The song is taken from their most recent album, 2016’s ‘Drunk Dynasty’.

Next month they will be going on a UK tour where they will be playing their 2002 fourth album ‘Drunk Enough to Dance’ in full along with some other fan favourites. They will be joined by The Aquabats and Army of Freshmen, who will be performing their 2006 third album ‘Under the Radar’ in full to coincide with their twentieth anniversary as a band.

FEBRUARY
09 GLASGOW O2 Academy
10 NEWCASTLE O2 Academy
11 SHEFFIELD O2 Academy
12 NOTTINGHAM Rock City
13 BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy
14 NORWICH UEA
15 MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
16 CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena
17 LONDON O2 Brixton Academy

The band will be playing their 2002 fourth album ‘Drunk Enough to Dance’ in full along with some other fan favourites. Their latest album is their 2016 tenth album ‘Drunk Dynasty’.

As for The Aquabats, this will be their first UK tour in five years. Their last record was their 2011 fifth album ‘Hi-Five Soup! on Fearless Records.

Cali pop punks Army of Freshmen meanwhile will be performing their 2006 third album ‘Under the Radar’ in full to coincide with their twentieth anniversary as a band. Their last record was 2013’s ‘Happy to Be Alive’ on Arkive Records.

FEBRUARY 2018
09 GLASGOW O2 Academy
10 NEWCASTLE O2 Academy
11 SHEFFIELD O2 Academy
12 NOTTINGHAM Rock City
13 BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy
14 NORWICH UEA
15 MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
16 CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena
17 LONDON O2 Brixton Academy

I actually forgot Sherwood were playing this show so it was grand to discover they were next. However the sound for their set was incredibly flat. Any fans will know the band are not exactly the most animated on stage but tonight was almost lacklustre. The lyrics were spot on but the rest of the set didn?t quite stand up. They closed their set with ?For The Longest Time? which provoked the most action from both the band and the crowd.

So then it was time for Army of Freshmen. It?s peculiar really that the band aren?t bigger than they are. Climbing on stage to the song ?Love Me Sexy? (Semi Pro) they immediately exude confidence. Vocalist Chris Jay is a master of his relative field and what he lacks in range he makes up for in vitality. Commanding the crowd, the entire band conquer the audience before they finish their opening song, ?1000 Years?. A double time version of ?Wrinkle In Time? sparks (albeit slightly set up) a circle pit around the Underworlds infamous pillars, and despite only playing seven tracks, the band satisfy that guilty pleasure pop punk hole that bands like Simple Plan seemingly feel unable to fulfil anymore! A fun performance from a fun band. They aren?t re-writing the book on pop punk, but then again no one expects them to.

Gary

“Last time we saw you, we told you our plan was to make the UK our priority this year. I’m glad to say we actually stuck to it!” – Chris Jay

Back in January, I first met Chris and Kai at the Hammersmith Palais, where they laid down their plans for 2007 to me. They had one focus this year, and that was to make the UK a priority. Returning to London for the fourth time in five months, and with a Download Festival slot on the horizon, it seems that things have panned out nicely for the Californian sextet. Chris explains: “It sounds weird but our whole plan has worked out. We knew we were coming back for ‘Good to Go’, then almost as soon as we got back, we got the email inviting us to Download because one of their main guys saw us on the Get Happy Tour in Birmingham. It’s literally become a dream come true, it’s like this is exactly what we wanted. The problem was we had the G2G Tour at the beginning of May, and then we had Download in June, and we had no idea what we were going to do in between. We couldn’t afford to fly back to the States, and come back a few weeks later, so we were all like ‘What in God’s name are going to do? We’re screwed’.

Fortunately, something of a blessing came for the band when Reel Big Fish offered them the main support on their UK and Europe tour. Chris explains, “We literally just scored with the Reel Big Fish thing, it was just a Slam Dunk! On top of that it was Europe too and it was at the exact time we needed as well.”

