WHEATUS + THOMAS NICHOLAS BAND – CHALK, BRIGHTON 6.12.25
It’s been 25 years since the release of ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, and somehow Wheatus’ now iconic debut single is arguably the biggest it’s ever been. The last few years have been a true whirlwind for the band. In 2022, Teenage Dirtbag became the cornerstone of a huge TikTok movement. The “Teenage Dirtbag photos” trend has now been embraced by nearly a million people, including celebrities such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, MarkRuffalo, Lil Nas X, Jon Bon Jovi, Chevy Chase, and countless others, resulting in the hashtag#teenagedirtbag being viewed over 2 BILLION times worldwide. And if that wasn’t enough, in2023, it surprised everyone again by re-entering the UK Top 40 charts.
Against all odds, this fresh frenzy around the 25-year-old anthem has led the band to recently perform on some of the most prestigious stages of their career: Wheatus have recently shared club, arena & festival line-ups across the world with the likes of Alice Cooper, Blondie, Busted, Everclear, Hoobastank, Living Colour, Phantom Planet, The Wallflowers, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, The 1975, Muse, Jack White, Blink-182, Paramore, Coheed & Cambria, and so many more.
In 2023, Wheatus embarked on what might have been an unprecedented 47 date tour of the UK and Ireland that was only a few tickets shy of completely sold out. They performed at Download Festival 2024 to an audience of over 20,000. Brendan B. Brown also squeezed in a “Dirtbags Across America” tour, where he played intimate acoustic shows in 49 of the 50 states, with only Alaska missing out this time around.
Most recently, Wheatus did massive tours of both the USA and UK with their old friends Bowling For Soup, to some of the largest sold out crowds both bands have seen in their entire careers. The final night of their upcoming tour will be a truly special gig with Bowling For Soup and Punk Rock Factory at the one and only OVO Wembley Arena in London – an absolutely perfect way to end this incredible year.
After their 2020 plans were foiled by you-know-what, Wheatus are committing every waking moment of 2025 to traveling the world to celebrate the anniversary of their debut album that still means so much to so many.
The current ’90s nostalgia was out in full force for the audience gathered at Chalk. Though the night had not sold out at the time of our arrival, the venue filled out to capacity by the time the main act arrived on stage. They were there to mark the 25th anniversary of the eponymous album from Wheatus.
It was a mixed audience, some of whom were there for the first time, when the breakout hit ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ became an anthem. Though it was closely associated with the original ‘American Pie’ film, it was the constant play of the Wheatus video featuring two leads from the film at the same time that ‘American Pie’ was gaining its monumental success, which cemented the incorrect connection between the band and the film.
The tour started as a request set from the first album only but has since expanded to include the entire seven-album back catalogue. Some tracks were, as the band’s lead put it, “contractually obliged” to be played, or so well loved the audience would have felt truly let down not to hear them. These included ‘Dirtbag’ and the band’s cover of Erasure’s classic floor filler ‘A Little Respect.’ Others in the twenty-three-strong set pleased slightly more obscure die-hard hardcore fans. ‘Chan’s The Man’, the remix version of ‘Punk Ass Bitch’ rewritten for the animated ‘Jackie Chan Adventures’ theme, made an appearance, as did ‘Lemonade’ and ‘BMX Bandits.’
Interspersed with some unexpected flourishes, the night was more akin to a well-loved friend’s band returning to play your favourite coming-of-age hits than a live show from a platinum-selling act. The requests came thick and fast at the end of every song; the band even had the merch desk manager head out into the crowd to make sure everyone had ample opportunity to get their preferred item. However, the Brighton crowd were determined to get repeats, almost derailing the set and resulting in a double play of ‘Leroy,’ which had opened the set.
The band themselves are well-versed in giving the audience what they want. The first half of the set was frenetic, tight, and upbeat, with the bassist traversing the stage while Brendan B. Brown led the band through their back catalogue. There was a slight sag in the middle of the set as the momentum threatened to flag due to the sheer number of songs. But Brown managed to rescue the energy to ensure that the audience, who had sung their way through every song, really blasted out the notes of the ‘Teenage Dirtbag.’
The tour continues around the UK until the end of the month. If you are looking for an upbeat, nostalgic comfort blanket of a night from a band you know better than you think, make sure to catch Wheatus while they are in town.
