Fresh off a sold-out 47-date UK & Irish tour in 2023 and a standout performance at Download Festival 2024, frontman brendan b. brown reflects on a career that has spanned 25 years. “It feels truly strange & wonderful,” he says. “We never took this career for granted, thinking it could end any day. Now, the feelings of gratitude are overwhelming.”
Jenny Algieri caught up with brendan to talk about the band’s enduring DIY spirit, milestone moments, and their upcoming UK tour.
Wheatus has spent 25 years carving out their own path in the music world- doing things their way, on their own terms. And after all this time, milestone moments still catch them by surprise.
One example- the sun had just set over a beachside festival stage in America in late May. Wheatus frontman brendan b. brown assumed the crowd would leave halfway through to secure a good spot for headliners Paramore, but instead, the crowd of 20,000 stayed until the very end of their set. “I actually looked over and said to the band, “Is this really happening?” during the show” brown recalls, “it was a magic moment”.
Reflecting on moments like these, brown admits he’s still adjusting to what success means now. “Success is new to us. For many years, every tour felt like it may be the last. We never felt like we’d arrived there”. Yet, 25 years on, the band is still thriving and doing it all their own way.
For instance, Wheatus have never really played the music industry game the way others have. “The shortest relationship the band has ever had was with a major label- only three years” brendan says “We still string our own guitars, lug our own gear, drive our own van, make our own art etc… Everything we do is homemade, always has been.”
The same self-reliance and DIY spirit has shaped their creative evolution too. For instance, brendan reflected on the meaning of their song Something Good, from their third album. Originally written as a critique of the gatekeepers who dominated the record industry, its meaning has now shifted over time. “It was originally about the excesses of power & corruption we saw with the gatekeepers at the record labels” he states, “but now, since they’ve had to change so much of what they do to accommodate the upstart creative class, it feels like I’m singing to the fallen empire and not the powerful.”
When it comes to their live shows, brendan emphasised the importance of their fans “from song one, we’ll be asking the crowd what to play and doing it their way.” brown says, “They paid for it, so they should have the final say!” It’s these connections that make the band excited to get back on the road again.
However, tour life for the band looks a little different these days “I’m much more settled in who I am and what I can do” brendan reflects, “In 2000, I was green as they come… Much better at doing what we want these days”. He added that not everything about tour life has remained completely rockstar, especially “when the tour bus stops and you realise you’ve got to shop for breakfast fibre and walk the dog as fast as you can”, brown laughs. Still, some things never change “I personally make our bus driver breakfast… Usually scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.”- hardly the lifestyle of a Teenage Dirtbag.
Then again, being a dirtbag was never about rebellion but about “doing your own thing, your own way, regardless of any criticism or exclusion you may face and finding your dirtbag family”, brendan explains.
That spirit is perhaps why their hit song Teenage Dirtbag continues to resurface in charts, trends and crowds, year after year. brendan still remembers the disbelief when it first topped the Australian charts.
I remember asking them to confirm that it was the main, national pop chart…I thought that would have been impossible.
Then, there’s that unforgettable high voice which has now become iconic in its own right, “I just thought it felt right. I had a bit of a feeling that it would perhaps exclude us from some mainstream outlets, but even that felt right at the time” he reflects, “plus, I did want to see how high I could get”.
Quick fire Q&A
You’ve kept Wheatus alive through so many waves of the music industry- what’s kept you going?
The idea that we could get better at playing live and making records. That feeling I had watching Angus Young on TV when I was 10 years-old is still with me and has not faded…That and the studio discovery process, which is a renewable resource if you’re willing to not play it safe.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be, and why?
Tough question…I think Willow Smith really knows how to put an interesting rock song together and, while Willow REALLY doesn’t need any help from me, I’d still love to collab on something really heavy for her.
What’s one question you wish interviewers would ask- but never do. And what’s the answer?
Wow…I guess more questions about the fact that all my heavy guitar sounds are done with an acoustic. I get the feeling sometimes that people don’t quite understand how, or even believe that I do that.
Finally, if you could tell your 2000-era selves one thing about the next 25 years, what would it be?
Don’t sign a record deal or get a manager! Just tour and be patient!
After all these years, Wheatus proves that longevity comes from authenticity and passion. Their journey is a testament to the power of staying true to your vision, through ups and downs. Through this all, the band has never lost sight of what really matters: the music and the people who believe in it.
For fans eager to experience that energy live, Wheatus are hitting the road again soon, bringing their signature DIY spirit and crowd-driven shows to venues across the UK. With no setlist and full audience control, every performance promises to be unique and exciting.
Words by: Jenny Algieri
Photography courtesy of Gabrielle White
Tickets on-sale now via the band’s official website here
UK Tour 2025
22 November Dublin Academy
23 November Belfast Limelight
25 November Newcastle Boiler Shop
26 November Glasgow SWG3
28 November Manchester O2 Ritz
29 November Birmingham O2 Institute
30 November Leicester O2 Academy 2
1 December Sheffield Leadmill
2 December Leeds Brudenell Social Club
3 December Leeds Brudenell Social Club
5 December Oxford O2 Academy
6 December Brighton Chalk
7 December Southampton 1865
9 December Norwich Epic Studios
10 December Nottingham Rescue Rooms
11 December Bristol Electric
12 December Cardiff Tramshed
13 December London OVO Arena Wembley (w/Bowling For Soup)