Violent Soho are an Australian rock band from Mansfield, Queensland. Band m… Read Full Bio ↴Violent Soho are an Australian rock band from Mansfield, Queensland. Band members Luke Boerdam, James Tidswell, Luke Henry and Michael Richards attended school together and formed Violent Soho in 2004. Their debut EP, Pigs and T.V., was released in early 2006 and received wide acclaim; 'Blunt Magazine' hailing Violent Soho's Vines-esque sound as "boisterous pop rock reviving the spirit of the grunge era." Following the release of their debut EP, the band continued to play shows in and around Brisbane, and several shows in Sydney and Melbourne and elsewhere on the east coast. Notably, they toured with The Grates in 2007. They were also part of the lineup for the 2008 St Jerome's Laneway Festival, playing in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

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."

Vacation Forever
Violent Soho Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll buy more time
The sun has never been so cheap

No more strife
Where canned laughter is for keeps

I wanna know what it feels like
To touch the grass again

Why do they see right through me
All the time

Cause they all want the good life
But I just want to breathe

Cause I packed my bags and
I drained my veins and
I got my reasons seen
Cause I got no car and I got no house
But I kept the garden clean
There's a baby boomer across the street
And it won't stop staring at me
Vacation life, forever in strife
I'll leave the family, I just wanna be

The hero drowned
He waved his hand but no one screamed

Rubber words
Don't make a dent just like you think

I wanna know what it feels like
To touch the grass again
Why do they see right through me
All the time

Cause they all want the good life
But I just want to breathe

Cause I packed my bags and
I drained my veins and
I got my reasons seen
Cause I got no car and I got no house
But I kept the garden clean
There's a baby boomer across the street
And it won't stop staring at me
Vacation life, forever in strife
I'll leave the family, I just wanna be

It's a brand new day
Feeling half right
I want a world I can leave

Cause I got no car and I got no house
But I kept the garden clean
There's a baby boomer across the street
And it won't stop staring at me
Vacation life, forever in strife
I'll leave the family, I just wanna be

There's a loser in the end
There's a loser in the end

There's a loser in the end
There's a loser in the end

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Violent Soho's "Vacation Forever" convey a sense of disillusionment and longing for escape from the pressures and expectations of society. The opening lines, "I'll buy more time, the sun has never been so cheap," suggest a desire to prolong the freedom and leisure associated with vacation. The singer yearns for a carefree existence, where canned laughter and superficiality are embraced as a way to escape the complexities and struggles of everyday life.

The lyrics also explore a sense of being misunderstood and invisible. The lines "Why do they see right through me all the time?" hint at a deep sense of invisibility and frustration over not being seen for who they truly are. The contrast between the singer's desires for simplicity and the societal focus on material wealth and success is highlighted with the line, "Cause they all want the good life, but I just want to breathe."

The chorus emphasizes the singer's longing for freedom and detachment from societal expectations. The repeated refrain, "Cause I packed my bags and I drained my veins and I got my reasons seen," suggests a willingness to let go of societal pressures and obligations in order to pursue personal happiness. The mention of keeping the garden clean, while lacking material possessions like a car or house, symbolizes the singer's commitment to maintaining a simple and authentic existence.

The song's bridge introduces a contrast between the singer's desire for a fresh start and the realization that there will always be challenges. The lyrics, "It's a brand new day, feeling half right, I want a world I can leave," express a yearning for change and a hope for a better life, while acknowledging the inevitable struggles and pitfalls that may arise.

Overall, "Vacation Forever" explores themes of yearning for escape, feeling misunderstood, and longing for a simpler, more authentic way of life.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll buy more time
I'll try to create more opportunities and prolong my current situation

The sun has never been so cheap
The joy and contentment in life has become easily accessible and inexpensive

No more strife
No more conflicts or struggles

Where canned laughter is for keeps
In a world where artificial happiness and insincere reactions are valued and maintained

I wanna know what it feels like
I desire to experience the sensation

To touch the grass again
To reconnect with nature and find grounding

Why do they see right through me
Why do others perceive my true intentions and motives so easily

All the time
Consistently and without fail

Cause they all want the good life
Because everyone else desires a comfortable and prosperous life

But I just want to breathe
But I simply desire the freedom to exist without unnecessary constraints or pressures

Cause I packed my bags and
Because I prepared and made arrangements for departure

I drained my veins and
I removed all negativity and burdened emotions

I got my reasons seen
I have explained and made my motivations apparent

Cause I got no car and I got no house
Because I do not possess material possessions like a vehicle or a permanent residence

But I kept the garden clean
However, I have taken care of and maintained my personal space

There's a baby boomer across the street
There is an older generation individual residing nearby

And it won't stop staring at me
And this person constantly gazes at me, perhaps judging or questioning my choices

Vacation life, forever in strife
Living a lifestyle that feels like a perpetual vacation but remains full of conflict and challenges

I'll leave the family, I just wanna be
I will distance myself from my relatives because I simply desire independence and self-fulfillment

The hero drowned
The artist met their demise

He waved his hand but no one screamed
Despite attempting to seek help or attention, nobody responded with urgency or concern

Rubber words
Empty and meaningless words

Don't make a dent just like you think
Do not have any significant impact, contrary to what you believe

It's a brand new day
A fresh start or opportunity

Feeling half right
Not fully content or satisfied

I want a world I can leave
I desire a world where I am not bound or obligated to stay

There's a loser in the end
Ultimately, someone will fail or be unsuccessful

There's a loser in the end
Eventually, someone will not achieve their desired outcome

There's a loser in the end
Ultimately, there will be someone who experiences defeat or disappointment

There's a loser in the end
In the end, someone will not achieve their goals or aspirations

Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Michael Richards, Luke Henery, Luke Boerdam, James Tidswell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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