Soccer Mommy (w/ Avey Tare & Total Wife)
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Nashville, TN
Eastside Bowl
I can honestly say that one of the things I look forward to the most is a great live show on a Halloween weekend. People are in rare form, wearing their best (or worst) all in the name of self-expression. I saw a couple dressed as the twin girls from The Shining, I saw a few Cowboys, and to my joy, I saw a Teletubby (Laa Laa). The place’s vibe was off the charts and full of positivity, fun, and camaraderie. Soccer Mommy fans are no joke, and these folks were here for one thing and one thing only: Soccer Mommy.
The Eastside Bowl is hands down the coolest venue I have ever been to. This place looked like something straight out of The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction combined. In addition to a live music venue in the back, there was bowling, a “quiet bar” where a Rockabilly trio was laying it down to a handful of folks dancing and having a great time, and a fantastic pinball arcade with machines such as Iron Maiden, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin to name a few. My buddy and I spent some time playing pinball and drinking in the quiet bar before heading into the music room.
The night kicked off with a band called Total Wife. I had never heard a single chord of this band, and I have to say that I was a bit conflicted at first. At first, listen, they sounded noisy and kind of all over the place, but once my ears adjusted and I realized that this was their actual sound, I settled in and really enjoyed their set. The best way I can describe them is that they sound like a collective of musicians making soundscapes in a kind of shoegaze style. At times, it was hard to tell if they were improvising or if the songs were actual compositions. They piqued my interest enough to want to hear more.
The second opener, Avey Tare, was another story. Apparently, he is a member of something called Animal Collective. I’ve never heard of them, but that’s beside the point. Tare’s set was atrocious; honestly, I even felt a bit offended that this guy was on stage for as long as he was. His “songs” all sounded as if they had been written in the bathroom 5 minutes before his stage time as he ridiculously played discordant music while yelling “Happy Halloween” and some other annoying jibberish. Judging from the audience’s response, they weren’t all that impressed either. This guy’s set couldn’t have been over fast enough.
After Tare’s set, a curtain was closed to hide the stage, adding to the excitement. At this point, the costumed room of loving freaks started to move forward, tightening all the gaps. The energy at this point was off the fucking charts. Fixated on the stage, I got goosebumps, not knowing what would be behind that curtain. Finally, the house lights went off, and the place erupted so loudly that my ears throbbed. This was going to be a fucking awesome show. I could feel it.
As the curtain opened, Soccer Mommy and Co. kicked into “Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer” by Nerf Herder (and from the television show). Everyone roared and bopped up and down as Soccer Mommy (aka. Sophie Allison) and Co. tore through the song, sporting their respective Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters, with Allison being the Slayer herself! The song ended, and while an eerie drone played, the band kicked into “Crawling In My Skin” from the 2020 album Color Theory. I lost my mind because I really wanted to hear this one live, and based on the crowd’s reaction, they were equally ecstatic.
Without much of a pause, “Circle the Drain” started up, and once again, everyone was nuts and sang along with every word. Suddenly, it didn’t care that I looked (and felt) like the oldest guy in the room by at least 15 years. I felt one with the fans and one with the music; from there, it was lift-off. I was now indeed in the world of Soccer Mommy. “Bones” from her 2022 release Sometimes, Forever was a highlight for me because it was the first song I heard of hers. I closed my eyes and sang along with every word, feeling like I was drifting. This is a truly powerful thing for music to do someone, and Soccer Mommy was doing this on the third song.
The “Unholy Affliction” and “Darkness Forever” showstopping combo was 8 minutes of psychedelic, horror-inspired bliss. With the stage adorned with tombstones, relics, and a video background show of creepy animations, Soccer Mommy and Co. ripped through these songs with all the unsettling intensity of a southern-based Doom Metal band. At one point, Allison’s soft yet distorted voice during “Darkness Forever” made me feel a bit uneasy with her 1970s “Welcome to My Nightmare” era Alice Cooper vibe. There’s a good chance that I am way off, but whether they intended to do it or not, they gave Alice Cooper a very respectful nod.
Soccer Mommy and Co. continued to put on a fantastic, fun, and energetic show with songs spanning her last four releases like “Lucy,” “Scorpio Rising,” and “Night Swimming.” They closed their nearly hour-and-a-half marathon set with the stellar “Yellow Is the Color of Her Eyes” from the Color Theory album. The band closed the song down with a fantastic, improvised chaos that left me feeling like I didn’t quite know what I heard… but I loved it. As feedback and looped psychedelic sounds filled the room, the band lowered their instruments and left the stage with the crowd chanting, “Soccer Mommy! Soccer Mommy!”
Soccer Mommy and Co. returned to the stage for their encore, and the crowd roared. With her kind, southern hospitality, Allison thanked everyone for coming out, thanked the opening acts for performing, and then introduced her incredibly talented band. Allison knows how to talk to a crowd but does so as if she was talking to you face to face. There was no obnoxious yelling, no screaming, just humble gratitude to the fans, and then dropped into the opening notes of “Your Dog,” which had everyone singing loudly and dancing like it was a ’90s sock hop.
As “Your Dog” faded out, the band went right into “Don’t Ask Me,” which had me bopping and singing along with every word like I was the only one in the room. This song just may be one of my favorite songs of the last decade, and I can see why they closed with this one. “Don’t Ask Me” is the perfect “after midnight” kind of song in that every time I hear it, I feel like it’s celebrating something. What that thing is, I don’t know, but it is a great song to remember that regardless of how shitty the world has been lately that we all have something to celebrate, be it big or small.
Soccer Mommy is an old soul who luckily found a perfect home in the now without compromising the gracious musical expression of her influences. The fans of Soccer Mommy are some of the most dedicated fans I’ve seen for a modern band in a while. Maybe I don’t go to enough of these pop/indie rock shows, but I honestly felt and saw a connection between the artist and fan base that I don’t see much of. It’s hard to believe when hearing a crowd singing along with Soccer Mommy’s songs that they aren’t but seven years old at most. The audience treated this show as if it were a classic 1990s set of retro alt-rock deep cuts. The fans hung on to every word, every note, every improvised jam, and every second of banter.
Soccer Mommy is in such a great place in time, and it was a time that I’m glad I peeked out to see what was going on outside of my little world. Soccer Mommy is already a legend with a mere seven years below her belt. I can’t wait to see what Soccer Mommy will pull off in ten years. Even an old, cranky music writer like me can be excited and proud to be a fan of a new-ish, younger generation’s music. Soccer Mommy is in it for the long haul, and I am definitely along for the ride.
Soccer Mommy Setlist
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme (Nerf Herder cover)
Crawling In My Skin
Circle the Drain
Bones
Shotgun
Unholy Affliction
Darkness Forever
Lucy
Feel It All The Time
Following Eyes
Scorpio Rising
Still Clean
Night Swimming
Cool
Here (Pavement cover)
Yellow Is the Color of her Eyes
Encore:
Your Dog
Don’t Ask Me
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