Concert Review: Soccer Mommy and TOPS at Emo’s
With support from TOPS, Soccer Mommy brought her “Touring, Forever” show to Emo’s on December 16, 2022.
Written by C.S. Harper
Photos by C.S. Harper
Having released her third album, Sometimes, Forever, almost six months ago, Soccer Mommy had many Austinite fans eagerly awaiting her arrival in the Live Music Capital of the World. And the band’s December set was well worth the wait, delivering an impassioned rendition of new tracks and fan favorites alike.
Opener TOPS stunned with its dazzling hour-long set thanks to the enigmatic persona of frontwoman Jane Penny. The Canadian four-piece opened with “Janet Planet,” a nostalgic ’80s cut from the group’s latest EP, Empty Seats. Listening intently, the crowd swayed along to Penny’s hypnotic vocalizations at the track’s bridge. To liven up the venue, the band began performing “Direct Sunlight,” wowing the audience with its stage presence. Penny’s body language oozed with ecstasy as she pranced across the stage, her fluid movements matching the liveliness of the song’s scintillating synth melody. The crowd roared in applause as Penny picked up a flute from seemingly nowhere and poured her heart into a solo, ending the track on a whimsical note.
A few deep cuts later, Penny greeted the crowd with her first rare moment of audience interaction. “This one takes a little while. It’s good, though,” she said hastily before breaking into “Perfected Steps.” With the frontwoman’s show-stopping stage persona, the six-minute track never sputtered out. The song’s disco fever overtaking her, Penny danced around energetically, her black smock dress twirling in a feverish haze along with her. When guitarist David Carriere’s funky solo came on, the singer excitedly punched the air along to it, becoming one with the soundscapes enveloping her.
“How is everybody in Austin, TX doing tonight?” Penny hollered. “That is acceptable,” she said cheekily to the audience members’ lukewarm response. To hype up the crowd, the band performed the happy-go-lucky “I Feel Alive” off its 2020 album of the same name. The singer took her microphone off its stand to move freely across the stage during the instrumental bridge, juggling the stand between her hands as if it were her dance partner. To finish off its set, TOPS chose a throwback from its 2014 record, Picture You Staring: “Way to be Loved.” Despite the track’s mid-tempo rhythm, Penny made sure to end it with a bang. After a drum fill, she let out a shrilling, quasi-metal scream as she twirled around fervently before ending the track a capella. She recollected herself quickly afterward, telling the audience, “Thank you, Austin. Y’all have fun now.”
But fun was an understatement. The audience had the time of their lives the whole night, even while waiting for Soccer Mommy’s set. “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne began playing to announce frontwoman Sophie Allison’s arrival, and the crowd eagerly sang along, delivering a concert themselves. When Allison finally took the stage at 9:17 p.m., her fans applauded with fervor, both excited by their moment of music-driven solidarity and the anticipation of Soccer Mommy’s set.
The headliner opened with “Bones,” the first track off Allison’s latest album Sometimes, Forever. The track was the perfect opener as it referenced the bone marrow cell-inspired art of the record which graced the banners swaying onstage. Though relatively timid when interacting with fans, Allison came to life while playing the guitar, emulating the powerhouse tenacity of bubblegrunge icons past. Her dulcet tones filling the air, she pulled back from the microphone to shred the guitar in a moment of juxtaposed grace and grit.
After following up with “With U,” Allison greeted the crowd. “I’m very happy to be back here in Austin… We’re just gonna play a bunch of music for you,” she said breathily, tuning her eggplant colored guitar. She switched up the pace with color theory favorite “circle the drain,” which the crowd immediately sang along to ecstatically. During the second verse, she skillfully belted out the line “And the days thin me out” as the audience members cheered, and she smiled back at them before moving on to the chorus.
Allison followed with “Shotgun,” the lead single off of Sometimes, Forever. Everyone was in tune with the music: bassist Nick Widener grooving along to the bassline, the crowd singing along, and even the stage lights flashing along to the heavy drumming. At center stage was Allison, bringing a standout performance as she kicked the air with nonchalance, ending the song while headbanging with grunge affectation.
A few songs later, the band performed another gem with deep cut “Darkness Forever.” To introduce the song, an eerie quasi-EBM synth played in the background as Allison tuned her guitar. Nearly a capella save for keys and a vocoder courtesy of guitarist and keyboardist Rodrigo Avendano, Allison delivered a tantalizing performance. “Head in the oven / Didn’t sound so crazy,” she sang while bobbing her head from side to side, looking like a haunted doll in her black babydoll dress amid the dimmed lights. At the sludgy guitar-driven chorus, the crowd headbanged along, seemingly collectively possessed by the wide range of eerie sounds that came out of Allison’s instrument, from that of trickling water to a cackling dolphin. “The next song is about the devil,” the singer said humorously, choosing “lucy” as the perfect follow-up to this spooky track. She instructed the band to play with the count of her fingers, and the banners onstage lit up to project videos of nature in ebb and flow, including footage of rivers and trees.
Allison continued exploring her gothic leanings with “Following Eyes.” “I have a question for you guys,” she announced to the audience. “Do you believe in ghosts?” Following this introduction, otherworldly synths began to envelop her like supernatural beings. As guitarist Julian Powell jammed by the amp to emit surreal sounds, the stage lights beamed on Allison’s face, making her look like one of the spirits she sang of.
After a few more throwbacks, the backing band cleared the stage to leave Allison alone. “I wanna play a couple of songs alone for you guys,” she explained as she tuned her guitar. Closing her eyes, she played a soulful rendition of “Still Clean” and a demo version of “Fire in the Driveway,” her voice ringing clear through the venue. With the minimalistic guitar, her heartfelt lyrics came through more and made for an impassioned closing for the night.
But the audience was dissatisfied, chanting “Soccer Mommy!” to ask for her return once she left the stage. The entire band re-emerged at the crowd’s command to play an encore, surprising fans with “Don’t Ask Me” and “Your Dog.” As Soccer Mommy’s breakout song, the latter ended the concert on a nostalgic note, as the crowd poured its heart out into singing along one last time as a goodbye to Allison.
With the help of TOPS, Soccer Mommy delivered a memorable set in her first time back in Austin since 2021. Thanks to her delightful stage presence and masterful guitar playing, Sophie Allison is set for alt-rock stardom à la the likes of Love and Bjelland.