Since the world started to get back to as normal as possible in 2022, It’s still been a slow process for me to feel comfortable about going out to shows. That being said, 2022 was a great year of shows for me, and I’ve had a great time seeing bands that are brand new to me. I was so happy to see so much great music, but then I was completely stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the music of Soccer Mommy.
While Soccer Mommy is the stage name of Nashville, Tennessee singer/songwriter Sophie Allison, she doesn’t come off as a dominant presence on stage. There is no vibe of her being the “star” with a backup band. Instead, Allison’s band is more of a unit along side her. While she may be the principal songwriter, these cats are responsible for the stellar delivery of her songs and it shows.
Thanks to Nashville, TN-based alternative rock band Soccer Mommy which is the artistic vehicle of singer/songwriter, I finally rekindled that feeling of excitement about seeing a new favorite band for the first time! Of course, at 49 years old, there aren’t too many “first times” for me as far as concerts go, but for the Soccer Mommy show, I was like a kid counting the days until fucking Christmas.
In the past, I spent most of my “journalistic” life at hard rock/metal shows, so there are never any surprises for me. Long hair everywhere, piercings, tattoos, the humidity of the assembled massive sausage party, and cheap beers to rage! Upon entering the Masquerade on Thursday night, I was taken aback and surprised. This was definitely the cleanest bunch of people I have ever seen and smelled in a very, very long time.
As I surveyed the crowd from the Parent’s Section (back of the venue by the bar), I was also amazed by the diversity of this audience. From what I could see, everyone from about 18 years of age to 40+ years of age was present at this show. I was expecting to be one of the oldest ones there but seeing such a broad spectrum of people there to see one band made me really happy.
Soccer Mommy & Co. took the stage with no huge, over-the-top entrance. Instead, casually strolling onto the band eased right into the set opener, “Bones,” to a really overwhelming response. I didn’t think this would work well as a set opener on paper but live, and it proved to be a much more powerfully emotional song. As Sophie began singing the opening line, I felt goosebumps from my toes to my ears. Her voice is so hauntingly beautiful and embodies so many emotions: pain, peace, optimism, and love, to name a few. Along with the band, Sophie delivered a heartfelt performance that had me smiling ear to ear, and we were only on the first song.
Soccer Mommy & Co. followed “Bones” with another cut from their latest album, Sometimes, Forever, “With U,” which again got a huge reaction. The band plays with all of the passion and skill of a band at least twice their age which is always remarkable for me to see. There is no showboating on stage at a Soccer Mommy show. Instead, they rely on the quality of the songs, natural energy, and smiles being knocked back and forth like a tennis ball at Wimbledon.
One of the many highlights of the show was “Unholy Affliction.” This song is another example of the diverse influences on Sophie Allison as a songwriter. Sounding more akin to 90s industrial music ala Nine Inch Nails. Live, this song, combined with a full-on psychedelic light show and projections behind the band, set a dark and even unsettling tone, and I loved the contrast it created along with the other songs. It was such a departure from the more accessible pop rock of her other material, and it was a welcomed surprise.
Soccer Mommy’s nearly hour-and-a-half set included many fan favorites from their three album discography, such as “Circle the Drain” and the floaty, danceable groove of “Crawling In My Skin” from the Color Theory album, and newer fan favorites from Sometimes, Forever such as the stellar track “Shotgun,” and “newdemo” but it was “Feel It All the Time” that was the show stopper for me. Introducing the song, “This is a song about my truck,” Soccer Mommy then delivered a song that could be one of the best alt-country/Americana songs never heard. I could hear this as a Whiskeytown song which, again, showcases the diverse range of influences on Sophie.
“Scorpio Rising” was the song where I felt the audience and band connected. People in the audience sang along with every word like it was a song that got them through something or many things. There was a girl beside me singing along, and she was crying. She looked over at me and smiled, and I smiled back because I understood what it’s like to have one song just cut you to the core and make you feel all the emotions.
The ’70s-infused pop groove of “Cool” had everyone dancing, and I mean everyone. I was grooving, and I don’t think I could’ve stopped if I had tried. It was infectious, and much like at many jam band shows I have been to over the years, everyone just seemed to dance like nobody was watching. Grooving side to side, some had their feet off the ground as they danced with their eyes closed. I even spotted a young couple pogo dancing like it was an NYC punk show from the ‘70s. It was a truly beautiful thing.
Soccer Mommy & Co. closed out their pre-encore set “Yellow Is the Color of Her Eyes,” which, in my opinion, was the ultimate display of musical versatility and band dynamics, and connection. “Yellow Is the Color of Her Eyes” contained elements of ‘90s era noise/grunge rock, concluding with a full-on psychedelic rock meltdown that left their guitars reverbing throughout the room as they set down their tools and exited the stage. Next, the band returned to the stage with “Don’t Ask Me” from Sometimes, Forever which once again had everyone cheering loudly and dancing around like fools. Finally, another fan favorite that got a tremendous response, “Your Dog,” from the debut album, Clean closed the evening of perfect music. This was the perfect ending to a perfect night of music, but it still left me wanting more.
Soccer Mommy is a creative master that knows no boundaries. Her songs cover so much ground, but trying to hone it into one “genre” would do these great songs a disservice. So instead, like any truly great artist, Soccer Mommy has been able to capture her broad range of musical influences, throw it into a blender, and serve up a big ass cup of, well, Soccer Mommy.
The music of Soccer Mommy was (and still is) something I genuinely needed in my life. The music was a “friend” to me during the latter part of the Covid-19 pandemic, and seeing Soccer Mommy live was everything to me. However, this show proved to this 49-year-old curmudgeon that I hadn’t seen and heard everything. After only three albums, Soccer Mommy has become a top-tier favorite band of mine, and at the ripe young age of 25, I am over the moon to see what kind of musical journeys Sophie Allison will take us on for many years to come.
For more on Soccer Mommy, please check out her website at https://soccermommyband.com/
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