REVIEW: Fun Lovin' Criminals, O2 Academy, Newcastle

With their blend of styles, Quentin Tarantino samples, and skater beanies, Fun Lovin' Criminals were the ultimate band of the 1990s.
Fun Lovin' CriminalsFun Lovin' Criminals
Fun Lovin' Criminals

As likely to be heard in mainstream clubs as rock nights and your A-Level Media Studies class, they were an essential part of the decade's soundtrack.

It's hard to believe it's been two decades since the release of their first album, Come Find Yourself.

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And while their 20th anniversary tour proves the chronology, Fun Lovin' Criminals still sound as fresh and fun as they did in 1996.

Walking on stage to the equally time-travelling Star Wars theme, the trio had as much fun - if not more - than the audience during the two-part set at Newcastle's O2 Academy.

Exploding in with the eponymous Fun Lovin' Criminals track, the three-piece proceeded to play their entire first album in full, with their biggest hit Scooby Snacks and its Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs samples naturally getting among the biggest applause.

With a performance packed with smiles, laughter, jokes, and swanny whistles, it was clear Fun Lovin' Criminals are still a band who very much love what they do - including playing 20-year-old material.

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After taking the audience on a jaunt back to 1996, the band returned from a brief interlude to play some of their newer hits, including Loco, Korean Bodega and Love Unlimited.

Fun Lovin' to the last, this was a great gig, with the band's tremendous warmth resonating through the audience.