A Rockstar Sometimes, A Mommy Forever

“Mommy! Yes, mommy! I love you, mommy!!” the crowd cheers on. It’s pitch black out on a Saturday night, and the crowd is ecstatic to see everyone’s favorite mom perform live at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. The crowd is a varied mixture of fans, from young adults who adore Sophie Allison for her youthful expressions of melancholy and heartbreak to middle aged grown ups who appreciate Soccer Mommy for their ability to evoke trademark nostalgic 90’s rock instrumentals and influences. I don’t really know what to make of the crowd while waiting for Sophie Allison to come on stage, but then the iconic “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne blasts out of the venues’ speakers, infectiously causing the crowd to sing every second of the hook together as Soccer Mommy is about to take stage. Then I remember what we’re all here for: music that purges your deepest worries and adolescent angst.

Upon first look, the stage looks ethereal. Violet banners with amoeba-shaped patterns fill the background of the stage with cotton candy-esque clouds hanging from the ceiling in shades of pink, purple, and blue. Strings play as Soccer Mommy enters stage right in an all black dress and picks up her amethyst colored guitar. After hearing the first song play, it’s clear that not only has Sophie Allison grown as a songwriter and vocalist since her last album Color Theory (2020), but she’s immensely grown as a performer as well. “Shotgun,” which is easily the biggest single off Sometimes, Forever (2022), has bubble gum pink lights flashing brightly on beat to the song while Sophie Allison sings grimly about a past relationship. The shoegaze-heavy synths playing throughout the track sound a lot funkier, vibrant, and colorful live which is a nice alternative touch to how the production in the studio versions of these tracks causes background instrumentals to sound a lot lower and muted than normal. “crawling in my skin” has some of Sophie Allison’s sweetest and cutest vocal chops of the entire night. The intensity from the band’s energy feels as if it’s flowing throughout the room as the drums vibrate throughout every corner during the instrumental break, while alternating green and purple lights flashing in the crowds’ eyes only intensify and validate this feeling.

In a nice surprise, “Unholy Affliction” was the best performance of the night despite being one of Soccer Mommy’s most unusual and off-kilter songs. The guitar sounds grimy as hell and eerie, stuttering industrial bass tones light up the room in menacing dark blue lights. Sophie Allison’s words are accompanied by a strange vocal effect that sounds as if some monstrous creature is singing background vocals on the song. Towards the end of the show, Sophie Allison plays a few solo songs for the crowd with the most notable being a surprise alternate version of “Fire in the Driveway” off her new album. The live version isn’t as string-plucked as the studio version, swapping an extremely folksy instrumental for a smoother and sweeter instrumental. Being just her guitar and voice up close to the microphone, this makes this performance and many others sound so intimate, raw, and focused. 

If I had one big criticism to make about the show, it’s that Soccer Mommy does not play “Still,” the closer to their new album. Why ignore, arguably, the most emotionally heavy and depressive song on the record? Especially when this track highlights such a huge step forward in growing as a lyricist and songwriter? Regardless, Soccer Mommy gave an incredible performance that many of us fans won’t forget, and I can’t wait to see what Sophie Allison has to offer next for her fans. Sometimes, all you need is a memory for a good feeling to last forever.

Article by Brandon Phan

Photos by Div Buccieri