Bowling For Soup, Southampton Guildhall

AT THE tender age of 23, I still like to think of myself as young.

You can imagine my disappointment then, when at Texan rockers Bowling for Soup's gig at Southampton Guildhall, I found myself to be one of the oldest people there. Punk rock it seems, is definitely for the kids.

This is hardly surprising really, seeing as Bowling for Soup have enough energy and enthusiasm to put the Duracell Bunny to shame, an asset that is bound to appeal to the younger generation.

The band, together since 1994, originally got together in a coffee shop in Wichita Falls with the intention of having some fun.

Ten years on and they're still having a great time, the only difference being that their last two albums have sold over 300,000 copies and have spawned a number of hits including Girl all the Bad Guys Want and current single 1985.

Their on-stage antics are as amusing and dynamic as their songs and they involve the audience every step of the way.

It's hard not to get caught up in the fun, and the feeling is that this is not a band just going through the motions, they really mean it when they say they're excited to be playing Southampton.