The next generation of pop grunge rockers are here! Soccer Mommy swayed the house down with Francis Of Delirium. In the modern world of music there is a new era incoming, we want more equality and more female artists, not only on tours but to fill up festivals. These two bands are really something that feel a part of the new era.
First up we had Francis Of Delirium from Luxembourg who has launched multiple EPs including one that came out in April 2022 titled The Funhouse, which shows the true potential of this young artist. At the age of 20 the world truly is her oyster! Witnessing tonight is a mix of pure 90’s grunge with a modern twist, some fast-paced energetic guitar play with a mix of more calming vocals – she was a crowd winner! Her style reminds me a touch of nirvana along with Garbage, Gin Blossoms and a hint of Pearl Jam. Francis jokes about Manchester being a beautiful city yet has some ugliness to it which we laughed as it’s true. When playing ‘Quit Fucking Around’ the crowd were so good chanting the chorus that she stopped to say “Amazing” which is deemed a first by Francis. Check out her tracks ‘The Funhouse’ and ‘Ashamed‘ you can thank me later.
Soccer Mommy takes the stage and this is a case of let the music do the talking which isn’t a bad thing. Sophie Allison (lead singer) takes the spotlight and lets her guitar play and her soothing vocals work their magic. She launched her third album Sometimes Forever in June 2022, which is the focus of tonight’s set. Something that makes Soccer Mommy just a bit more awesome is the fact that her new single ‘Shotgun’ features on The Sims 4!
What Sophie achieves musically is a mix the grunge rock guitar play with upbeat pop lyrics, reminding me of Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift, The Chicks and Slowdive. Each track is something different, some are slow-paced, some are fast-paced and some are far-out grunge rock. What makes this great from both artists tonight is the fact they are bringing back grunge rock and if grunge does make a proper comeback in this decade that would be great! Sophie did an acoustic version of ‘Still’ which was really tranquil, ending the show with ‘Yellow Is The Colour Of Her Eyes’, then returning to an encore ending on ‘Your Dog’ – which has got to be one of my favourite tracks from Soccer Mommy and this track is a prime example of what the band is like so it’s worth a listen!
