The Get Up Kids

Live in Edinburgh (2015)

badseed

"We're gonna be playing some old songs tonight", lead guitarist Jim Suptic announced shortly into the Get Up Kids' show at Studio 24 in Edinburgh on August 17th. "They’re ALL old songs", clarified Matt Pryor. And so they were. Aside from a few visual clues - a slightly expanded waistline here, a gradually receding hairline there, faces a little less fresh than a decade ago - for the next hour and a half it wasn't 2015, it was early 2002.

Guilt Show's gloom, burnout and breakup was a full two years away. On A Wire was in the works, but the band would only showcase one song from it, an acoustic number sung by Suptic called "Campfire Kansas", surely destined to become a fan favourite. And, despite touring behind Something To Write Home About for the best part of three years, the songs from that record still sounded as fresh and vital as ever.

Of course, in reality it's been 16 years since STWHA, and fully two decades since the Get Up Kids' beginnings in Kansas City in 1995. This was their 20th anniversary tour and, with no obligation to shop a new record, an excuse to wheel out a lot of old favourites. Opening with the irresistible one-two punch of "Holiday" and "Action & Action" briefly raised the possibility of them playing STWHA in its entirety. A rare outing for "Stay Gold, Ponyboy" quickly put paid to that notion, but they would still get through a good three quarters of the album. "Woodson" ("the first song we ever wrote") followed, Suptic taking lead vocal duties for the first time, before the criminally catchy "Mass Pike" gave keyboard player James Dewees a chance to shine. The set was nicely paced, with "Valentine" and "Long Goodnight", apparently making its Scottish debut, slowing things down amongst cathartic runs through Four Minute Mile highlights "No Love" and "Coming Clean".

All except Suptic and Dewees took a breather for the aforementioned "Campfire Kansas", before returning to the stage for a trio of STWHA songs to close the main set. The sublime "I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel" immediately kicked things back into high gear, before "I'll Catch You" calmed everyone down again. I'm not ashamed to admit that after 16 years the keyboard intro still gives me goosebumps.

After a short break, the band came back for a lengthy encore, kicking off with a pair of covers they've been playing for so long that they must seem almost like their own songs now - first The Cure's "Close To Me", with Dewees managing to simultaneously replicate both the keyboards and horns from the original, then an appropriately ramshackle take on the Replacements' "Beer for Breakfast" with Suptic on lead vocals again. "Shorty" and "Don't Hate Me" got perhaps the best reception of the night, before a charge through "Ten Minutes" closed the show, Suptic thanking the audience for "still giving a shit after twenty years".

The songs have aged well, as have the band themselves for the most part. Suptic's easy banter contrasts well with Pryor's slightly more reserved manner. James Dewees and the Pope brothers look like they belong on stage - Robert especially, sporting the haircut of a slightly younger man, has perfected the air of slightly detached cool that seems to come naturally to bass players.

While Something To Write Home About has long provided the backbone of Get Up Kids sets, it was nice to hear a few of its slightly deeper cuts. Completely ignoring There Are Rules, Guilt Show and eleven twelfths of On A Wire was a bold choice, but the band looked they were enjoying playing a set of exclusively old favourites and the audience certainly approved. The crowd was generally receptive but not raucous, a lot of singing along, a few finger points but no more than about three people bothering to dance. Maybe people don't dance at Get Up Kids shows in 2015. Maybe that's the difference between now and 2002 - the crowd is thirteen years more jaded. But it was clear these songs still meant a lot to people, and the band provided a polished performance, a great nostalgic setlist and an excellent evening’s entertainment.

Setlist:
Holiday
Action & Action
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Woodson
Valentine
Mass Pike
No Love
Long Goodnight
Red Letter Day
Coming Clean
Campfire Kansas
I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel
Close to Home
I'll Catch You
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Close to Me
Beer for Breakfast
Shorty
Don't Hate Me
Ten Minutes