Violent Soho
Encyclopedia
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.
and maintain a close connection to their roots there. 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.
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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. They were also part of the lineup for the 2008 St Jerome's Laneway Festival
, playing in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
Violent Soho have seen airplay on Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ
, and nationally on Triple J
.
and Grafton Primary
in May 2008, 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.
'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. 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.
". 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.
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Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. 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
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
and Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
as heavy influences.
Early years
The band members all went to school together in the Brisbane suburb of MansfieldMansfield, Queensland
Mansfield is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, situated approximately 11 kilometres south-east of the CBD. It is located in the region of the city which is now colloquially known as the "Bible Belt" due to the large number of people who have settled there to be close to Fundamentalist Christian...
and maintain a close connection to their roots there. 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.
{| class="wikitable"
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."Following the release of their debut EP, the band continued to play shows in and around Brisbane, and several shows in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and elsewhere on the east coast. Notably, they toured with The Grates
The Grates
The Grates are a two-piece band from Brisbane, Australia, comprising Patience Hodgson and John Patterson . They have been lauded for their catchy songs and enthusiastic and energetic live shows, as Patience spends much of the time bouncing around, even while singing...
in 2007. They were also part of the lineup for the 2008 St Jerome's Laneway Festival
St Jerome's Laneway Festival
Known simply as the Laneway or St. Jerome's Festival, the music festival began in Caledonian Lane in Melbourne in 2004. Emerging as an indie music event, the Laneway Festival has grown rapidly in popularity, receiving favourable reviews in music press....
, playing in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
Violent Soho have seen airplay on Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ
4ZZZ
4ZZZ is an independent community radio station operating in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at the frequency 102.1 FM. As a community radio station, 4ZZZ is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia...
, and nationally on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
.
Debut album: We Don't Belong Here
Violent Soho toured with FakerFaker
Faker can mean:*Someone who fakes*Faker , an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Sydney in 1996*Faker , a cartoon supervillain*Faker , a comic book...
and Grafton Primary
Grafton Primary
Grafton Primary are an electro-noir band from Sydney, New South Wales. The band is brothers Benjamin and Joshua Garden along with a drummer and bass player for live shows They have independently released an ep Relativity and an album Eon have been picked up by Triple J and have toured...
in May 2008, playing songs from their first full length album We Don't Belong Here
We Don't Belong Here
We Don't Belong Here is Violent Soho's first studio album, released on June 7, 2008 on the Magic Dirt imprint, Emergency Music. Many of the tracks on the album were remastered and re-written for Violent Soho's self-titled album, which is considered by many to be the band's first proper album.-Track...
, 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
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
, The Meredith Music Festival
Meredith Music Festival
The Meredith Music Festival is a three-day outdoor music festival held every December at the Supernatural Amphitheatre, a natural amphitheatre located on private farmland near the town of Meredith in Victoria, Australia...
, Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
and Southbound Festival.
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 YouthSonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, 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. 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.
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 GirlfriendJesus Stole My Girlfriend
"Jesus Stole My Girlfriend" is a song by the Australian rock band Violent Soho. It was the first single from their self-titled debut, and is arguably the most well known song by the band. The song is originally found on the album We Don't Belong Here, but was re recorded for their self-titled...
". The band have been chosen by Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav is a New York City indie rock band. Their style is influenced by art rock and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington...
to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
Albums
- We Don't Belong HereWe Don't Belong HereWe Don't Belong Here is Violent Soho's first studio album, released on June 7, 2008 on the Magic Dirt imprint, Emergency Music. Many of the tracks on the album were remastered and re-written for Violent Soho's self-titled album, which is considered by many to be the band's first proper album.-Track...
- (2008) - Violent SohoViolent Soho (album)Violent Soho is the second official studio album of Violent Soho, released on March 9, 2010 on the Ecstatic Peace label. The album contains much of the material off of their first album, We Don't Belong Here, though it has been re-recorded with changes made to some of the songs...
- (2010)
EPs
- Pigs & T.V.Pigs & T.V.Pigs & T.V. is Violent Soho's first EP, released in 2006. 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." -Track...
EP - (2006) - My Pal/Task Force EP - (2009)
- Bombs Over Broadway/Son Of Sam EP - (2010)
Singles
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Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
! Album
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2010
| "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend"
|align="center"| 21
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| 35
|rowspan="2"| Violent Soho
|-
| "Muscle Junkie"
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|-
|}
Members
- Luke Boerdam – guitar, vocals
- James Tidswell – guitar, vocals
- Luke Henery – bass
- Michael Richards – drums