Wheatus at the Bread Shed, Manchester.

By Christina Sylvester.

Manchester's Bread Shed was greeted with a mix of Nerdcore and indie nostalgia on Thursday night. MC Frontalot, known for his affiliation with Wheatus, made for a diverse crowd of contrasting nerdcore hip-hop and indie rock fans.

Before his first song on the bill "First World Problems”, MC Frontalot proudly asked “Who in here are NERDS?!” - to which they were greeted with enthusiastic cheers. Their opener immediately had heads nodding along and setting the stage for an evening of nerd-tastic wordplay bound to stay in our heads for days on end.

Next up was “Secrets from the Future”, which was caveated by Frontalot proclaiming “you can’t hide secrets from the future”. It truly transported us to a world where our data encryption may simply not be enough, and the future will eventually crack down on it. To make things just that bit more existential, "Start Over" from 2014’s Question Bedtime, told a unique rendition of the classic 10th-century fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, and invited the audience to shout back “That ain’t how it happened!”

What really showed MC Frontalot as a multifaceted artist, was their track "Extremely Online", which highlighted the negative effects of internet addiction, all the while displaying a Buzzfeed-like slideshow of shocking internet addiction statistics. It was a strong reminder that in our digital age, we're all a little "extremely online."

Things took a societal turn with the song "Power User", with Frontalot highlighting the gender hierarchy that’s (unfortunately) ever-prevalent. It felt like the user of a PC, namely, a female one, sounded like they were suffering, rather than the “UI” that’s referred to in the song. This is evident with the repetition of “Power user, cruel, cruel man”

Frontalot closed their set with "Tongue-Clucking Grammarian '' - he caveats that this track is a 98 bpm bop, “tut-tut”-ing continuously throughout to keep the crowd jiving in time. It left the crowd with a memorable performance that celebrated the quirks of language and communication.

The crowd were riled up to relive their youth as Wheatus came on stage. They explicitly stated “You know how it goes, there’s no setlist!”, which got the audience chanting their favourite song titles. With dysfunctional romance, rejection and young love being core themes in their songs, it was no wonder “Love is a Mutt From Hell” was first up on their setlist, followed by “I Am What I Is” - a track about being yourself and going against societal norms - something we loved to see.

Next, the crowd chanted for ”Leroy”, a nostalgic track from the beginning of the millennium, followed by “Wannabe Gangster”, a classic that explores the antithesis of “I Am What I Is”. As the song title implies, it’s about wanting to be something you’re really not - a “tough guy”, if you will. It was a fun track that invited the crowd to question their own authenticity indeed.

Fifth on the bill was “Valentine”, a track from 2013. This saw the lights turn immediately magenta (to no surprise), and with its outro “Sunshine won't you please”, the crowd knew exactly what was coming next. “Sunshine”, whilst sounding jolly, the lyrics were anything but. “I was a jerk - I did the work for somebody else's dream”, perhaps was intended to mean they got nothing out of making someone else’s dream come true.

Speaking of dreams, tracks such as “Anyway”, and the lesser-known “Truffles” made the audiences come true. They also dust off a cover of “A Little Respect” by Erasure - which explores asking for respect in a relationship and not being taken for granted. "Lemonade" really shifts the vibe in the room, and had the crowd clapping along with the final bridge, followed by the funky "Chan's the Man" that had the entirety of Bread Shed’s gig-goers bouncing. "BMX Bandits" played next, which many Nicole Kidman fans would know about, as the 2005 track was an ode to the film of the same name.

"The London Sun" is a brilliantly ironic song for Wheatus’ to play up north, though the weather in the UK could care less. On a more serious note, it painted a vivid picture of yearning and longing for a place and time that feels like a push-and-pull dynamic. This was then followed by the polar opposite,"Hump 'Em and Dump 'Em" was next, which doesn’t need much explaining with regards to its context. "Break It Don't Buy It" delivered a powerful message with amazing storytelling on Brown’s part, all the while continuing Wheatus’ songs of unrequited love.

Playing second to last was the “Temporary Song”. At the newer end of their catalogue, from 2021, this slightly hardier track got the crowd dancing in preparation for what was to come next. With time running out, Wheatus ended on song 17 with the much-anticipated "Teenage Dirtbag." The crowd erupted in noughties nostalgia for the era, singing every word. Brown teased the audience for knowing the lyrics, and invited them to sing the final bridge acapella. It was a true moment of unison, and a chance to reflect on teenage nostalgia.

Wheatus may be all grown up. But they’re still one of a kind. You can find them in various cities and towns across the UK for the next two months.