Though they are no strangers to Nottingham, Wheatus delivered a highly nostalgic, energetic, and interactive midweek show at Rescue Rooms as if it was their first time. They maintain a distinctive, affectionate relationship with Nottingham, even adopting referring to the crowd as “Notts”, which is a small but strikingly sincere touch. Supported by Thomas Nicholas Band, of the American Pie franchise fame, with covers aplenty, we went along to hear for ourselves...
Opening up with his own theme song, Thomas Nicholas, of the Thomas Nicholas Band, kicked off the evening with a rendition of Stacy’s Mom but instead filled with American Pie references and renamed Stifler’s Mom. He followed with an eclectic mix of original songs, including My Generation and Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt, as well as nostalgic covers of All the Small Things, Flagpole Sitta and In The Middle (with a One Love mash up). Though he played solo on guitar, the audience was loving every minute, and the lack of other people on stage, or other instruments being played, didn’t affect the enjoyment.
Wheatus took to the stage soon after to carry on the nostalgia and buzz, with the promise of playing their self-titled 2000 album in full. However, this band is not one to rest on their laurels: they knew they had a room full of fans, young and old, so they presented the audience with the option to make up the set list order themselves, much to the delight of all in attendance.
With as many as eight people on stage at any one time, including two drum sets and three backing singers, vocalist Brendan B Brown performed a sold out show, hitting all the high notes, whilst recovering from a cold, drinking his coffee and hydrating with his water throughout the show. The band played the self titled album in full, with highlights being Hey, Mr. Brown, Leroy, Love Is a Mutt From Hell and Wannabe Gangstar; with each song seemingly having a new instrument played, whether that be a kazoo, harmonica or banjo, someone of that stage was playing something different in each song.
The crowd were treated to tales of what would happen if they play any songs that founding member Philip A Jimenez, who played with the band from 1995 to 2003, then returning for the anniversary tour in 2025, didn’t know. Philip would write a story that Brown would have to read to the crowd in the middle of the final song, Teenage Dirtbag. Jimenez wasted no time, bringing a surge of energy to the stage as the show began, through every track played, and right to the final moment. He was an absolute delight to behold up there on stage!
In among the tracks from the debut album came other fan favourites, such as American in Amsterdam, BMX Bandits, Lemonade and A Little Respect, along with incredibly fun covers of Basket Case by Green Day (which Brown remarked he always wished he had written), Growing on Me by The Darkness and, for the first time on the tour, Pat Benatar’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Given the time of year, Christmas Dirtbag (with added harmonica) was inevitable, sending the crowd into a frenzy of festive cheer.
The evening was rounded off with the finale: Teenage Dirtbag. Nottingham faves ALT BLK ERA joined the band on stage to play percussion and sing along too. The loser anthem and a nostalgic classic from the soundtrack of the 2000 teen classic Loser has long been a singalong track, but the Rescue Rooms crowd transformed into a choir, surprising even the front man himself. The atmosphere of the final moments of the show cemented what the world knows about Wheatus; they are not just a ‘get on stage and play’ kind of band - don’t expect long winded emotionally touching stories and thanksgivings, but do expect to have meaningful crowd interactions and seeing a band that came to have a good time and are bringing you along for the ride.
Too often cover songs can be cheesy, badly performed and just all round embarrassing. Wheatus are a band that takes covers and makes them their own, breathing new life into the songs known around the world. Anniversary tours can either go really well or down like a lead balloon. Wheatus soared on stage, sounding just like they did 25 years ago. They are a band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, ever, and are a band who may continuously evolve in line up, but never change from what the scene knows and loves them for.
Wheatus performed at Rescue Rooms on 10th December 2025, with support from Thomas Nicholas Band and a guest appearance from ALT BLK ERA.
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