Finally Brisbane’s Violent Soho is back on Australian stages. They’ve never really left, but this is certainly their most significant headline tour for some time, thanks to the release of two new singles ‘Tinderbox’ and the more recent ‘Neighbour Neighbour’.
Joining the stoner pop quartet for their four-stop tour was Brisbane’s garage surf rockers Dune Rats, Australia’s answer to Wavves.
You could put Dune Rats on the stage of the most awkward school formal and they would still rock out to their utmost ability. The frantic drumming and reverbed vocals underpin a keen ability to capture catchy pop melodies and simple effective songwriting.
Thankfully The Tote crowd lapped up every minute as they threw themselves around on stage and tore through a half-hour set that included latest single ‘F**k It’ and a rough and ready rendition of the Violent Femmes’ ‘Blister In The Sun’.
For pure presence and enjoyment on stage they’re hard to beat. A must see live band.
It was clear from the turn-out that Melbourne has been eager to see Violent Soho headline again. The release of their two latest singles has given everyone just enough of a taste and reminded us just how bloody talented they are.
With the low ceilings of The Tote bandroom the tension reached boiling point as Violent Soho launched into ‘Love Is A Heavy Word’.
Some early difficulties with microphone feedback saw frontman Luke Boerdam visibly frustrated. While it was resolved quickly it only seemed to fuel his energy and aggressive vocal attack.
For all the blistering sound coming off the stage it was equally matched by an even more raucous crowd, with hefty crowd surfing, stage diving, and one punter brave enough to perform a front flip from platform to audience.
The heaving, swaying bodies didn’t relent for hour-long setlist, largely due to the incredible power of their sound and never ending energy.
Two brand new unreleased tracks indicated that once Violent Soho has the time to hit the studio, they won’t disappoint. While new single ‘Neighbour Neighbour’ has only been out for a week it was clear by the volume of the crowd that it has won over fans new and old alike.
The clear highlight was from the band’s self-titled 2009 record ‘Muscle Junkie’ with both band and audience somehow managing to find an extra level of intensity.
Closing the set out with a double whammy hit of ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’ and ‘Tinderbox’ the quartet made it abundantly clear they were back and at their best, topping off an absolutely cracking gig.
We can only hope their next record is released swiftly and we can see them hit the stage as soon as possible.
Check out our photo gallery of Violent Soho playing Melbourne’s The Tote here.
