Falling in with the other major internationals on sideshow duty Soccer Mommy finished the Melbourne; and final show of her two leg Australia tour. The show was filled with many fun moments as well as Soccer Mommy’s (Sophie Allison) appreciation towards her Melbourne fans who filled the Howler in Brunswick for the near sold out show.
Kelso opened for the American talent as the local act helped set the scene for the evening with their brand of dream pop mixed with a sprinkling of rock kicking off the fun. Kelso’s set was unfortunately short, but they gave enough up on the stage with their fulfilling set list including a couple of their recent releases, some yet to be heard and a pulled back cover of The 1975’s “Paris”.
Kelso’s final song for the evening was their groups most recent release, “Glitter”. The track released toward 2018 was a brilliant step into 2019 as the poppy hooks and smooth sounds of the collective trio warmed the room in Brunswick.
The atmosphere at Soccer Mommy’s Melbourne show was a lovely one, highlighted by Sophie’s talent as both a vocalist and guitarist as well as her constant appraisal of Melbourne’s music culture. They all coupled together to create a welcoming room for music lovers and while Soccer Mommy’s music often has the potential for heavy undertones, her set was one full of joy and love.
The track list of the evening followed through much of Soccer Mommy’s short discography with both her debut album Clean as well as her earlier EP Collection featuring. Opening on “Try” off of Collection, Soccer Mommy and the band used the bluesy licks and dreamy pop vocals to lull the crowd into the right mood for Soccer Mommy’s set, it gave the group the right amount of energy while demonstrating the live potential of the tourists.
It quickly stepped into the newer works with the more acclaimed “Last Girl” and “Your Dog”, two songs that both stand out from an incredible debut album being next on the list. “Flaw” and “Cool” followed before a special moment happened on the Brunswick bandroom stage, as Sophie covered an American music hero, Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”, solo with just an acoustic guitar. It was a somber moment, but brought a feeling of ease to the room as “Down By The Water” introduced the band back to the stage before “Scorpio Rising” ended the bulk of her set it demonstrated her talent as a musician, Sophie’s disarming and soft spoken personality sensationally synchronised with her own emotive lyricism.
Soccer Mommy closed the set on “Wildflowers” as an encore after an incredibly brief time off of the stage. The track, played solo by Sophie was a wonderful rendition off of Soccer Mommy’s Clean album a simmering portrait of Sophie’s stellar songwriting ability leading the crowd in the room to eagerly await the next time Soccer Mommy and her band come back to Australia.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
This was Soccer Mommy‘s final tour date in Australia. For more on the artist, head to her Facebook Page.
