REVIEW: Violent Soho At The Roundhouse

A stacked line-up and the return of one of the great modern Aussie rock groups, Violent Soho were certainly a crowd pleaser. ...
Credit: Violent Soho

A stacked line-up and the return of one of the great modern Aussie rock groups, Violent Soho were certainly a crowd pleaser.

Violent Soho’s recent show at Sydney’s Roundhouse was a great celebration and return for the group. After a dismal few years due to the pandemic, the band themselves stated many times throughout the show that they would never take this opportunity for granted. And they were true to their word giving us a solid rock show that was incredibly enjoyable.

Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers

Credit: Ruby Boland

These girls were the first group to open the night and they were adorable. I can see these girls going somewhere once they get a little more experience under their belt. Though simultaneously it was that lack of experience that made their show just a delight to watch. Their banter, their shyness, and most importantly, their songs all showcased a band finding its legs and beginning to walk. They aren’t quite running yet but they’re certainly on the way. Props to Soho for bringing these girls on tour to show off their talent. The only bad things to be said about Teen Jesus relate to their inexperience and that feels just wrong given their enthusiasm and potential.

Dear Seattle

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Dear Seattle and I’m delighted to say that they still haven’t disappointed me. These guys are fantastic on the stage. They sound good, their playing is tight, and they seem completely at ease onstage. Their song choices couldn’t be faulted picking crowd favourites with a light peppering of their new stuff. Just an absolutely textbook performance and lowkey their sound mixing was probably better than Violent Soho’s. Very keen to see where Dear Seattle go from here because their new music sounded pretty damn good. There isn’t really anything else to say here other than well done.

Violent Soho

What can be said other than it’s so good to see Violent Soho back onstage. They were heavy, they were loud, and they got the crowd going crazy. My only gripe with their performance was some live mixing issues. I felt that the lead guitar’s volume was way too low and was overshadowed by the bass. In a rock group that feels like a big misstep, but they did eventually solve the issue and sounded better for the majority of the show.

Now that wasn’t really the band’s fault themselves, they’re onstage after all. What the boys onstage did though was provide great tunes, banter, and great vibes. I hate the word “vibes”, but it felt like the only appropriate one to use. They seemed so happy to be back onstage and that really permeated the whole performance to the point where you couldn’t help but smile. They played all the songs you wanted to hear and played them well. Enough said really.

That would be how I would describe the gig as a whole. All the bands were just chuffed to be there without a drop of cynicism. They were all just so full of enthusiasm and sincerity it was contagious. For that feeling alone I felt like it was a night worth remembering.

9/10

For more like this, check out what we thought of Ocean Alley at Hordern Pavilion

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