Stereoboard Tour of the Week - The Presidents of the United States of America
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Written by Rob Sleigh
If you’ve had the incredible misfortune over the past 16 years to miss out on the experience of seeing Seattle rock trio The Presidents of the United States of America in all their live glory, then you’re in luck – they’ve just announced some new UK dates for next year. What makes this latest string of gigs all the more welcome is the fact that the band will be playing their eponymous debut album in full.
That’s right - the album that kick-started their career back in the mid ‘90s, and includes all of their most memorable tunes, is going to be played from beginning to end for our listening pleasure. If that’s not good cause for celebration, I don’t know what is. From the moment the album was released back in 1995, the Presidents have always known how to spell fun. With songs about cats, bugs, spider-driven dune buggies and, of course… peaches, you couldn’t help but smile at their infinitely catchy numbers – even if, half the time, you didn’t really understand what they were on about.
After the all-too-brief grunge era had sadly passed on, here was a band that were noticeably less keen to take themselves seriously. And it seemed that plenty of people were in complete agreement and only too eager to join in. Despite being the Presidents’ debut release, the album crashed into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 in the US and reached a respectable Number 14 over here. This owed a lot to the success of the single ‘Lump’, which arguably remains the band’s most-loved track to this day.
‘Lump’ was exactly the kind of fast and infectious pop-punk song that all the new Green Day fans were looking for back in 1995. However, it was the single’s follow-up, the magnificently simple ‘Peaches’, which would make the Presidents’ unnecessarily long and unusual name a household one. Accompanied by a hilarious music video (watch below), ‘Peaches’ proved a hit with young rock fans and gave the Presidents’ their first and only UK Top 10 single.
Sadly, when their sophomore album – simply called ‘II’ – was released just a year later, it seemed that people had had enough of songs about bugs and frogs, and the Presidents of the United States of America lost a lot of attention almost as quickly as they had first received it. Fortunately for them, their debut has always remained a ‘90s pop-punk classic, and the likes of ‘Lump’ and ‘Peaches’ can still be heard entertaining rock clubs to this day.
So, whether you’re a fan of the Presidents’ more recent stuff or not, surely you can’t deny that their first album still brings a smile to your face after 16 years. If not, then you’re in for a real treat, because when the band hit town in March next year, they’ll be bringing all 13 tracks along with them – and maybe even a few more for the die-hard fans among us.
Thu March 8th 2012 - O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol
Fri March 9th 2012 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
Sat March 10th 2012 - Manchester HMV Ritz, Manchester
Fri March 16th 2012 - HMV Forum, London
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
That’s right - the album that kick-started their career back in the mid ‘90s, and includes all of their most memorable tunes, is going to be played from beginning to end for our listening pleasure. If that’s not good cause for celebration, I don’t know what is. From the moment the album was released back in 1995, the Presidents have always known how to spell fun. With songs about cats, bugs, spider-driven dune buggies and, of course… peaches, you couldn’t help but smile at their infinitely catchy numbers – even if, half the time, you didn’t really understand what they were on about. 
