Violent Soho – Violence Solves Everything

This review is the first review by one of the site’s new writers, John, who comes to us from ‘across the pond.’ He recently saw Violent Soho at a UK festival, and thought highly enough of them to do a write-up on the band.

As you will see at the bottom of the review, those of you in the States have a chance to see them as well. See more of John’s work at his website, http://johnkerrison.blogspot.com/.

There’s something refreshing about the familiar sometimes. I understand fully that may be a contradiction in terms, but as I stood watching Aussie garage grunge act Violent Soho during their secret gig at Brighton’s Great Escape festival, that is exactly how I felt – refreshed.

In the occasionally oh-so-trendy world of alternative music there’s something nice about a band who lack any form of artificiality, a band who don’t succumb to posturing for the sake of stage presence, but simply belt out songs as if they’re still at home practicing in their parents’ garage. Violent Soho’s music may not be groundbreaking; in fact it will be instantly familiar to anyone who tuned into an alternative radio station any time during the 90’s; an aggressive, guttural grunge rock, à la Nirvana or more recently the likes of The Vines. But you can’t accuse it of not being honest, and if the crowd was anything to go by, then you can’t accuse it of not being popular either.

The Aussie foursome’s story is a familiar one: four friends who grew increasingly irritated by the constraints of small-town life and decided to start a band; a band whose sound fully encapsulates the frustrations incurred by the limitations of youth and growing up facing a lack of opportunity. If you were to ask any group of disenfranchised teens why they started the garage band you can hear penetrating the walls of a suburban basement, then they would probably tell much the same story. The difference with Violent Soho then, is how their story ends.

In July last year the band signed an album deal with Ecstatic peace/Universal Motown – a label headed by music legend Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore. The subsequent album – Violent Soho – was recorded last year (produced by heavyweights Gill Norton and Rich Costey) and their debut single, ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’, has been given substantial airtime in the states. In short, Violent Soho are out of the basement.

The band’s self-titled debut album, available on iTunes now, pulls no punches when it comes to aggression but still hides enough hooks under the layers of distortion to hopefully allow them more longevity than previous grunge revivalists. Yes, I’m looking at you, The Vines.

Violent Soho are currently embarking on the second leg of a U.S tour. For dates, more info and a listen of their album check out the Violent Soho site.

Also, if you are going to be at Rock on the Range, (Rock on the Range 2010 Lineup) you can see them there, on the Kicker Stage at 1:05 PM, on Saturday, May 22.

Here’s a taster of Violent Soho’s debut single, ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend.’

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