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A couple weeks back (before exam season really got us), we had the amazing opportunity to sit down with one of my personal favourite artists at the moment, the one and only SOFY, down at the Exchange in Bristol and here's how it went...
Hailing from Leicester, SOFY has been making waves in the indie pop scene for a number of years, recently releasing her debut album "Chaos and Commotion". However, you may recognise her sound from her song 'Big Talk', on the second part of the 'Bored In Colour' EP tandem, which was featured on FIFA 23.
To pair with the release of 'Chaos and Commotion', SOFY and the band (pictured to the left) also went on a tour around the UK, from the withering heights of Glasgow to a three day stay in Londontown to the sunny (or were 6 months ago) beaches of Brighton.
We managed to catch her at her Bristol gig in the Exchange, however we have also been fortunate enough to use some photos from the fantastic photographer Emie Greenwood who went to the Leeds show. Aside from the quality of the photography, the easy way to tell the difference is that Sofy is wearing the 1993 Ajax away strip in Emie's photos and then the 1991-93 Umbro Brazil jersey in ours
Speaking of football kits, it's undeniable that the first thing that catches your eye when you first see SOFY for the first time is her range of retro kits. Sporting a range on this tour from the classics of England, Brazil, Bayern and Ajax courtesy of Calcio Vintage, to her own kit (available online now) and the Rodeo kit from ScrtCo; one thing that's immediately clear with Sofy is that she lives and breathes football.
Aside from the massive FIFA feature 'Big Talk', football shows up everywhere in Sofy's music. From her first EP 'Bored In Colour' Pt1, referencing when "West Ham beat Leicester" in Game Over to the most FIFA 98 sounding song ever with 'Ashley Cole Type Beat', Sofy's silky smooth vocals and beats are interwoven with a distinct appreciation for English football culture.
Even in the album cover for Chaos and Commotion, you can see a classic Leicester & Walker's kit hanging from the laundry lines. Amongst discussing our joint admiration for Matty Fryatt (if you know you know), I asked Sofy how being from Leicester has affected her development as an artist, and she had this to say:
"I've never really lived in Leicester whilst I have been making music, but growing up I used to go to loads of concerts in The Cookie, De Montfort Hall and the O2 Academy, so supporting SeaGirls there over the summer was a huge full circle moment".
Although Leicester is full of great venues and other musicians such as Kasabian, Easy Life, Mahalia and our first feature The Mercians; it is a very hard place to 'make it' in the music industry. Even though the city is full of music, with Kasabian getting played regularly at the King Power Stadium, starting out as an artist from Leicester is still a tough gig, with Sofy saying that:
"it makes you very grateful for BBC Introducing. Because when you're from a smaller town and stuff, it's very hard to get your music into the hands of the right people. So it's really great for connecting people who might not have usually been found by other musicians, artists or managers".
But how exactly can I sell Sofy's music to you? Well, I gave Sofy the fabled MoveOnUp gotcha question of describing her music in three words and she rebounded with this:
"like a Jamie T and Lily Allen one-night-stand"
To be honest, probably the most iconic answer we've had to that question yet.
Now that I've got you on board, let's cut through the noise and talk about the why behind the music:
Discussing the album and her songwriting process, SOFY admits that it doesn't necessarily have a common theme or thread that runs through, instead being a very candid reflection of her emotions & experiences over the past 12 months...
"[for each song] I can remember like exactly what was going on the day in the session and why I was writing about that"
You can see this reflected in the music, with a wide range of tracks from the altpop bangers 'Ashley Cole Type Beat' and 'Yoyo' to the softer tunes about falling in love with 'socks' and mounting anxiety with 'breathing exercises'.
In Chaos and Commotion, Sofy has demonstrated that great music can be made just from being candid and simply making music that you think sounds good. Not every album needs to be a concept album, with tied together themes and production, sometimes a bit of chaos can go a long way.
And live it does not disappoint. Supported by the impressive Hunny Buzz band from Bristol, the Exchange was filled, as we entered 'SOFY's World'.
But what exactly is Sofy's world you ask? Well I asked for you...
"When we do a show, I want it to be more than just us standing on a stage playing songs,
I want it to be as immersive as we can"
"When you're at this level and budget, so zero, it's a lot of DDIY. One day I'll be able to do the incredible staging and lightshows and I can't wait to do all that. Because I think when you pay to come to a live show, you should get a show, you know?"
Although this budget hasn't come by just yet, this philosophy of building a world is exactly why she created the football kits:
"I mean I just wanted to make it a bit like 'Sofy's world' instead of Sofy in a venue"
But what if we gave Sofy the unlimited budget to create her own world?
"Maybe I'd get a trapeze or maybe I'd get all the band on different floating things. Or maybe I'd put James on a zipwire with a tambourine floating across the venue...
Give me the money and I'll tell ya!"
So you heard it here Chess Club Records, it's in your hands now...
On a real note, we just wanted to say a massive thank you to Chess Club records, Sofy, her manager Harry Tidswell and everyone reading this for making this possible! As we move on into 2024, don't only expect big things coming from our featured artists, but also here on MoveOnUp... (maybe including a kit of our own)
Whilst you're here, stream Chaos and Commotion on all platforms now! (Spotify link below)
and follow SOFY here for more updates!
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