Soccer Mommy at Chalk, Brighton - review

Expectation of the American singer-songwriter’s performance was something that would be emotionally raw and strongly connected with the audience, it was unfortunately neither of these things.

Sophie Regina Allison, AKA Soccer Mommy, has spent the last five years cultivating a following of young people who resonate with the 25-year-old’s words around identity, loneliness and the struggles of young adult and teenage life - sound tracked by melancholic indie rock.

This young audience was visible in the seafront venue last Thursday, with many ready to hang on to every word Sophie sang and be taken on an emotional roller coaster.

Following an uplifting, fun set from Luxembourg three-piece Francis of Delirium - Sophie and her five-person band began the set with With U - from the universally acclaimed new album Sometimes, Forever.

The song’s beginning is sonically fascinating and bold, making it the perfect show opener.

However, from the off the gig is plagued with sound issues and the song’s quality is lost under the sound of microphone squeaks and guitar feedback.

The Joy Division-inspired Shotgun also fails to land with the crowd, as Sophie’s band barely moves a muscle while the sound echoes off the walls and creates an unexpected emotional distance between the band members and the audience. .

There are signs of hope though as the crowd favourite Circle The Drain inspires a tender sing-a-long moment, while the band's outro of Bones is a thumping, fuzzy, multi-layered spectacle which gets the show off the ground.

Long silences in-between songs become all too frequent though, the atmosphere inside the venue is awkward and uptight throughout the night as there is little interaction onstage or from Sophie to the crowd.

The menacing and dark Unholy Affliciton and Darkness Forever have the potential to be mesmerising, but the laborious performance of both means they miss the mark.

This is the theme of the evening - whether it be the melodic tunes such as Crawling in my Skin and Lucy or the country-inspired Feel It All The Time - it never feels like any of Soccer Mommy want to be there, meaning Sophie’s well-crafted songs never bind themselves to the Brighton crowd.

This is not for one of trying though from an audience perspective, as many members can be seen throughout gazing lovingly at Sophie as the show continues on.

That being said, the turning point of the night does arrive, when Sophie has an opportunity to perform Still, an acoustic ballad which poetically and poignantly describes the singer's battles with depression and self-harm.

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The emotional weight of the song is felt in the trembling vocals and reminds members of the crowd why they bought a ticket - to savour these gentle, raw moments like Still with Sophie and everyone else in the room.

The band return to the stage and finish on a high - the delicate indie sounds of Yellow is the Colour of her Eyes, Don’t Ask Me and Your Dog is performed tightly, with the crowd swaying to the jangly, rhythmic riffs and beats.

Sophie and her band arrived in Brighton last Thursday with an opportunity to give her well-loved songs new meaning and life to her fans.

Unfortunately, a lack of stage presence and show quality meant this was not the case for much of the night.

Soccer Mommy will have not lost any fans with the performance, the songs are not strong for that, but Sophie and her crew were unlikely to have gained any new ones either.