Violent Soho
| Violent Soho | |
|---|---|
 Violent Soho performing at Summerfest 2010. |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | Alternative rock Punk rock Hardcore punk Grunge |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Emergency Music, Ecstatic Peace! |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Luke Boerdam James Tidswell Luke Henery Michael Richards |
|
Violent Soho are a band from Brisbane, Queensland. The band formed in 2004. They are a quartet, with Luke Boerdam on guitar/vocals, James Tidswell on guitar/vocals, Luke Henery on bass and Michael Richards on drums. Their sound has been often identified as sounding very 1990s influenced, citing bands such as The Pixies, Mudhoney and Nirvana as heavy influences.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early years
The band members all went to school together in the Brisbane suburb of Mansfield and maintain a close connection to their roots there.[1] Some of their T-shirts in later years have the postcode (4122) of the suburb included in the artwork. This postcode shows up often in images related to the band.
[edit] Debut EP: Pigs & T.V.
Their debut EP was released in 2006 and received widespread acclaim. Blunt Magazine gave it 8/10, saying "Sounding like The Vines fed on raw meat and produced on a fraction of the budget, Violent Soho are a boisterous pop rock combo from Brissyland reviving the spirit of the grunge era."[2]
Following the release of their debut EP, the band continued to play shows in and around Brisbane, and several shows in Sydney and Melbourne and elsewhere on the east coast. Notably, they toured with The Grates in 2007.[3] They were also part of the lineup for the 2008 St Jerome's Laneway Festival, playing in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.[4]
Violent Soho have seen airplay on Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ, and nationally on Triple J.[5]
[edit] Debut album: We Don't Belong Here
Violent Soho toured with Faker and Grafton Primary in May 2008,[6] playing songs from their first full length album We Don't Belong Here, which was released on 7 June 2008 on the Emergency Music label. Following the release they toured all around Australia, then played shows in London, New York and Los Angeles in November 2008 before returning home to play more shows and summer festivals, such as Homebake, The Meredith Music Festival, Falls Festival and Southbound Festival.
[edit] Signing to Ecstatic Peace! Records
On 20 February 2009, Violent Soho announced on their MySpace page that they had signed an "overwhelmingly exciting" deal with Ecstatic Peace! Records, a record company headed by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, a hero of the band. They also signaled their intention to spend much of 2009 touring Australia, touring and recording in the US, and mentioned that a new album that "elaborated" on the material recorded for We Don't Belong Here was due for worldwide release in the third quarter of 2009.[7] On 19 December 2009, the band announced that they would release a limited-edition EP containing re-recorded versions of "Bombs Over Broadway" and "Son of Sam", which would initially only be for sale at US tour dates.
[edit] Self-Titled Album
On 9 March 2010, Violent Soho released a second, self-titled album on the Ecstatic Peace! Label. The album produced the single "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend".[8] The band have been chosen by Les Savy Fav to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England. [9]
[edit] In 2012
The band has been touring with English band Arctic Monkeys in early 2012.[10] They have also made numerous posts via Facebook regarding their intention to record a new album in 2012, and have begun recording demos in preparation.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- We Don't Belong Here - (2008)
- Violent Soho - (2010)
[edit] EPs
- Pigs & T.V. EP - (2006)
- My Pal/Task Force EP - (2009)
- Bombs Over Broadway/Son Of Sam EP - (2010)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | U.S. Alt. |
U.S. Main. Rock |
U.S. Rock |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend" | 21 | — | 35 | Violent Soho |
| "Muscle Junkie" | — | — | — |
[edit] Members
- Luke Boerdam – guitar, vocals
- James Tidswell – guitar, vocals
- Luke Henery – bass
- Michael Richards – drums
-
James Tidswell performing at Summerfest
[edit] References
- ^ "Violent Soho". ravemagazine.com.au. 2007. http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/1492/30/.
- ^ Blunt Magazine June 2006
- ^ "Violent Soho: Come As You Are". messandnoise.com. 2007. http://www.messandnoise.com/articles/788011.
- ^ "Bands - Violent Soho". www.lanewayfestival.com.au. 2008. http://www.lanewayfestival.com.au/main#l=bands/34/violentsoho.
- ^ "Violent Soho @ J Play". jplay.com.au. 2008. http://www.jplay.com.au/JSite/ViewArtist.aspx?ArtistID=1276.
- ^ "Faker, Grafton Primary, Violent Soho @ The Zoo, Brisbane (16/05/08)". 2008. http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/13310/Faker-Grafton-Primary-Violent-Soho-The-Zoo-Brisbane-160508.htm.
- ^ "Violent Soho Sign With Thurston Moore's Label - Pop Culture News". Pedestrian TV. 2009-02-19. http://www.pedestrian.tv/news/view/2095/violent-soho-sign-with-thurston-moores-l.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-08.
- ^ "New Tracks Up & New 7" Coming Soon! van Violent Soho op Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. 2009-12-19. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=16893328&blogId=522781827. Retrieved 2012-01-08.
- ^ ATP Nightmare Before Christmas
- ^ "Ticketek Australia". Premier.ticketek.com.au. http://premier.ticketek.com.au/Shows/Show.aspx?sh=ARCTICMO12#.TtDMtbLz20s. Retrieved 2012-01-08.
