In Concert - Soccer Mommy

Thanks to some sweepstakes winning tickets from WRNR, I spent Sunday night at the 9:30 Club with a few hundred people - It was my first time seeing the artist known as Soccer Mommy and it didn’t disappoint.

Sophie Allison and her bandmates took the stage around 9:00 and the set covered all three albums, with a heavy lean on the most recent, Sometimes, Forever, released earlier this year. Allison and her band (drums, bass, lead guitar and guitar/keyboard) showcased all the sounds that shape Soccer Mommy’s world - from the moody/broody synth/guitar sounds to the confessional alt-pop with enough grunginess to satisfy this 52-year old.

I loved that the band focused on the music and the tightness of playing together. There was enough acknowledgement from Allison of the audience, but the reason they were there (and I was there) was the music.

Favorites included “Circle the Drain” an upbeat sounding song that touches upon themes of depression and its effects on everyday mental health, “Lucy”, another very personal track about inner demons that had her lyrics ride over woozy guitars and “Bones”.

Best song of the night was “Don’t Ask Me”, the first song in their encore. An up-tempo rock song channeling Juliana Hatfield and Sleater-Kinney, that had heads bobbing in the crowd. With one final song and final feedback from the guitars, Soccer Mommy closed out a fantastic night of music.

I’m really excited to dive back into their previous releases as seeing Soccer Mommy live has made me a fan for life.

Opening the show was Canadian singer-songwriter Helena Deland who clearly draws inspiration from her fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell. Her delicate, yet strong voice resonated throughout the club and with a good back-up back, including a fantastic keyboardist/backing vocalist.