Wheatus:
Brendan B. Brown – lead vocals, guitars
Matthew Milligan – bass
Brandon Ticer – keyboards
Philip A. Jimenez – multiple instruments, vocals
Gui Fuentes – percussion
Dustyn Murphy – drums
Joey Slater – backing vocals
Karlie Bruce – backing vocals
Gabrielle Aimée Sterbenz – backing vocals
Wheatus setlist:
‘Leroy’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘Sunshine’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘Truffles’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘A Little Respect’ (Erasure cover, from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album with ‘My Girl’ close)
‘The London Sun’ (from 2005 ‘Too Soon Monsoon’ album)
‘American In Amsterdam’ (from 2003 ‘Hand Over Your Loved Ones’ album)
‘Punk Ass Bitch (Chan’s The Man soundtrack version)’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘Basket Case’ (Green Day cover)
‘Lemonade’ (from 2003 ‘Hand Over Your Loved Ones’ album)
‘Christmas Dirtbag’ (from 2023 ‘Just A Christmas’ EP)
‘Hump’ Em N’ Dump ‘Em’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album + ‘Material Girl’)
‘Wannabe Gangstar’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘BMX Bandits’ (from 2005 ‘Too Soon Monsoon’ album)
‘Love Is A Mutt From Hell’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘Hey Mr Brown’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘Fourteen’ (from 2013 ‘Valentine LP’ album
‘Valentine’ (from 2013 ‘Valentine LP’ album
‘I’d Never Write A Song About You’ (from 2023 ‘Wheatus 2020’ album)
‘Something Good’ (2005 ‘Too Soon Monsoon’ album)
‘What Makes You Beautiful’ (One Direction cover)
‘Pretty Girl’ (from 2023 ‘Wheatus 2020’ album)
‘Leroy’ (Repeat, due to crowds’ insistence – from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
‘Teenage Dirtbag’ (from 2000 ‘Wheatus’ album)
If you are a fan of the ‘American Pie’ film series, there is a good chance you will recognise Thomas Ian Nicholas as the character Kevin Myers from the film. As well as acting in several film franchises, Nicholas has been recording music since 2008 and has since recorded four studio albums.
Arriving on stage without any of the expected ‘band’, Thomas Nicholas played his entire set solo, accompanied only by his electric acoustic guitar and backing tracks. The set consisted of songs from his 2024 album ‘We’re Gonna Be Okay’, recognisable ’90s covers from 2017’s ‘Frat Party’ album, and a few added covers by ‘American Pie’ era bands like Jimmy Eats World and Foo Fighters.
The covers went over incredibly well with the audience, who were clearly out for a night of nostalgia, a good play on the musician’s behalf. An amiable entertainer with a strong voice and plenty of anecdotes from the era, Nicolas made sense as the opening act.
Two of the tracks traded still further on his ‘American Pie’ connection. Nicholas had taken tracks from the era and combined them with lyrics that connected them to the film, from artists on the first film’s soundtrack or contemporaries.
At the end of the ten-track set, Nicholas informed the audience that he would be over on the mech desk and promptly left the stage as the tech crew gathered for the changeover. The Thomas Nicholas Band will continue as support on the ‘Wheatus 25 Anniversary Tour’ until 12/12/2025, with Bowling for Soup and Punk Rock Factory taking over support for the Wembley show.
Thomas Nicholas Band:
Thomas Nicholas – vocals, guitar
Thomas Nicholas Band setlist:
‘Stacy’s Mum’ (from 2017 ‘Frat Party’ album – Fountains of Wayne Cover, American Pie ‘Stifler’s Mom’ lyrics)
‘All The Small Things’ (from 2017 ‘Frat Party’ album – Blink 182 cover)
‘My Generation’ (from 2017 ‘Frat Party’ album)
‘Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt’ (from 2024 ‘We’re Gonna Be Okay’ album)
‘Same Kids’ (from 2024 ‘We’re Gonna Be Okay’ album)
‘Everlong’ (Foo Fighters cover)
‘We’re Gonna Be Okay’ (from 2024 ‘We’re Gonna Be Okay’ album)
‘1985’ (SR-71 cover, American Pie ‘1999’ lyrics)
‘Back For More’ (from 2024 ‘We’re Gonna Be Okay’ album)
‘The Middle’ (Jimmy Eat World cover)