When suggested that the whole streak could be seen as something of effortless on their part, Chris is adamant to protest. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t think that word should ever be attached to this band” And rightly so. With over a record nine hundred shows spanning six countries, a personally run-myspace and website as well as their own internet TV channel, you can hardly say the band are lazy. Despite being a full-time job that likely pays less than it should, Chris is adamant that the Army of Freshmen way, is THE way to run your band. “I have guys in other bands who are telling me they want to be in my band. That’s just insane for me. I’ve said it before man, the industry is falling apart, especially in the States. When Warped Tour first came around, the whole music scene had fractured. You either listened to emo, or you listened to hardcore, or you listened to pop-punk, you didn’t like anything else. It’s completely different over here in England though. We had our worries that the ska thing may get in the way on this tour. In the States, when we play with Reel Big Fish, the crowds are pretty lukewarm.”

Kai agrees; “Anyone who went to see them over there wanted to see Reel Big Fish OR another ska band, and not us. Because the backlash was so big against ska when it first happened in the states, the people that hung onto it are super dedicated.”

The subject of playing with Reel Big Fish continues to provoke untold ecstasy from the three band members, especially Kai. “Reel Big Fish are a real hand-me down band, they’ve been handed down for generations. You see these kids singing the songs that we were singing when we were their age, and you realise that Reel Big Fish, along with Less Than Jake are the defining ska bands in the scene. It’s amazing to be playing with them, it always is.”

All this talk about Less than Jake and Reel Big Fish in their heyday begins to veer conversation towards the topic of music and its importance in life, especially when you’re a kid growing up, a subject Chris has one story in particular about. “Music is literally the soundtrack of life. It’s always there in all those important moments you have and captures the mood. For example, I will always remember that Vanessa Williams song, Save the Best for Last. It transports me back to Sixth Grade, where I’m making the hell out of Christine Lombardo. I had visions of showing up at her wedding years later and just blasting that song out of a stereo! If someone ever feels that way about one of our songs, that’d be the coolest thing.”

Constantly touring, and entirely self-sufficient, Army of Freshmen are a band that you cannot help but respect. While there may be bands that claim they have the DIY ethic, you’ll struggle to find one that has it down to a tee as much as AOF, something which they are rightly proud of. Kai adds, “We really try to make the most of what we do. A lot of bands just hop on the tourbus, and not that they don’t appreciate it, but it’s just another day for them, it’s just work. I mean we may never be in Berlin again, who knows? We might as well do it all while we can and share it with the fans too. Most of all though, I love the fact that we’re still having fun after all these years. I can proudly and honestly say there’s no-one in the band who is tired of being on tour or tired of being in Army of Freshmen.”

Andy R

www.armyoffreshmen.com
www.myspace.com/armyoffreshmen

“Last time we saw you, we told you our plan was to make the UK our priority this year. I’m glad to say we actually stuck to it!” – Chris Jay

Back in January, I first met Chris and Kai at the Hammersmith Palais, where they laid down their plans for 2007 to me. They had one focus this year, and that was to make the UK a priority. Returning to London for the fourth time in five months, and with a Download Festival slot on the horizon, it seems that things have panned out nicely for the Californian sextet. Chris explains: “It sounds weird but our whole plan has worked out. We knew we were coming back for ‘Good to Go’, then almost as soon as we got back, we got the email inviting us to Download because one of their main guys saw us on the Get Happy Tour in Birmingham. It’s literally become a dream come true, it’s like this is exactly what we wanted. The problem was we had the G2G Tour at the beginning of May, and then we had Download in June, and we had no idea what we were going to do in between. We couldn’t afford to fly back to the States, and come back a few weeks later, so we were all like ‘What in God’s name are going to do? We’re screwed’.

Fortunately, something of a blessing came for the band when Reel Big Fish offered them the main support on their UK and Europe tour. Chris explains, “We literally just scored with the Reel Big Fish thing, it was just a Slam Dunk! On top of that it was Europe too and it was at the exact time we needed as well.”

