Comb through Violent Soho's social media platforms, and you'll find these guys are beyond keen to hit the live stage again.
With an appearance at the Brisbane edition of Summer Sounds Festival at the start of May, the band's guitarist James Tidswell confirms the group's excitement with a very firm "yes"."We released our album almost a year ago during the first lockdown, 'Everything Is A-Okay'," James begins. "We never got to play any songs from it.
"We were hoping that, you know, we could play earlier, but apparently there's only enough money for the government to turn a blind eye towards musicians!"
For James, it's a bit strange to be talking about an approaching show. Not only that, but also to be talking about an album that, by the time Violent Soho play Summer Sounds, was released over a year ago.
"The album came out, and that was it. We didn't get to play it and talk to people about it – and what I mean by that is it's always fun to hear back from the people that support us, like 'this was fun’ or 'this was cool', whatever. We haven't had that. That's been weird.
"The album came out, but it never got to be, if you will. We tried to hold out, do the right thing with everything that's been going on, and we held all the way out for over a year and finally announced a show!"
It's a non-traditional path of events for Violent Soho to navigate – much the same for most musicians, it seems – and though the chance to perform this collection of songs fast approaches, they've moved on in some ways, putting together new material in the last year.
Yet another weird avenue for James and the band to be treading. "Normally, you have a bunch of songs done, they come together, you're working on them and you record them, and you play them live, and they become embedded in you.
"This time, because we didn't go out and play, we had to go back – well, I did anyway – and re-learn the songs. So, it's like when we're going over it, I'm like 'I don't even remember how to play it!’.
"We've been around for a long time now, so like, some of the songs, I mean, 'Jesus Stole My Girlfriend', that song's 15 years old now – that one's easy to remember!" Other factors have of course influenced the push and pull effect Violent Soho find themselves in when it comes to new music and their touring lifestyles – they are family men now, a point James speaks of with a great deal of pride.
"We all have kids and really love being [a] family. That really changed the entire idea of the band in our mind, but that's why we're really looking forward to playing because it's [an] all-ages [show].
"And it's hard for us to commit to doing a sh.tty show, only because we're not a band who's just launched, if you will. The crowd is just full-on now in terms of energy and the entire performance.
"It was weird at first to be saying, 'Yeah we'll do a sit-down show', but now, we have a more laidback approach, I guess. We're hoping people bring their kids – we're gonna have our kids there! It's a different era for Violent Soho."
A different era maybe, but James says that doesn't necessarily mean a drastic shift in Violent Soho's stage presence or the personality of the band's delivery of their music.
Have they, dare it be said, matured in any way? Laughing, James says: "Look, I don't think that's a bad word. I think it's good in society if we mature.
"It means you're learning and being more okay with who you are, which is sort of what the album title is alluding to – but it's also sort of taking the piss.
"At the end of the day, where you are right now, everything is actually okay. It's kind of like moving towards that and that means a totally different approach, and I would hope that came through on 'Everything Is A-Okay'. It's way less aggressive, less anxiety.
"We're supported like a football team – this is beyond a band. We get to put our music out and people just support us. It's an awesome time to be in Violent Soho."
Violent Soho play Summer Sounds Festival at The Riverstage (Brisbane) 1 May.
