It’s been two long years since Violent Soho have graced an Australian stage and Goodgod, in Sydney’s CBD, was ready and waiting to welcome them back for their Tinderbox/Neighbour Neighbour tour and to celebrate some of the new music they’ve been working on.
The venue, hidden amongst the Spanish Quarter on Liverpool St, was well equipped for their gritty sound and unpretentious vibe.
The band, made up of four mates who started jamming together after high school, have been on a consistently rising journey ever since their inception.
After signing to the label of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Ecstatic Peace, in 2009 the band has clocked up the hours both here and across the globe and they have a solid and ever growing fan base to show for it.
After spending a good amount of time conquering the world, 2012 has seen an impressive array of international tours (including a stint with UK music giants Arctic Monkeys) and also saw the change to their current label, I Oh You. After following the band from afar it was well worth the wait to witness their return and the new tunes they had in store.
The evening kicked off with a throwback to punk with local three piece Bloods, who had a good sound and a lot of enthusiasm on stage.
Brisbane’s Dune Rats took over after them with a catchy mix of surfy, stoner/grunge rock, keeping the growing audience entertained with their playful banter, chatting with the crowd and amongst themselves between songs. It set up a nice easy going atmosphere for the first part of the night.
The room was approaching capacity by the time Violent Soho was ready to make their way onto the stage to mark the first stop on the tour, coinciding with the new video clip for “Neighbour Neighbour”. Released a few days before, it proved that despite a lengthy time overseas they haven’t forgotten their Australian roots.
Their newest single sat well against one of their earlier hits and the obvious crowd favourite that followed, “Jesus Stole My Girlfriend”. You can definitely hear their early grunge influences coming through, but with the distinctively individual and modern spin they put on it.
Their blend of hard, alternative rock bolstered by Luke Boerdam’s distinctive vocal stylings was enough to captivate the eager listeners and keep them addicted for the entirety of their time on stage. This level of connection with the crowd is a real verification of the high quality music that Violent Soho have been producing and the rapport they manage to achieve with a live audience.
The band is obviously more than comfortable on the stage by now and on the night provided some really concentrated energy throughout the performance. Concentrated is probably the best word to describe the band as a whole, there’s an intensity that bubbles just beneath the surface.
The dynamic rise and fall of sound continually built momentum and interest in the crowd, who lapped up every second of it.
This is a band who seem to be most concerned with playing their music well and enjoying themselves while they do it, which makes them all the more enjoyable to catch live.
They possess a genuine authenticity that makes each and every song thrive off the natural energy of the band, a real effortlessness that radiates cool.
It’s this simple approach that makes them not only interesting to watch but also contributes to the sheer awesomeness of their stage presence.