When suggested that the whole streak could be seen as something of effortless on their part, Chris is adamant to protest. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t think that word should ever be attached to this band” And rightly so. With over a record nine hundred shows spanning six countries, a personally run-myspace and website as well as their own internet TV channel, you can hardly say the band are lazy. Despite being a full-time job that likely pays less than it should, Chris is adamant that the Army of Freshmen way, is THE way to run your band. “I have guys in other bands who are telling me they want to be in my band. That’s just insane for me. I’ve said it before man, the industry is falling apart, especially in the States. When Warped Tour first came around, the whole music scene had fractured. You either listened to emo, or you listened to hardcore, or you listened to pop-punk, you didn’t like anything else. It’s completely different over here in England though. We had our worries that the ska thing may get in the way on this tour. In the States, when we play with Reel Big Fish, the crowds are pretty lukewarm.”

Kai agrees; “Anyone who went to see them over there wanted to see Reel Big Fish OR another ska band, and not us. Because the backlash was so big against ska when it first happened in the states, the people that hung onto it are super dedicated.”

The subject of playing with Reel Big Fish continues to provoke untold ecstasy from the three band members, especially Kai. “Reel Big Fish are a real hand-me down band, they’ve been handed down for generations. You see these kids singing the songs that we were singing when we were their age, and you realise that Reel Big Fish, along with Less Than Jake are the defining ska bands in the scene. It’s amazing to be playing with them, it always is.”

All this talk about Less than Jake and Reel Big Fish in their heyday begins to veer conversation towards the topic of music and its importance in life, especially when you’re a kid growing up, a subject Chris has one story in particular about. “Music is literally the soundtrack of life. It’s always there in all those important moments you have and captures the mood. For example, I will always remember that Vanessa Williams song, Save the Best for Last. It transports me back to Sixth Grade, where I’m making the hell out of Christine Lombardo. I had visions of showing up at her wedding years later and just blasting that song out of a stereo! If someone ever feels that way about one of our songs, that’d be the coolest thing.”

Constantly touring, and entirely self-sufficient, Army of Freshmen are a band that you cannot help but respect. While there may be bands that claim they have the DIY ethic, you’ll struggle to find one that has it down to a tee as much as AOF, something which they are rightly proud of. Kai adds, “We really try to make the most of what we do. A lot of bands just hop on the tourbus, and not that they don’t appreciate it, but it’s just another day for them, it’s just work. I mean we may never be in Berlin again, who knows? We might as well do it all while we can and share it with the fans too. Most of all though, I love the fact that we’re still having fun after all these years. I can proudly and honestly say there’s no-one in the band who is tired of being on tour or tired of being in Army of Freshmen.”

Andy R

www.armyoffreshmen.com
www.myspace.com/armyoffreshmen

“It’s a totally weird mix up there on stage. As soon as you move two feet to the left or right, you get a completely different sound. It’s like ‘oh, there’s the keyboards; but my voice is coming out over there!”

Later on, it becomes apparent that he indeed had nothing to worry about, as their performance is nigh on CD-perfect. In the meantime, Chris, and fellow Fresher Kai Dodson sit me down to tell Punktastic all about life on the road, life back home, and amongst other things, what it’s like touring with one of the world’s most renound party-bands.

“You know a really bad cold slash flu hit the first week into the tour, and it actually ended up with Brandon from Wheatus being hospitalized and he missed three shows. That sort of put a bit of a dampening on the party. Manchester was just insane though. It was Saturday night, a sold-out 2,000 people show at the Academy and after that show it was just ON. The entire tour descended on this pub across the street. It was just insane. We were there until they kicked us out! Then we went to our bus and had an acoustic jam session where Jaret and Eric got out the guitars. A couple of the kids from the show got on with us, and they were just totally freaking out. They were stuffed on a bus for a private acoustic show with members of Army of Freshmen and Bowling for Soup just passing around the guitars doing covers until like 4 in the morning! After I left the bus, I actually witnessed Chris from BFS getting his ass beat with a small tree someone had cut down.”

“I don’t think the last person went to bed until about nine a.m.!” adds Kai, with a very content look on his face. However, these guys will be the first to admit that partying can always take its toll on the shows you play.

“Man, Sheffield got a really rough show!. That was the one where everyone was hungover,” points out Chris. So tonight marks the end of a special couple of weeks for these young Californians. It’s the last performance for a band that has made some great friends in the UK, as well as spending time with the old ones.

