Soccer Mommy at Granada Theater
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A super sports day!- basketball during the day, “Soccer” at night--
Lawrence, KS was THE place to be as the NCAA Mens Basketball champion Kansas Jayhawks held their victory parade downtown, and then just a few hours later, Nashville’s Soccer Mommy played to loyal fans at the Granada Theater.
The night opened with solo project-turned band Peel Dream Magazine, led by Brooklyn/now LA-based musician/keyboardist Joe Stevens, in support of last summer’s Moral Panics EP and prior second full-length, Agitprop Alterna (on Slumberland /Tough Love).
Their music leans somewhat minimal with a bedroom pop feel, with earmarks of shoegaze and fuzz, and the comparisons to early Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine, are seeming to stick with them. Being named in part for legendary BBC DJ John Peel, no doubt helps with that.
Not only was it the four-piece’s last show with the headliner, but their final show of their own tour and the camaraderie between bands was obvious, as half of Soccer Mommy joined on stage late in the set, followed by the entire band for the final song of their set.
The stage transition was brief (made seemingly shorter by a female-empowered audio mix of Sonic Youth, Lush, and Avril Lavigne tracks) as the five touring members of Soccer Mommy took to the stage for their eighty-minute headlining set. They were additionally helped out by PDM’s bassist Marina Aguerre for opening song, “Bloodstream”, the opener from 2020’s Color Theory, that muses about loneliness and chasing that elusive joy.
“Thanks, y’all” leader Sophie Allison said following, “I heard you guys won like, a game or something” she smiled, clearly not a basketball fan but also toying with the audience, “I’m from Nashville, so we don’t really win things in sports”.
Songs like “Royal Screw Up” and “Last Girl” weren’t afraid to lyrically show emotional vulnerabilities or shortcomings but were transposed by being delivered with an indie rock confidence and an upbeat cooing vocal.
“Henry” dates back to Allison’s earliest musical days though was re-worked in 2018, “Crawling in My Skin” spun with greater force via its jangling guitar riff and swirling rhythms, and 2018’s “Cool” sounds right out of ‘90s-era alt as its somewhat menaced lyrics are counter balanced by generally happy guitar sounds.
“We announced a new record” Allison said to cheering, before she and the band launched into its initial single, “Shotgun” and despite the title, the song is actually about being lost in love. It’s the first taste from upcoming LP, Sometimes, Forever (due out June 24 on Loma Vista) produced by experimental artist Oneohtrix Point Never who we caught live at an arts center performance back in 2013.
2020’s “Night Swimming” (not to be confused with the R.E.M. song) was performed sparsely with just two band members, and they would soon also leave the stage as well to let Allison carry on solo with “Still Clean” and a cover of Slowdive’s 1993 deep cut, “Dagger”.
The set’s closer, 2018’s “Your Dog” always seemed like a relieving and cathartic track, so it made sense to end with that, prefaced by a feedback and fuzz-filled intro as the band tuned back up and in.
The encore would only consist of a single song, 2018’s “Scorpio Rising”, the high watermark of the debut album and a slow burning, lost in love musing about the realization of consequences from being someone you’re not.
“We’ll meet up after dark” Soccer Mommy sings on “Scorpio Rising” and enthusiasm was also rising from the day’s earlier parade celebrating the local college’s basketball championship, resulting in both an exhilarating day of public jubilation, and an entertaining nightcap of alternative / indie rock.
SOCCER MOMMY SETLIST
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Bloodstream Circle the Drain Royal Screw Up Last Girl Henry Crawling in My Skin Cool Lucy Shotgun Night Swimming Still Clean (solo) Dagger (solo, Slowdive cover) Your Dog encore: Scorpio Rising |
MAY 14 Kilby Block Party Salt Lake City, UT
JUN 12 The Governors Ball Music Festival New York, NY
JUN 24 Leisure Festival Margate, UK
JUN 28 Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
JUN 30 Vida Festival Barcelona, Spain
AUG 12 Day In Day Out Festival Seattle, WA
AUG 31 Rescue Rooms Nottingham, UK
SEP 1 CHALK Brighton, UK
SEP 3 Trinity Bristol, UK
SEP 5 Bumann & Sohn Köln, DE
SEP 6 Molotow Hamburg, DE
SEP 8 Slaktkyrkan Stockholm, SE
SEP 9 John Dee Oslo, NO
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SEP 12 FRANNZ Club Berlin, DE
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SEP 17 Rotonde - Botanique Brussels, BE
SEP 18 Petit Bain Paris, FR
SEP 20 O2 Ritz Manchester, UK
SEP 21 Tramshed Cardiff, UK
SEP 22 O2 Forum London, UK
SEP 23 The Castle & Falcon Birmingham, UK
SEP 24 Queen Margaret Union Glasgow, UK
Peel Dream Magazine |
Peel Dream Magazine |
Peel Dream Magazine |
Setlist |
Soccer Mommy |
Soccer Mommy |
Soccer Mommy |
Soccer Mommy |
Soccer Mommy |
Soccer Mommy |
Soccer Mommy at Granada Theater, Lawrence, KS (2022-04-10) |
| john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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