Back in the year 2000, it was hard to avoid Wheatus. The rock-pop band’s song ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ was a hit on a massive scale. Not just in the UK; it also hit the top three of the singles chart in Ireland, Germany, Australia, Switzerland and Belgium and Austria. In three of those countries, it even reached the coveted top spot. Its peak of #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 seems almost conservative by comparison, but the band’s career certainly began with a bang. A cover of Erasure’s ‘A Little Respect’ was also a hit and a debut album was well received, but as far as many people are concerned, Wheatus subsequently disappeared and are best remembered as a flash in the pan success, much like Deep Blue Something a few years earlier.

It’s easy to understand why, after such a grand debut, there’s nowhere else to go but down, but as of 2025, Wheatus have toured the world dozens of times, and released six albums. This second fact is something frontman Brendan B. Brown seems keen to press on the audience tonight. During their short support slot for the always fun Bowling For Soup, he mentions this several times. And since so many people only know them as “the ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ band”, it’s no wonder that he comes across a little like a man who thinks he has something to prove. Judging by the fact that five of those albums have failed to chart anywhere and he’s the only person on stage who actually played on ‘Dirtbag’, he’s clearly also a man who refuses to quit: Wheatus don’t have as many ex-members as The Fall during their first quarter of a century, but over twenty people have had a job alongside Brown prior to this show…

That amount of tenacity is admirable, but the realities of a Wheatus in the present are much less impressive. After arriving on stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd at an almost packed out Brighton Centre, the band breaks into a massive rock riff. It’s unexpected, yet somehow familiar. Given time to adjust, more of a melody floats over the crowd and it becomes clear by the middle of the first verse that Brown and his current hired hands have chosen to open tonight’s show with a cover of The Darkness classic ‘Growing On Me’. It’s a bold move, but certainly not an unwelcome one. The guitar sound is huge – and also great – but more importantly, the Wheatus frontman shows off some impressive vocal chops, hitting all of those Justin Hawkins falsetto moments with a reasonable amount of glee. It’s definitely a solid start to the set, and most of the audience seem to be on their side.

Unfortunately, from there, the Wheatus live experience gradually goes downhill. ‘A Little Respect’ is warmly received by the crowd, and ably played, but herein, it becomes obvious that Wheatus have no real stage presence. Brown, on stage right/audience left, spends the whole of the show facing sideways, looking towards the sideways facing drummer on the opposite side. In the centre of the stage, three backing singers are the main focal point. This makes the show look like some throwback pop act from 1983; looking more broadly at their set up, very little resembles a professional rock band at all. The current Wheatus, in the main, look like a bunch of friends who’ve been playing in their local community centre and have now struck lucky. Bassist Matthew Milligan is the only exception: he bounces around like he’s having the best time…in another band. He’s also obviously rather talented; his bass parts are the only really interesting thing about most of tonight’s set. Quite why he’s wasted his time over the past twenty years as a member of Wheatus is anyone’s guess.

With two of the best songs delivered almost immediately, the rest of the set feels like a loosely assembed collection of tracks. In terms of audio, ‘Fourteen’ sounds less immediate. The guitar sound is hugely muddy; Brendon hits some really wobbly notes that show off his distinctive voice in an odd way, and Wheatus sound like a hard edged but semi chaotic mess. There are moments where the backing singers appear to swamp the more important elements, and with them facing the audience while the rest of the band continue to occupy odd positions, it starts to feel more like their show, in the worst possible way. A little later, a rendition of ‘Valentine’ – a change from the previous gigs’ setlist on account of it being St. Valentine’s Day – just sounds like a world of sludge from the bass and guitar. Naturally, ‘Leroy’ – a key track from the self-titled record – fares a little better, but the power pop edge of the performance is lost, and instead it just sounds like an indifferent rocker, and the same goes for the should’ve been great pop of ‘Lemonade’ which, stripped of its sheen, has very little of the studio cut’s radio friendly appeal. There are also a couple of moments during this harmony driven, should-be hooky number where singer Gabrielle Sterbenz appears to be playing a round of “any note you fancy”. It’s not awful by any means, but it’s certainly not good. Predictably, the monolithic ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ makes an appearance as the set closer. The audience are whipped into a whirl of nostalgia and becomes a sea of mobile phones. It’s clear that Brown and his assorted friends still enjoy playing the number and it’s definitely not being trotted through with the resignation that comes with obligation, but a slightly heavier, muddier sound, coupled with wavering vocals from all, makes it feel like rather average run through of something that should have given a hit and miss set a rousing finish.

Even by support band standards – a less than ideal stage set up, coupled with not always the best sound – the Wheatus show hasn’t been especially enjoyable. Or, at times, even particularly good. It hasn’t been as awful as the mid-afternoon set by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry at the 1998 Reading Festival when the reggae legend turned up hopelessly late and then spent his time shouting random statements over The Upsetters, or as painful as the NOFX show at Shepherd’s Bush when Fat Mike showed nothing but contempt for some bizarrely loyal fans. It’s been better for the band and audience than the night You Am I supported The Replacements and one of their songs was greeted with a stony silence from the crowd, however. In the main, though, beyond flashes of interest, it’s been an experience to forget. It would’ve been preferable for tonight’s lesser known opening act – the tight, relatively exciting and musically varied Magnolia Park – to have been given a longer set. Brendan is still clearly having fun and loves what he does, but on a night when even ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ sounds like an average emo pop tune, it seems strange that Wheatus can still drum up any interest on the touring circuit at all.

Words by Lee Realgone
Photo by Katy

February 2025