LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: SOCCER MOMMY AT HACKNEY CHURCH, LONDON 09/05/25
Full photo gallery here
The anticipation was kicking in as Soccer Mommy, the project of singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, was given a wild welcome to the grandiose setting of Hackney Church in front of an almost sold-out crowd. The historic venue, known for its beautiful gothic architecture and intimate ambience, provided a fitting backdrop for Allison's introspective indie rock.
After settling in, the London audience was introduced to the opening act of Bored At My Grandmas House (Amber Strawbridge), who delivered a carefully-curated setlist weaving together elements of shoegaze and bedroom pop. From her 2024 album Show & Tell with the tracks ‘Inhibitions’, ‘I Like What You Bring Out In Me’ and the album title track ‘Show & Tell’, to some of her early works such as ‘Detox’ (2022) and ‘Showers’ (2020), Strawbridge offered about 30 minutes of captivating performance, a perfect start to an evening of raw indie music.
Soccer Mommy emerged onto the stage right on time moments later to deliver an electric performance of ‘Abigail’, immersing the audience in her signature blend of introspective indie rock. Then followed the fan favourite ‘circle the drain’, which got the crowd screaming as soon as the first notes resonated around the venue, and ‘Driver’ from her most recent record, the band wasted no time setting a moody atmosphere, awash in reverb-heavy guitars and dim lighting. ‘Bones’ and ‘Shotgun’ from her 2022 album Sometimes, Forever came next, Allison’s voice - fragile but commanding - cutting through with lines that felt both painfully personal and universally relatable.
Riding the wave of her 2024 album Evergreen with the song ‘Dreaming of Falling’, Allison struck a delicate balance between grunge-drenched melancholy and shimmering bedroom pop, captivating a mixed crowd of all ages with the next track ‘Cool’. But it wasn’t all gloom, as Allison’s dry wit between songs offered welcome levity. “What are you guys doing after this?” she asked the audience halfway through the set. Only one person responded which prompted the singer to jokingly quip “there’s only one person doing something?” before launching into a rockier version of ‘Thinking Of You’.
The setlist spanned her discography, weaving newer tracks like ‘M’ and ‘Lost’, showcasing her evolving sound, with her earlier works like ‘Some Sunny Day’ and ‘crawling in my skin’ which started with a longer, theatrically spellbinding intro, a wonderful moment to experience live.
The stripped-down solo performance of ‘Still Clean’ just before the latter, with solely Allison and her guitar, brought the night full circle, reminding fans that behind the fuzzed-out guitar lines and spectral soundscapes lies a singular, beautiful voice unafraid to express herself on hard-hitting topics such pain, detachment, and desire. While the production overall remained minimalist, the emotional impact was anything but, her 4-members backing band also adding grit and texture when taking the stage again with the track ‘Salt In Wound’ and the fan favourite ‘Your Dog’.
Soccer Mommy then left the stage for a little while before coming back to perform the encore with ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Don’t Ask Me’, before closing the set under deafening cheers and loud applause.
Allison’s performance at Hackney Church showcased her growth as an artist and her ability to captivate an audience with heartfelt lyrics and atmospheric melodies for about 80 minutes of contemplative indie. In a live setting, Soccer Mommy is not just a studio artist translated to the stage; she’s something more raw, more immediate, and she is undoubtedly becoming a force to be reckoned in the indie scene.
Words and photos by Eva Grant.
Full setlist below:
Abigail
circle the drain
Driver
Bones
Shotgun
Dreaming of Falling
Cool
Thinking Of You
Some Sunny Day
M
Lost
Still Clean
crawling in my skin
Salt In Wound
Your Dog
Evergreen
Don’t Ask Me