Sophia Allison, better known as Soccer Mommy, launched her 2025 tour supporting her critically-acclaimed Evergreen, released this past October. That album, true to her Indie tendencies, has a different vibe appropriate for lyrics that probe the loss of her mother but also memories of other things gone awry.
Her set included nine of the eleven songs on the album, and the tones of the album shape the concert experience, primed for those who value her lyrics. Snappier songs such as “Shotgun,” “Cool” and “Driver ” were interspersed, adding some pep through the course of the evening. But when things are personal, why not take things the softer route? She did so with a stripped down version of “Lost” and going solo for “Still Clean.”
“Dreaming of Falling” was a highlight, Allison’s vocals (and Variety Playhouse’s sound) up to the task of sharing an intimate take of dealing with grief.
All I have are bits and pieces
Fading every day
And I can feel the memory tainted
But the way I’ve changedYeah, I could look back, but it’s not the same
I see by the shadows now
Half of my life is behind me
And the other has changed somehow
With polished lyrics like that, and supporting song composition, there’s a lot of closed eyes slightly swaying, going along for the ride. Allison was fairly sparse in her audience interactions, but her tone and mannerisms throughout spoke to the focus she had on the material. Her band was stellar, providing well-crafted support or each song, complementing the material but never over-shadowing Allison’s voice. When called for, they were certainly there for the more energetic songs, like the closer, “Your Dog” and the evening’s finale, “Don’t Ask Me,” both a helpful lift for reentering the world.
This was a strong start for her tour, which continues through March across the U.S. before a spring run in Europe.
Setlist:
Encore:
L’Rain, a band named after Taja Cheeks’s mom, Lorraine. As much as I’m into the outer fringes of progressive rock, jazz and post-rock, I guess I never delved into the realm of “experimental music.” Brian Eno count?
L’Rain was an unexpected surprise, starting with her content to sit cross-legged on the floor behind her keyboard stand waiting for the moment to arise. There’s some fiddling with knobs, some loops, some pitch shifting electronica, and she picks up a bass, guitar keys and drums (and later, sax) find their way into the mix and, there you have it, as she has once regarded sounds “approaching songness.”
This was an intriguing, evolving set, each song segueing into the next, shifting in vibe and feel. And some even had vocals.
The band was obviously having fun, particularly between Cheek and guitarist Zachary Levine-Caleb, who did a good turn for photographers and lifted Cheek’s baseball hat to reveal smiles that remained throughout the rest of the set.
One bystander was talking about her set before Soccer Mommy took the stage. An apparent newcomer to live music, she found it “entrancing” from the start of L’Rain’s set.
Go to the Wiki for a fascinating background, but a good place to start is the video below.
