Violent Soho are a band that many Aussies hold very dear to their hearts. With a combination of rousing rock tunes and famously intense liver performances, the Queensland crew have endeared themselves to a generation of Australians as vanguards of classic homegrown rock and roll.
That’s why it’s always bold for a band, especially one from overseas, to come Down Under and lend their take on one of the Soho boys’ tunes. So you’ve got to hand it to Philadelphia outfit Modern Baseball, who recently entered the triple j studios to perform ‘Dope Calypso’ for Like A Version.
The cut from Soho’s 2013 breakthrough album, Hungry Ghost, is an epic alt-rock anthem and Modern Baseball perform a decidedly muted rendition of the tune, replacing the original’s walls of distortion with garagey, clean tones, and Luke Boerdam’s manic howls with controlled, emotive vocals.
As we’ve previously mentioned, this year’s Like A Version series has gotten off to an interesting start – we’ve seen a heart-wrenching David Bowie cover, an ambitious mash-up from this year’s Hottest 100 winners, a deeply divisive cover of a huge hit from 2015, and maybe the most un-triple j Like A Version ever.