“These are the best shows to see, but sometimes it’s a little bit sad as well. Some people are happy to go home and see their families, but some don’t want it to end”. Kai adds; “Nobody wants it to end, everyone’s having a really good time”.

Despite the Get Happy Tour drawing to a close, it’s not long before Army of Freshmen are back on the road with the Good to Go Tour in May. They’ve been long established as one of the hardest working bands in the business, and so with what little down-time they have, you’d expect them to be a very chilled out bunch of guys.

“When we get home, we almost don’t do much. We’ll go home and work our day jobs, and just relax until before we know it we’re back on the road again”. “Right now it’s good”, adds Kai. “We really don’t have anything booked until we come back here in May, so the first few weeks you’re just getting back into the routine of being at home”.

“The band really does take up most of our time. We could do Army of Freshmen nine to five if we wanted to. We’re pretty much doing it all, and we recently parted with our manager which has given us a lot more to do, in terms of planning an international tour. The paperwork on that alone is a nightmare!”

If you weren’t aware, Army of Freshmen are one of the few bands left doing absolutely everything themselves. From running their Myspace, to organising their own tours; they are a band that firmly have the DIY ethic engraved into their souls, and if it wasn’t for that this tour may never have happened in the first place. Chris explains; “We were on tour with Bowling for Soup in the Summer, and about a year ago we were throwing around ideas for the next one, and Kai suggested ‘Get Happy’, as it’s the name of a Soup song.”

Kai adds; “It’s basically been created so that us and Bowling for Soup can play together. We just get along so well, and the response from kids coming to a show where everything’s positive has been incredible. There’s no preaching and everyone is having such a fun time. We wanted to do something that was the complete polar opposite to Warped Tour, or even more so to the Taste of Chaos.” Chris is quick to point out that this isn’t a one off package-tour. Describing it as a work in progress, he’s keen to insist that so long as everything goes to plan, the Get Happy Tour will be invading UK shores again later in the year.

“It’ll probably be a different line-up, but next time we do it in both countries it’s going to be bigger and better. If we can get another band alongside Soup-status, that show will go to Brixton without any problem”.

It’s clear that Chris and Kai are both very proud of how successful the tour has been, and that it’s given them the opportunity to get their faces known this side of the Atlantic. At the time of writing this, the band’s first official UK release will have hit the shelves of music stores nationwide and the boys are very excited about how it’ll do. Again, Kai is keen to point out that it’s the DIY ethic that has got them to this point.

“We’re releasing it on our friend’s label – Brand New Hero Records. It’s not like a traditional release, but for a DIY record it could really have a lot of legs over here. We’ve worked for so long without help that we’re used to doing it all ourselves. We just thought ‘Fuck it, let’s put it out there’ and it’s really worked out great for us right now”.

“The industry’s falling apart right now,” adds Chris. “You can’t wait around for anyone to help you right now. We’re having all the success through doing it on our own as we would have with a label. Ok, maybe we’d have a little more financial backing no doubt, but at the end of the day it’s the same result.”

Make no mistake about it, Army of Freshmen are a band who are in this for entirely the right reasons, and are finally getting to reap the rewards of their hard work. Look out in 2007 for the army, because this is going to be their year.

Andy R

“It’s a totally weird mix up there on stage. As soon as you move two feet to the left or right, you get a completely different sound. It’s like ‘oh, there’s the keyboards; but my voice is coming out over there!”

Later on, it becomes apparent that he indeed had nothing to worry about, as their performance is nigh on CD-perfect. In the meantime, Chris, and fellow Fresher Kai Dodson sit me down to tell Punktastic all about life on the road, life back home, and amongst other things, what it’s like touring with one of the world’s most renound party-bands.

