Weezer
The Piece Hall, Halifax
30th June 2025
The indie rock legends lead a night of pointed nostalgia in Calderdale.
Death, taxes and Rivers Cuomo looking impossibly young: some things never change. The lead singer of Weezer continues to appear unmarked by the passing of time – and he sounds it, too. Unusually for a band as relentlessly prolific as Weezer – they have released fifteen studio albums – they have no new record to promote, having put out no new full-lengths since 2021’s pair of LPs, OK Human and Van Weezer.
The fact that they’ve sold out the Piece Hall on their first visit to Halifax, though, is testament to their enduring appeal. You get the sense that even the band themselves know that they might never top their 1994 debut, informally known as The Blue Album, so it’s no surprise to see it dominate the setlist tonight, with nine of its ten songs aired. It reminds us what a varied record is; there’s the soaring, anthemic My Name Is Jonas, which is dispatched early on, as well as the indie pop buzz of Holiday and Surf Wax America and a huge singalong inspired by Undone – The Sweater Song.
There’s plenty of post-1994 material sprinkled in too, and perhaps most exciting for Weezer diehards is that five tracks from their other masterpiece, 1996’s Pinkerton, make the cut. It’s an album they’ve often been strangely reticent about delving too deep into live, so to hear the noisy and abrasive likes of Why Bother?, Getchoo and The Good Life fired off with such gusto is a real thrill. They remain a terrifically tight and refreshingly no-frills live outfit, ripping through the back catalogue at pace; the tempo is set early on by a massive, riff-heavy Hash Pipe, and then kept up by the big-hitting likes of Island in the Sun and Pork and Beans.
There is also a little bit of classic Weezer silliness, even if they do play their live shows far straighter these days than they used to; Beverly Hills is an irresistible singalong, even if Cuomo’s change of the lyrics to “living in Halifax, England” for the final line doesn’t quite slip as smoothly off the tongue. The 20-song main set concludes with an epic, sprawling Only in Dreams, the closer from The Blue Album that comes alive spectacularly. It is a testament to how many genuine hits the Californians have that they’ve still saved their best two last; massive singalongs greet both Say It Ain’t So and Buddy Holly. Who knows what Weezer’s next studio move will be, but they could trade off the back catalogue forever – a Weezer show is as close to a guaranteed good time as you can get.
~
Weezer can be found at their Facebook | Instagram
Words by Joe Goggins: find him on X here
Photos by Adam Edwards. You can find Adam at his website, Instagram and Facebook
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
