More about: Softcult

For sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, softcult has always been more than just a band. Taking so many fears, anxieties and situations we all share as a collective society that the world has played witness to, softcult uses their platform to discuss these tough topics with some fierce grunge grit and a bit of breezy easy listening shoegaze style and that’s what softcult does best.

“We are calling out issues and it will never change unless we talk about it or even just raise awareness about these issues” says singer, guitarist and ½ of softcult Mercedes Arn-Horn in our discussion with the band moments before they dropped their second studio EP ‘Year of the Snake’ back in February and live, that message is not lost in translation. 

“What’s up London, we’re softcult” announces Mercedes, the Canadian twins taking to a sold our Camden Assembly, a special occasion for a band who have built themselves from the ground up again with a brand new found identity and sense of purpose coming off the back of being in previous project Courage My Love for much of their adolescent lives. Add in catapulting straight off the back of a weekend at Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival head first into their first ever sold out show, tonight presented a special night for a band who never, ever forgot that for one split second on stage “Did I mention this is our first ever sold out show?”

Whilst battling through their twelve track setlist in complete disbelief, softcult still pulled a show out of the bag that reinforced this duos force for positive change, Protest images line the backdrop of their DIY projector setup, playing out behind a band whose message is made loud and clear, especially in songs such as explosive grunge banger Spit It Out and sombre number Gaslight, every single word sung by every single body that packed out the upstairs of The Assembly.    

“Do you guys like covers? Well we are going to do one by this small band called Nirvana” opens Mercedes, before launching into softcult’s take on Blew EP track Been A Son, softcult’s grunge side alive and kicking for this Nirvana cover.  

From one cover to another song that got severe stick for being closely similar to that of Loathe’s Two Way Mirror, to which a conversion between crowd members echoes “This is Uzumaki right?” “No, it’s Two Way Mirror by Loathe” “No they’ve changed it since then” to which the latter of that conversation rings true. 

“At softcult, we believe it is important to use your platform to make a difference, so we are going to tell you a story. One night on March 3rd 2021 around 8pm or so, a woman called Sarah Everard was walking home alone, when she got stopped by a police officer, claiming she had breached COVID protocols. He then proceeded to arrest her, before kidnapping her and later disposing of her body” singer Mercedes tells to the noise of a pin drop and lumps in throats benign swallowed, as she echoes the awful events that occurred on the night of March 3rd 2021, when rightly Mercedes says the story of Sarah Everad, just one of the many stories that provide the inspiration to closer BWBB, a song about gender violence and the double standard hypocrisy and dissonance of the ‘bro code’, to which Mercedes certifies  “For people who don’t know what consent is and will use the phrase boys will be boys to excuse unacceptable behaviour”. Finishing off the all too real version of events that unfolded in Clapham last year, Mercedes shouts with outrage “IT WAS NOT HER FUCKING FAULT!” with “Damn rights” only highlighting the outrage at the authorities who are meant to protect us at this softcult show.     

More than just the music, softcult are a force to be reckoned with. In their twelve track delivery of songs that have meaning to their message, one which resonated even harder in the reality of their sold out London headliner.

See photos from Fabiolo Bonnot below:

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More about: Softcult