NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Soccer Mommy fans were excited when Sophie Allison announced a small number of intimate events that she called The Lost Shows. She said that she would be playing some hits, some rarities, as well as new songs that portended a new Soccer Mommy studio album! These shows would be scaled down: just a guitar and Sophie Allison’s voice. Her music, while amazing with a full band, is perfect for an acoustic show. The first show on this mini-tour was at the Stone Circle Theatre in Queens, New York. The theater is actually in the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church but the staff had decorated the stage with branches and moss, making it look like we were in the middle of a forest. A beautiful setting!
Opening for Soccer Mommy was Lightning Bug, a local indie rock band led by guitarist/vocalist Audrey Kang. On this night, like Allison, Kang would be playing solo. Telling stories in between songs, she played a lovely set before giving away to Allison. One entertaining story was that she wrote a song about skipping class, starting in high school. You can check our her music on you favorite streaming service.
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Soccer Mommy kicked off her set with “circle the drain” and “bloodstream”, a couple of favorites from one of 2019’s best albums “Color Theory”. Then she introduced us to several new tracks. All-in-all, she played seven new songs, thrilling the crowded church. My personal favorite was “Driver” and I look forward to not only hearing the full version when she releases her next studio album but hopefully, a solo version as well.
Besides new music, we also had the opportunity to hear some rare and beautiful songs like “3am at a party” and “Allison” (which she wrote for a class). There were some light moments as well during the show. She forgot a couple of lines from “night swimming”, one of my personal favorites and then, as everyone was singing along to “royal screw up”, she forgot another line. She explained that she never forgets lyrics unless he mind starts wandering. It was all very cute. We didn’t get to hear all her hits. After all, as her discography gets more extensive, there’s only so much you can fit into a show. But I was happy to have been able to attend this extremely intimate show. Other bands should take a page out of Soccer Mommy’s script and play an acoustic tour or some shows at smaller, more intimate venues. They help as a great introduction to new songs and are definitely a huge hit with fans.
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