Violent Soho toured with Faker and Grafton Primary in May 2008, playing songs from their first full length album We Don't Belong Here, which was released on 7 June 2008 on the Emergency Music label. Following the release they toured all around Australia, then played shows in London, New York and Los Angeles in November 2008 before returning home to play more shows and summer festivals, such as Homebake, The Meredith Music Festival, Falls Festival and Southbound Festival.
On 20 February 2009, Violent Soho announced on their MySpace page that they had signed an "overwhelmingly exciting" deal with Ecstatic Peace! Records, a record company headed by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, a hero of the band. They also signaled their intention to spend much of 2009 touring Australia, touring and recording in the US, and mentioned that a new album that "elaborated" on the material recorded for We Don't Belong Here was due for worldwide release in the third quarter of 2009. On 19 December 2009, the band announced that they would release a limited-edition EP containing re-recorded versions of "Bombs Over Broadway" and "Son of Sam", which would initially only be for sale at US tour dates.
The band would later part ways with Moore's label and in 2013 Boerdam stated:
Being on Thurston Moore's label doesn't happen that often for an Australian band. It gave us a great sense of validation as a band. Just being able to quit your day job and tour for 18 months made us better. Whether it results in Facebook likes or record sales I don't care, the real impact was more personal.
On 9 March 2010, Violent Soho released a second, self-titled album on Ecstatic Peace! The album was produced by Gil Norton, who previously worked with the Pixies, and the single "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend" was released from it.
Violent Soho performed at the 2011 Laneway Festival, followed by an Australian tour supporting Australian alternative rock band Jebediah in mid-2011. The band was then chosen by Les Savy Fav to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England, UK.
The band toured with English band Arctic Monkeys in early 2012 during the same period that the band members returned to Australia. Violent Soho was nominated for an ARIA Award that year and Tidswell revealed in an October 2013 interview that he received congratulations from friends while on his way to seek employment at a local McDonalds store, as the band was no longer signed to a label and was without any financial support at the time.
The band then signed to the Melbourne-based Australian independent record label "I Oh You" and released a new single called "Tinderbox" on 27 August 2012. In November 2012, an Australian tour coincided with the release of the double-single "Tinderbox"/"Neighbour Neighbour".
In April 2013, the band revealed via their Facebook account that they were in the process of recording their next full-length album. The album was produced by Brisbane producer Bryce Moorhead and recorded at Moorhead's Shed Studios.
In July 2013, Violent Soho announced that their next album is entitled Hungry Ghost and will be released on the I Oh You label on 6 September 2013—the first single, "In The Aisle", was released on 8 July 2013. Regarding the sound of the album, Boerdam asserted in an October 2013 interview: "There's no reason to lock the band down to that grunge label which we were constantly given, despite us never using that word. We realised that we didn't care, as long as we were happy with the music we were making."
A video for the song "In The Aisle" was released on 16 July 2013. Directed by Tristan Houghton, the video documents a nude cyclist riding around Brisbane distributing flyers for a nude bike ride event. A video for the song "Covered In Chrome", filmed in bass player Luke Henery's house, was released on 16 October 2013. Ideas and imagery in the lyrics for the song were informed by a Wikipedia article about the Hungarian uprising in 1956 which vocalist and guitarist Luke Boerdom had been reading.
The album title was inspired by the book "Culture Jam" by Kalle Lasn. As Luke Boerdom explained in a September 2013 online article, "From memory the term went something like this: “We sit around on couches, buying what we think makes us who we are, like a hungry ghost”. I looked up hungry ghost and it actually comes from traditional Chinese Buddhism. It means to have a non-shakable addiction/desire, and you lose yourself to that desire, you lose your identity." Regarding the general themes of the album's lyrics, Boerdom said: "Throughout the record I play with the idea of escaping a masked reality. I like to explore this concept that we live in a form of hyper-consumer reality and we lack an authentic human experience. In a few songs I try and focus on outsider suburban characters that are usually hidden and outcast by society, reenacting tapping into their reality and what they view as normal."
Jesus Stole My Girlfriend
Violent Soho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tried so hard but lost to God.
This time next year Iґll be married
This time next year Iґll say sorry
But Jesus stole my girlfriend.
I thought youґre my friend. Iґll guess again
This time next year Iґll be married
This time next year Iґll say sorry
But Jesus stole my girlfriend.
Try to talk to me again.
Iґll never even sing or do anything.
Jesus stole my girlfriend
The lyrics to Violent Soho's song Jesus Stole My Girlfriend convey a sense of frustration, anger, and betrayal. The opening lines "Every day every afternoon / Tried so hard but lost to God" suggest that even though the singer has been putting effort into his relationship, in the end, it was God who took his girlfriend away from him. The lyrics go on to say "This time next year I'll be married / This time next year I'll say sorry / But Jesus stole my girlfriend." This line suggests that the singer's girlfriend has found someone else because of her newfound faith in Jesus, and that he is now left alone and regretful.
