:: Wheatus have announced a `15th anniversary' gig at The Limelight in Belfast on Friday September 25.
“There are plenty of bands from our era that aren't around any more and we are and that song keeps it going for us, so we're happy.” But it's great and we don't mind it at all. It's a difficult song to get right live because there's that weird little slink in the rhythm. “It's never been boring and we've never regretted having to play it. We'll play for anyone who'll listen,” he laughs.Īnd for a band who are so well known for that hit single a decade and a half ago, Brown says it “never gets old”. Bands like us don't get that opportunity, typically. “Yeah, that introduced us to a whole bunch of kids. The Wheatus version of the Erasure classic A Little Respect got to number three in the UK chart in 2001, while the original only got to number four in 1988.Īs for One Direction, Brown says he was overjoyed when the boyband decided to add Teenage Dirtbag to their live show.
And we do A Little Respect, of course, but people don't consider that a cover for us.” “We'll do The Trees, we have a Green Day cover and we do What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. He says they might include a few covers in their live shows later this year (as well as playing the entire debut album). I've always been fascinated with it and I just thought, `Let's try it in rehearsal and see what happens' and it worked.” I worked very hard on that song and on learning that guitar part when I was a teenager. “That's been my favourite Rush song for a long time. You really walk the tightrope in front of everyone when you do a Rush song. “Nobody covers Rush because it is so hard and then if you get something wrong it's embarrassing. The band have done a cover of The Trees by Canadian rock band Rush – Brown says he is always nervous when he tries it live. Ten years ago Wheatus played at a Phil Lynott tribute gig in Dublin – so is the singer a fan of Lynott and Thin Lizzy? “I was always more into AC/DC and Rush, but later on I did get into Thin Lizzy.” The first time I saw them live was in the Mercury Lounge in New York and it was a pretty otherworldly show they really killed.” “I've been a big fan of The Frames for a long time. He says one of his favourite Irish bands is The Frames. “The Burkes will always show up at our Irish gigs, so it becomes a family event and it's nice to catch up,” says the frontman. The Brooklyn-based band played six Irish dates last October and as part of their extensive 15th anniversary tour will play Belfast and Dublin this September. “And it is a total coincidence, but the Roscommon GAA county colours are on the cover of that album – the blue and yellow chequered design.” “My grandmother was born in Roscommon but I never knew her. The single was taken from the New York band's self-titled debut album and singer Brendan B Brown explains the album's unintentional link to Roscommon.
The song was featured in the film Loser (starring Mena Suvari and Jason Biggs) and re-entered the UK top 40 in 2011, while One Direction performed their own cover version of it.
Teenage Dirtbag was released 15 years ago and was a huge hit, reaching number one in both the UK and Irish charts and spending four weeks at number one in Australia. IF YOU were asked what comes to mind when you think of the band Wheatus, the odds are that you would go for `Teenage Dirtbag' and not `Roscommon GAA'. Wheatus are touring on the 15th anniversary of their debut album