The Woggles Set to Rock Little Steven's Underground Garage Cruise

Boy will the ship be rocking when the second iteration of Little Steven's Underground Garage Cruise sails April 3-7, 2026! Sailing from Miami aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Pearl and with a scheduled port call in Cozumel, Mexico, the talent lineup put together by music cruise specialists Sixthman is unparalleled. Set to headline the festival at sea is the beloved Social Distortion; joining them will be an incredible list of acts including Jesse Malin, Rival Sons, Michael Monroe, Buzzcocks, Redd Kross, The Sonics, The Pandoras, The Dollyrots, The Mooney Suzuki, The Raveonettes, Supersuckers and many more. And in a very special treat, also appearing will be the long-running group The Woggles.

Led by front man The Mighty Manfred, The Woggles have been purveyors of fine '60s-inspired rock 'n' roll for more than three decades, and their upcoming album Stop and Take a Minute, due May 8 on Wicked Cool Records, celebrates some of the band's more obscure music from throughout their career. Stop and Take a Minute contains one new song called "Love Tick" (out now) but the rest of the album is a compilation of B-sides and other rarities that fans will now be able to enjoy all in one place. We asked The Mighty Manfred a few questions about the record and about the band's appearance on the upcoming cruise; here's what he told us.

Your forthcoming album Stop and Take a Minute is mostly a collection of B-sides and rarities and it must have been lots of fun combing through the archives for the album's material. What was that process like and did you rediscover some gems that you had forgotten about?

The Mighty Manfred: We love all our children and it's hard when they don't have the proper moment to shine or take the spotlight. So it's a joy to get this batch of tunes together in an album format. Most were B-sides or bonus tracks to releases years ago along with a couple of unreleased tracks from our Time Has Come album. Most we would play at shows but people wouldn't have a way to hear recorded versions of them. I guess it wasn't as much as they were forgotten as much as just never had a chance to be presented more widely. So when we noticed that there was enough for a full-length we decided we needed to do one.

Will you be working some of those rarities into your sets during the cruise?

Manfred: Absolutely! But which ones exactly, well, you'll just have to wait and find out!

There's an amusing premise to your new song "Love Tick." Where did the idea for that one come from?

Manfred: Peter Greenberg (Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, Lyres, DMZ) and I wrote that tune during the pandemic along with "Do the Slug." I don't know how much of the initial idea comes through but we were thinking of an Otis Redding kind of vibe. The notion of a love tick came out of the idea of a character who exudes a sort of charisma that attracts the ladies, despite the initial aversion they may have with him. And once they taste that sweet, sweet loving why they just hang on till they get so plump that they just fall right off!

The Underground Garage Cruise has a stellar lineup and no doubt many of the other artists are your pals. Who are you most excited about hanging out with and maybe performing with?

Manfred: I'm most excited to hang out with Barrence Whitfield & the Savages and I'll sit in and sing a song with them, and Peter will play both "Do the Slug" and "Love Tick" with us. I'll also sit in and do four songs with the Sonics. Atlanta, Georgia's Forty Fives have regrouped for the cruise and those guys are a lot of fun to hang with. The Woggles played this past fall in Japan and one of the festivals we did was with Jon Spencer so it'll be fun running into him again. I'm good friends with some of the ladies in the Pandoras and seeing them do Stop Pretending-era songs will be a hoot. Speaking of ladies, two of my female colleagues from Little Steven's Underground Garage, Palmyra Delran and Kelly Ogden will be on board fronting their respective groups The Dopple Gang and the Dollyrots. Also fellow DJ Michael Des Barres will act as emcee. He lives really close to me in Los Angeles and we hang out sometimes. It'll be great to catch up with him as we sail the high seas.

During the band's lengthy career The Woggles have shared stages with the likes of Johnny Cash and Link Wray. With all the stories you must have, can you share a memorable moment?

Manfred: It's been said that you should never meet your heroes but so far I've had really great luck. One time that was especially cool was when we did a Little Steven's Underground A Go-Go tour in 2005. For it we shared a tour bus with the Zombies. They were so open and friendly, polite and forthcoming, and at any point if you wanted to ask them about their lives and careers they were happy to share experiences with you. It was a several week cross country tour and what incredible bus mates to have.

The cruise makes port in Cozumel, Mexico. Does the prospect of going ashore for a beach day or activity appeal to you or would you rather stay on the ship when it's a little quieter?

Manfred: I will remain passed out.

I'm guessing that somewhere along the line that someone has showed up at one of your shows expecting to see kid-centric band The Wiggles. Do you have a funny story?

Manfred: No one has ever shown up to our gigs expecting a The Wiggles show, but years ago we had the same booking agent as The White Stripes. For about two years we had a big time agent and he called me up one day and said, "Manfred! You aren't going to believe this but a guy just called me up and said $30,000 for the Wiggles! I told him Woggles, not Wiggles and he said no, Wiggles not Woggles! Do you know about this mf-ing kids band?" I said, "Dave, the next time you're offered 30G I'll be in a banana suit! Whatever it takes just book the gig!" What does happen periodically is that people mistake me for Manfred Mann. Manfred is my given first name. When it happens it generally occurs after the show when a fan comes up and says how much they loved the show and how fit I am considering my advanced age. Manfred Mann is 85! In Houston last year a cowboy got bent out of shape that I wasn't Manfred Mann because his woman had brought him to the show promising that I was. He asked me why we didn't play "Quinn the Eskimo (Mighty Quinn)" and I told him because I wasn't Manfred Mann!

See a full list of all the artists performing on the Underground Garage Cruise and purchase your cabin here.

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