Coming all the way across the Atlantic from Nashville, Soccer Mommy (Sophie Allison) brings an incredibly honest sound to the tightly packed Hope & Ruin through some sombre yet soothing melodies in an acoustic show which has certainly left its mark on this crowd.
Opening tonight are Leatherhead, a casual indie bunch with leading saxophone, from literally the first opening riff. The first aspect of chaos occurs as a snare drum breaks, causing a chilled impromptu jam from the remainder of the band. However, this is done in a manner that suggests they don't realise there is an entire room waiting to hear their material. Nonetheless, the lads find their feet again and bring a melancholy sound which was incredibly suited to the evening’s remaining acts. Following this are the ever hilarious and enthusiastic Porridge Radio. These guys are by no means afraid to be extravagant and as singer Dana Margolin begins to belt her brutal notes, all attention is drawn to their sound. A screamed, personalised rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to an attending friend is both hilarious and horrifying and has solidified just why Porridge Radio are truly one of my favourite upcoming Brighton bands. Their chaotic sounds and showmanship are one which you can truly revel in; if you are ever attending a gig with a Porridge Radio support, you’re in for one hell of a night!
As the evening already sets into its later stages, Soccer Mommy enters the open stage. Sophie performs solo tonight even despite a significant proportion of her recorded songs being a band collective. To come across from the States as an upcoming artist is a daunting task on its own, but to be doing it alone must be simply terrifying. However, as soon as Sophie begins with her dreamy vocals, the audience are instantly warmed to her and release a torrent of applause her way. Sophie does hold a somewhat shy demeanour which is perhaps only apparent due to Porridge Radio’s outlandish set. This is set aside as Sophie announces she will be playing a few from her new record, Collection, ‘Waiting For Cars’ is a lovingly detailed piece which really plays to Sophie’s strengths, allowing her vocals to dance atop of the track in a manner which feels simply euphoric.
The mellowed sounds continue and the packed room continue to respond nicely to Sophie’s material, however, it feels as though just as we are getting started, she announces that we’re into the set’s final few numbers. ‘Allison’, another new track, makes a lovingly welcome appearance, this track stresses a dismal poetic narrative that is disturbingly beautiful. The simplicity of the track tonight really does emphasise that less is certainly more and I would say that tonight’s renditions hit far deeper than they would have with the full band in attendance.
Whilst tonight’s set felt incredibly short, it was equally sweet and still did Sophie’s material an immense amount of justice. She has certainly managed to singlehandedly leave a lasting mark on this audience and will have developed more than a few Brightonian fans from her performance this evening, so in that respect she could have done no more. I would love to see a full band Soccer Mommy set in the future as I feel that hearing those numbers with the backing accompaniment would only deepen Sophie’s sound and introduce an entirely new dynamic to her live music. I would thoroughly recommend getting down to one of Soccer Mommy’s shows if you still can during her on going UK tour as Sophie Allison is certainly a performer that you will be hearing more from in the years to come.
Ben Walker
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Twitter: twitter.com/sopharela