A quiet Tuesday night in Tucson was quickly disrupted by the Cutthroat Tour at La Rosa. UK punk group Shame, alongside California’s The Sophs, turned the repurposed church into a roiling mass of bodies for a bruising midweek party.
The Sophs are a band who have perfected the art of never letting their audience know their next move and it captivated the growing crowd within the confines of the first two songs. The California group packed themselves onto La Rosa’s domed stage and proceeded to throw themselves into a set that may have just been unholy enough for a punk show inside a church. With only a handful of songs out in the world, the band’s set was primarily a preview of unreleased music from their upcoming album- a fact that only marginally disappointed those clamoring for more at the merch table after their set.
Several onlookers could be overheard debating the finer points of the band’s genre, with terms like “pirate music” and “Blink-182-esque” being thrown around. In reality, The Sophs discard the idea of genre, letting their clamoring guitars, keys, accordion and a steady but thrashing drumbeat make up all the parts of an astounding whole. Singer Ethan Ramon demonstrated remarkable vocal control and an enigmatic stage presence while the rest of the group let their considerable talents shine in perfect balance. Plenty of people walked in the room not knowing anything about The Sophs and left as diehard fans after such an undeniably remarkable performance.
When Shame finally took the stage, the room had filled considerably and fans stood with restless anticipation as the band lit the spark that set the room ablaze. Vocalist Charlie Steen never removed his sunglasses (even as he shed other layers throughout the set) while the rest of the band jumped, flailed and even cartwheeled across the stage.
The performance included fan favorite “Cowards Around” and proper British lullaby (said cheekily by Steen) “Six Pack”. The audience never stopped moving- from the enthusiastic moshers in the front to the more reticent head-bobbers in the back to the few brave crowd surfers determined to make it a proper punk show. Shame certainly has their own X-factor- a fact underscored by the fans’ inability to look away from the stage throughout their hour-plus long performance. The night ended with “One Rizla” and “Cutthroat” as the room reluctantly emptied out after expending its collective energy on one very special weekday night.
