In the final week of VIVID LIVE, the big names kept on coming with Soccer Mommy returning to Sydney for a headline show at the gorgeous City Recital Hall. It’s 20 minutes before the show, and Sophie Allison (aka Soccer Mommy) is on the stage with her crew setting up her gear and doing final line checks for the gig. It’s something you don’t often see from artists at her level, but it’s a nice surprise and immediately sets the intimate vibe of the show. Walking back out onto the stage for opening song “Abigail”, she quickly addresses the crowd that she is feeling really unwell, and for her to get through the show she is going to be sitting down for the entirety. Throughout the set she explains how weird it feels for her to be sitting but she pushes through and the crowd respects the decision. 

The crowd was so attentive and soaked in every word she sung, so much so that you could hear a pin-drop. But the energy plateaued for the 70 minute show and never seemed to really reach a bigger reaction than second song “Circle The Drain”. And in-between Sophie’s dead pan jokes and stage banter you could tell she just wanted to get the show done so she could go to bed and rest. 

“Driver” is the new album’s (“Evergreen”) shining moment in the live set, along with “Lost” which she beautifully performed as a three-piece. Old favourites like “Shotgun”, “Bones”, “Cool”, and “Your Dog” were welcomed additions to the majority of the new album, which translates so well to the live stage. But one of the show’s biggest standout moments was “Still Clean”, which she performed completely by herself. 

I always question if it’s better for an artist to push through and just do a show if they’re sick (if they can), but I think tonight’s show proved that sometimes you should just reschedule because what could have been a really magical show was ultimately disappointing. It felt monotonous, and didn’t do “Evergreen” as an album the justice it deserved in the live space.

Photo credit: Jordan Munns