The lyrics further hint at the singer's sense of betrayal. "I thought you're my friend. I'll guess again / I look to the clouds God gives me a frown" suggests that not only has the girlfriend left him, but the singer also feels that God has abandoned him as well. The repetition of the line "Jesus stole my girlfriend" throughout the song emphasizes the sense of loss and distraction that the singer feels.
Overall, the lyrics to Jesus Stole My Girlfriend suggest a complicated relationship between the singer, his girlfriend, and their spiritual beliefs. The song conveys the sense of loss, confusion, and frustration that can come with a breakup, especially when religion comes into play.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day every afternoon
I tried my best every day, every afternoon
Tried so hard but lost to God.
I worked hard to keep my girlfriend, but ultimately lost her to God
This time next year Iґll be married
In a year's time, I'll probably be married to someone else
This time next year Iґll say sorry
I'll regret losing my girlfriend and apologize for it next year
But Jesus stole my girlfriend.
However, I cannot change the fact that my girlfriend chose to be with Jesus instead of me
I thought youґre my friend. Iґll guess again
I was friends with Jesus but he betrayed me by taking my girlfriend
I look to the clouds God gives me a frown.
I'm starting to lose faith in God and feel disappointed by his actions
Try to talk to me again.
I don't want to talk to anyone anymore
Iґll never even sing or do anything.
I am so upset and heartbroken that I can't even make music anymore
Jesus stole my girlfriend
I keep repeating this because it's the only explanation I have for why I lost my girlfriend
Contributed by Wyatt P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angrywaffle 97
Everyday
Every afternoon
Tried so hard
But lost to God
I thought you're my friend
I'll guess again
I look to the clouds
God gives me a frown
This time next year I'll be married
This time next year I'll say sorry
But Jesus stole my girlfriend
Jesus stole my girlfriend
A smile and a wink
Meant more than a kiss
But I don't see the world
Like you do, girl
We ate and we sung
To glory and fun
But Jesus is here
He ate up our fears
This time next year I'll be married
This time next year I'll say sorry
But Jesus stole my girlfriend
Jesus stole my girlfriend
Ask a friend what to do
I wrote a prayer and made it out to you
Angels listened but they knew I was true
Say our prayers, lift our hands, lift our hands
Glorious
This time next year I'll be married
This time next year I'll say sorry
But Jesus stole my girlfriend
But Jesus stole my girlfriend
But Jesus stole my girlfriend
But Jesus stole my girlfriend
Nikodin
Every day, every afternoon
tried so hard. but lost to God.
I thought you're my friend.I'll guess again
I look to the clouds, God gives me a frown.
This time next year I'll be married
This time next year I'll say sorry
but Jesus stole my girlfriend.
Jesus stole my girlfriend.
A smile and a wink, Meant more than a kiss
But I don't see the world.
Like you do girl.
We ate and we sung, to glory above.
But Jesus is here, he ate up our fears?
This time next year I'll be married
This time next year I'll say sorry
but Jesus stole my girlfriend.
Jesus stole my girlfriend.
Asked a friend what do
I wrote a prayer and made it out to you
Angels listen but they knew what was true
Say your prayer
Lift our hands
Lift our hands
Glorious...
This time next year I'll be married
This time next year I'll say sorry
but Jesus stole my girlfriend.
Jesus stole my girlfriend.
Trevor Philips
This is one of those bands that when I heard this song on the radio I thought to myself "Holy shit this is the closest thing to grunge in mainstream right now". I know I'm not the only one. We need more new bands like this because we can't just let it die out. I want to relive the 90s through rock in these times of tragic music. It's a shame that this video isn't breaching past 1 mil views for how long it's been out because it deserves so much more.
James Oakes
+Trevor Philips They sound nothing like Nirvana or Soundgarden. They actually sound closer to the "post-grunge" bands of the late 90/ early 00s like Puddle of Mudd and Staind.
Mekova
+James Oakes They kind of sound like Mudhoney. I mean they have the start/stop/start/stop sound that's famous with Grunge. Technically it is grunge, but with elements of Alternative (whatever that means anymore).
James Oakes
Mudhoney? Are you shitting me? I don't hear any punk rock influence in this song. I'm not sure how this could even be classified as "alternative". What exactly is this supposed to be an alternative to? This has been the standard mainstream rock sound for at least 15 years now. Before that it was Bush and Candlebox, which aren't very far off.
Prismo ZTN
+James Oakes They sound like smashing pumpkins...
James Oakes
bruno leveau no they don't
MrCesaradrianer
I don't get why cool bands like this don't get the recognition they deserve, when shitty bands get all the views and likes.
Gefa Duro
Cause their music encourages people to stick up for themselves, to chill out, to feel good...all things that turn people away from a consumer society.
coreyfromaus
This is sarcasm right?
speedy11131
Simply put, money.