NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
The sister duo Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, also known as Softcult, brought their grunge/shoegaze styled riot grrrl show back to Buffalo on Friday night, September 19th, at Buffalo Iron Works. Handling everything from songwriting to production to video direction to artwork, the talented duo has really been all about the messaging. Their direct lyrics targeting misogyny, the destruction of the environment, etc are evident in all their music as well as the zine they publish monthly. When they packed the house at Mohawk Place in Feb 2024, the energy and emotions were palpable. As this young band continues to gain followers, I expected nothing less on this opening night of their tour.
Opening was an Australian alt rock band Wayside, comprised of lead singer Thomas Davenport, guitarist Josh Ehmer, and Izzy De Leon, who recently became an official member of the band. Just their first show ijn the US, they seemed excited and nervous bit I knew as soon as I saw Davenport’s Silverchair “Frogstomp” t-shirt that I would like these guys. While I called them alt rock, they’re really a combination of grunge, shoegaze, and a bit of nu-metal. With Davenport bounding around the stage and De Leon headbanging with her bass, the intensity of this band was incredible, even with Ehmer maintaining his chill stage right. It’s really difficult (and expensive) for small acts to tour overseas these days and their willingness to come all the way here for a month was greatly appreciated.
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When Softcult toook the stage, the venue was still only half full, perhaps because many Canadians stayed home due to the anger many of them feel over the treatment of Canada by the current American administration. Sounds like obvious fodder for Softcult music. They immediately went into “Drain”, one of my favorite Softcult songs that really talks about how poorly we’re treating our planet. Mercedes, who seem to sport a different look every couple of tours now had her black hair cut short, over the shoulder. Previous time, she had long blonde hair, then long black hair, almost emphasizing that change is continuous and we should be unwilling to be static. With Brent McSwiggan also chilling with his guitar (what’s with chill guitarists? Guess that’s shoegaze), Phil Hirst on bass, and Phoenix hiding in the smoky dimly lit back of stage, Softcult tore through their set without much pause. Being used to Mercedes providing a lot of commentary and context on their songs, I was surprised there was so little chatter during this show, not even the standard middle fingers from Mercedes. Perhaps the small crowd didn’t provide the energy to inspire the band as much as previously. Nevertheless, the music was great and the band sounds as tight as ever. I managed to pick up a copy of their LP See You in Heaven, combining the See You in the Dark and Heaven EPs together in one package. There’s still time to catch Softcult and check out Wayside as they tour North America!
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