Concert Review: Soccer Mommy

By Neil Manning
Music Journalist

Soccer Mommy took the stage in her overalls and cheetah print tank with a Fender in hand. As Antone’s was still filling up behind me the band began to play.

The band began to play with a few older songs while mixing in some from the yet to be released album. On the song, “Last Girl,” Sophie Allison’s vocals carried the song. The vocals made you feel the power behind the jealousy and self-doubt the lyrics describe. From there she went to her single released earlier in January, “Your dog.” The guitars started and seemed to be clashing almost, but sounded great in the context of the song. People were nodding as the bass line helped you feel the groove. She followed with her other recently released single, “Cool.” It began with some high energy and fell right into the groove. It ended with a nice quick guitar solo that was subtle, but definitely heard.

As she would finish songs and fix the tuning on her guitar, Allison was always sure to engage with the audience, as to not leave anything dull. She solicited a big response after asking if Whataburger was better than In-N-Out. This helped get the crowd a little more loose and comfortable. She made the show feel a bit more personal mentioning she had a lot of family in attendance including her parents, both UT alumni. These little bits made the show more enjoyable and got the crowd more immersed.

The last half of the show consisted of Allison performing two songs on her own and one with the band. The first song she did on her own was a Bruce Springsteen cover, “I’m on Fire.” This was her first time doing the song on this tour but she nailed it. Her voice, vastly different from Springsteen, brought on a new feel to the song. It was bit more somber but still fit the realm of the song as a bit of a creepy love song. Her mellow voice and single guitar slowed down the tempo but still carried the intimate feel. “Still Clean,” was after and kept the same feel with just her guitar and vocals. The two songs she did on her own felt a bit more personal and increased the connection with the audience. It felt like a perfect way to lead up to the final song.

The show ended with “Scorpio Rising” that felt fitting to the end. The instrumentation was all solid along with the effects added. The final notes of the show were played via a pedal to cause the guitar to sound as if every note was recorded and reversed. While Soccer Mommy isn’t a household name, there’s definitely followers as I noticed a couple up front singing along to every word. She is an artist to be on the lookout for as her show was enjoyable with a more intimate concert experience while Allison still delivered her well crafted music.

Featured image by Neil Manning.