It’s problematic trying to label Queensland’s Violent Soho with a genre, as they sit across a combination of punk/rock/grunge/garage. Sometimes they’re a screaming band, and at other times their guitar riffs and instrument build-ups make them sound like The Pixies. Last Wednesday, they fronted up to a full capacity ANU Bar with two other very noisy and frantic bands in tow.
Trophy Eyes were loud. They had lots of energy, and solid music, but the screaming was abrasive and distorted. It’s often difficult to relate to music without any tune or melody.
Ceres had more melody. While they still upheld the screaming vibe, at least it there were also some nice singing parts, and a Telecaster guitar sound in the mix. They were fun, and the audience were starting to take notice of the music.
People kept filtering through the doors of ANU Bar, and it slowly started packing out. The volume of the music left the people in the bar area shouting to have their conversations heard. Many of us made the most of ANU bar’s $3.50 ear plugs, feeling totally rock’n’roll (Transit Bar have them for free!).
The crowd all piled into the band room anticipating Violent Soho and started chanting for their heroes to emerge. Everyone was rowdy and unruly, and as Rage Against The Machine’s Killing in the Name blasted through the PA system while the instrument/sound checking was happening on stage, the whole audience shouted the lyrics in unison and thrashed around, getting incredibly riled up. If it wasn’t necessarily intended for this song to play directly before Violent Soho, it certainly should be in the future, because the crowd were beyond ready to go!
Lowbrow was played early on, with the audience singing with the odd lyrics ‘dressed up like a funeral home’. There was an abundance of energy all round. While singer/guitarist Luke Boerdam was mostly stationed at his microphone, other guitarist James Tidswell and bass player Luke Henery were zooming across the stage behind him, shaking their long hair and getting into the music. Drummer Michael Richards also flung his hair around while thrashing his drums. At times it seemed he might break a drum stick as a result of enthusiasm, but he managed not to.
They are masters of dynamics within their set. Most songs started quiet, with sweet twinkling guitars, but built with such energy that audience members were compelled to crowd surf.
Saramona Said started calmly, with a chilled out vibe, but before long the song had exploded, and ‘Let’s start a fire…’ became a unanimous chant as crowd-surfing recommenced. Fur Eyes saw the crowd littered with people on shoulders, and multiple girls taking off their shirts to throw them at the band.
Muscle Junkie was another song featuring their typical toned-down grunge/garage verses, with driving/thrashing guitar throughout the chorus. The crowd and band delighted in screaming the lyrics, “I hate your face!” at each other at full volume. Despite the sentiment, you could definitely feel the love.
By the end of the night, everyone was a sweaty mess. But spirits were high, and Violent Soho had certainly appeased their fans.
