10 songs that we have to play or someone will leave the gig mad- I mean what a great problem to have!

Is there an underrated gem in your discography that doesn’t get as much love as your big hits like ‘1985’?

I think “Last Call Casualty” is one of my favourite songs that I have ever written- that is certainly an underrated gem!

The fan favourite that most of the big Bowling For Soup fans is “Hello Anxiety” of that album and that is definitely one that I think people would relate to if they checked it out.

Are there any artists dead or alive who you would love to work with?

Me and Frank were supposed to do a song for our new album but it didn't work out timings wise, so I cant wait for us to work together!

I would love to write a song with John Lennon. To, in some capacity, be part of that creative process would be really really cool.

I think it would be so awesome to write a song with 70s Elton John. Just to get a word in on some of the greatest songs ever made would be incredible.

Have you noticed any big differences between live audiences in America and in the UK?

I have said this since the first time we came over in 2000, so 26 years ago, there is something about music in the United Kingdom that is embedded in your culture.

It’s families out there together, friends out there together- there's just this unity in your crowds and your audiences.

I hate to overuse the word energy, but there is an energy in a UK audience that you just don’t find anywhere else in the world.

I absolutely love our audiences across the globe- they are all amazing, but there is something so special about a UK crowd, which I have said since day one.

When you come to Scarborough, do you have plans to explore the town and see the sights?

I don’t know yet! On a normal tour we don’t have time to get out and do things, but this is a bit different because we are not the ones setting up all the production and the lights.

So I don’t know what my day looks like, I might have a chance to have a look around!

Frank is really good at that and goes exploring the places he plays, so I am trying to learn from him. I would love to see some of the sights and experience some of the hometown vibes, so I am going to make an effort!

Do you have anything that you would like to say to the excited fans who will be coming to the Scarborough Open Air Theatre show?

I know there is gonna be a lot of people seeing us for the first time, or even possibly seeing their first show. There will be a lot of people who have travelled near and far to see us, possibly those who have seen us at multiple shows over the years.

All I can say is that it’s going to be a night that all of us are not going to forget!

American Hi-Fi are one of my favourite bands to see live, and everyone is going to know every single song that Frank plays, so it’s just going to be a great experience.

I would put our show against anybody, we know how to make sure our shows are a really fun time!

Bowling For Soup alongside Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls and American Hi-Fi, play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Saturday July 2 – For more information and tickets visit: https://www.scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/bfsfrankturner.