“You know a really bad cold slash flu hit the first week into the tour, and it actually ended up with Brandon from Wheatus being hospitalized and he missed three shows. That sort of put a bit of a dampening on the party. Manchester was just insane though. It was Saturday night, a sold-out 2,000 people show at the Academy and after that show it was just ON. The entire tour descended on this pub across the street. It was just insane. We were there until they kicked us out! Then we went to our bus and had an acoustic jam session where Jaret and Eric got out the guitars. A couple of the kids from the show got on with us, and they were just totally freaking out. They were stuffed on a bus for a private acoustic show with members of Army of Freshmen and Bowling for Soup just passing around the guitars doing covers until like 4 in the morning! After I left the bus, I actually witnessed Chris from BFS getting his ass beat with a small tree someone had cut down.”

“I don’t think the last person went to bed until about nine a.m.!” adds Kai, with a very content look on his face. However, these guys will be the first to admit that partying can always take its toll on the shows you play.

“Man, Sheffield got a really rough show!. That was the one where everyone was hungover,” points out Chris. So tonight marks the end of a special couple of weeks for these young Californians. It’s the last performance for a band that has made some great friends in the UK, as well as spending time with the old ones.

“These are the best shows to see, but sometimes it’s a little bit sad as well. Some people are happy to go home and see their families, but some don’t want it to end”. Kai adds; “Nobody wants it to end, everyone’s having a really good time”.

Despite the Get Happy Tour drawing to a close, it’s not long before Army of Freshmen are back on the road with the Good to Go Tour in May. They’ve been long established as one of the hardest working bands in the business, and so with what little down-time they have, you’d expect them to be a very chilled out bunch of guys.

“When we get home, we almost don’t do much. We’ll go home and work our day jobs, and just relax until before we know it we’re back on the road again”. “Right now it’s good”, adds Kai. “We really don’t have anything booked until we come back here in May, so the first few weeks you’re just getting back into the routine of being at home”.

“The band really does take up most of our time. We could do Army of Freshmen nine to five if we wanted to. We’re pretty much doing it all, and we recently parted with our manager which has given us a lot more to do, in terms of planning an international tour. The paperwork on that alone is a nightmare!”

If you weren’t aware, Army of Freshmen are one of the few bands left doing absolutely everything themselves. From running their Myspace, to organising their own tours; they are a band that firmly have the DIY ethic engraved into their souls, and if it wasn’t for that this tour may never have happened in the first place. Chris explains; “We were on tour with Bowling for Soup in the Summer, and about a year ago we were throwing around ideas for the next one, and Kai suggested ‘Get Happy’, as it’s the name of a Soup song.”

Kai adds; “It’s basically been created so that us and Bowling for Soup can play together. We just get along so well, and the response from kids coming to a show where everything’s positive has been incredible. There’s no preaching and everyone is having such a fun time. We wanted to do something that was the complete polar opposite to Warped Tour, or even more so to the Taste of Chaos.” Chris is quick to point out that this isn’t a one off package-tour. Describing it as a work in progress, he’s keen to insist that so long as everything goes to plan, the Get Happy Tour will be invading UK shores again later in the year.

“It’ll probably be a different line-up, but next time we do it in both countries it’s going to be bigger and better. If we can get another band alongside Soup-status, that show will go to Brixton without any problem”.

It’s clear that Chris and Kai are both very proud of how successful the tour has been, and that it’s given them the opportunity to get their faces known this side of the Atlantic. At the time of writing this, the band’s first official UK release will have hit the shelves of music stores nationwide and the boys are very excited about how it’ll do. Again, Kai is keen to point out that it’s the DIY ethic that has got them to this point.

“We’re releasing it on our friend’s label – Brand New Hero Records. It’s not like a traditional release, but for a DIY record it could really have a lot of legs over here. We’ve worked for so long without help that we’re used to doing it all ourselves. We just thought ‘Fuck it, let’s put it out there’ and it’s really worked out great for us right now”.

“The industry’s falling apart right now,” adds Chris. “You can’t wait around for anyone to help you right now. We’re having all the success through doing it on our own as we would have with a label. Ok, maybe we’d have a little more financial backing no doubt, but at the end of the day it’s the same result.”

Make no mistake about it, Army of Freshmen are a band who are in this for entirely the right reasons, and are finally getting to reap the rewards of their hard work. Look out in 2007 for the army, because this is going to be their year.

Andy R