Thomas Nicholas Band Live at The Laundry

Band: Thomas Nicholas Band

Date: February 8th, 2025

Review: Ned Tepper

Photos: Ned Tepper

Sometimes when you are living your best times you don’t even realise it until much later, Friday nights at Movieland with your buddies, trying to make people eat birthday cake that don’t want to (EAT THE CAKE!) or recording radio shows in a tent. These are just some for me! Fast forward to February 2025 and somehow all of the stars aligned to the BEST night I’d had in forever…

The story starts with an unexpected opportunity to interview Thomas Nicholas (Kev from American Pie and many more) who was touring Australia with his band – Thomas Nicholas Band (TNB) and celebrating 25 Years of American Pie! I had to jump at that opportunity right? Of course I did! After a crazy busy week at work and the real life threat of the town I work in (Dimboola) being burnt down and the town actually being evacuated (A very near miss thank goodness), it was time to interview Thomas. I get home, am burnt out but excited to then find out his flight has been delayed and our interview has been postponed, a downer for me but more so for the people of Sydney who were going to see TNB open for Wheatus. No problems though, we can reschedule for the next day, easy!

Another ridiculously busy day at work, shoot home for our 4pm re-scheduled interview, I’m good to go. 4.10 hits, no Thomas. Maybe he thought it was 4.30? (Same time as yesterdays cancelled one). 4.35 hits, still no sign of Thomas! 4.45 hits, this is not happening. So, I text his PR people and let them know. Now I must note here, the amount of times you get ghosted on interviews and just sit around waiting is crazy. This was going to be my third no show in three interviews! There’s a fun ending to this story though, I get a text back from his PR “He’s slept in, I’ve given him your number and he’ll be in contact to reschedule, cool?”. I was like sure, sounds great (thinking it’s highly unlikely). Another note here – I was also aware he just hopped off an international flight and was probably severely jetlagged so it’s very understandable he wouldn’t want to do an interview.

4.59pm hits (Insert text tone here!) “Hi Ned – Thomas Nicholas here” (Mind Blown)

Not long after:

A month earlier I had organised the ultimate boys trip to show my son a good time before he left for University in Geelong, it looked like this:

Fri Feb 7^th: Windwaker

Sat Feb 8^th: thrown (In Geelong)

Sun Feb 9^th: Alien Ant Farm/Drowning Pool (Review here: https://theundergroundaustralia.com.au/drowning-pool-alien-ant-farm-review/)

We’re not really the Fishing type, live music all the way, oh and Pro Wrestling on the Saturday! A couple of days beforehand I find out that “thrown” is SOLD OUT in Geelong and we can only get one reviewer in, no plus ones. Our Saturday night had been ruined by thrown’s undeniable popularity (A band I just have to see by the way), or had it? The stars all aligned remembered? TNB had a show on the Saturday at the Laundry Bar, a last minute one of a kind show. TNB performing live along with Thomas’s “Emo DJ Set”, get the hell out of town we are sold!

I’m positive we will never have a chance to see these guys in such an intimate setting ever again which truly made for such an extra fantastic night, the best bit being able to spend it with my son Brodie. We arrived at the Laundry Bar walked in and knew instantly it was going to be unforgettable, introducing myself and my Brodie to Thomas (Who I’m pretty sure called me Trent at first, haha) and getting this photo which I hated as I look like a Deer staring into headlights (again, haha)!

Before we knew it, Thomas was picking up his guitar and belting into Stiflers Mom, the perfect way to kick off a set might I add. Did I mention his music is really good? This is no “I’m famous and having a try at music” type deal, he has an amazing back catalogue of punk rocky (at times pop) type albums. Think Blink 182 maybe? But with less crude humour, apart from the American Pie parody’s. Speaking of Blink, next up? An awesome cover of “All The Small Things” before he broke into his most popular hit in “My Generation” which of course featured on the American Pie “Reunion” soundtrack and is closing in on one million streams, something he is super proud of. There’s a reason it’s so popular, it’s a great song.

The video is fun too:

Another great TNB original followed in “Tomorrows Gonna Hurt” which is taken from his 2024 album “We’re Gonna Be Okay”, which I highly recommend you check out. Once again the video is a must watch and features some funny “Hangover” clips in it:

Covers included “Smooth Criminal”, In Too Deep (Sum 41), Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” and the super fun Bowling For Soup 1985 adaption, “1999”.

Never enough, Wrong Side and We’re Gonna Be Ok highlighted just how solid of an album “We’re Gonna Be Ok” is. This one was only released in May of last year and any song could be a single, it’s that consistently good. In between tracks Thomas kept the crowd entertained with fun stories of the tracks, the inspiration behind them, his movies and kept the crowd engaged before wrapping things up and immediately jumping into the “EMO DJ Set”. Once again my mind was blown at the epic throwbacks he busted out with highlights including Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit and House of Pain.

I said best night in forever, right? It was, maybe you had to be there but throwing back to those glory days of the late 90’s/early 2000’s, live music performed perfectly, hanging out with a bunch of like-minded people (shout out Benny), meeting a celebrity that actually gave you the time of day and thanked you for your help with promotion? Amazing! I couldn’t recommend this night anymore and to think we didn’t even get to relive American Pie with him, some nights they are even doing that! Rumour has it, Thomas may be back later this year. Rumour also has it that we may be doing a follow up interview? Definitely NOT a rumour though – TNB LIVE at The Laundry Bar was the BEST night I’ve had out in forever. Do yourself a favour and catch them live!

A bit better right?