Since we started the playlist mix series Bands That Rock! at the beginning of 2010, it has been fairly popular. The reason for doing it was to specifically focus on just pure rock and roll bands that we think you'll love.

In the case of these next two bands - Violent Soho and Awesome Colors - they are on the same label, but come from places that are just about as far away from one another as any two locales on earth can be. But what they also have in common is the most important thing to us - they are amazing, full throttle rock bands.

Violent Soho is a grunge rock revivalist band from Brisbane (Queensland), Australia, consisting of a quintet of mates who grew up together in the suburb of Mansfield (postal code: 4122, which shows up in much of the band's artwork).

In 2007, the band toured with The Grates. Not long after the tour, Violent Soho released their widely acclaimed EP, Pigs & TV. Blunt Magazine said of the EP: "Sounding like The Vines fed on raw meat and produced on a fraction of the budget, Violent Soho are a boisterous pop rock combo from Brissyland reviving the spirit of the grunge era."


One of the band's newest tracks, "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend," was released months ago as a single, and has also been among one of their most popular songs online. In fact, YouTube alone has over a dozen videos featuring the song; the version we selected above happens to be the best in video and audio we could find, and also happens to be from inside our favorite record store, Amoeba Records, in San Francisco.

That song, and the song featured below, "Son of Sam," are originally from the band's 2008 debut LP in Australia, We Don't Belong Here, released via Emergency Music Records. Some months later, the band signed a deal with Ecstatic Peace Records, a label headed by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.

Earlier this month, Ecstatic essentially released We Don't Belong Here (but as a self-titled LP) with completely remastered tracks, and targeted at a larger audience, which once you hear the album, you'll see why.

"Son of Sam" - Violet Soho from s/t worldwide debut

Stream the entire album on the band's official website.

Violent Soho on MySpace

Check out this new video of Violent Soho's recent trip from LA to SF


On the other side of the world from Australia is Brooklyn's psychedelic punk rock trio Awesome Color, made up of Michigan natives Michael Troutman, Allison Busch and Derek Stanton. In 2005, shortly after forming, the band's Detroit garage rock inspired sound caught the attention of Ecstatic's Thurston Moore, who, like he did with Violent Soho, signed the band to the label, and got to work.

The band's debut self-titled album was well received, and frequently compared to the 1970s punk band the Stooges. In fact, Stylus Magazine wrote: "there are times when you could play Fun House [a Stooges' album] and this album back-to-back and not be able to tell the difference between the two").


Their 2008 follow-up, Electric Aborigines, drew comparisons with The Scientists and Spacemen 3, with Rolling Stone magazine calling the band "a grimier version of Sonic Youth," who subsequently toured with Built to Spill, The Dead Weather and Dinosaur Jr.



On April 6, the band will release their third LP, Massa Hypons, and based on the first single, "Transparent," we can't wait to listen to the entire album. Like their label mates, Violent Soho, Awesome Color performed during last week's SXSW festival in Austin - and both bands were fantastic - their equal talent for mastering raw rock sounds was refreshing at a time when keyboards, drum machines and Macbooks are driving the popularity of so many other (and some, admittedly good) bands, duos and solo artists.

"Transparent" - Awesome Color from Massa Hypnos

"Eyes of Light" - Awesome Color from Electric Aborigines

Awesome Color on MySpace

Previous installments of Bands That Rock!

Bands That Rock! Vol. II: Brooklyn's A Place to Bury Strangers and Stockholm's The Legends

Bands That Rock! Vol. I: Argentina's Lunaria and Portugal's The Doups

Labels: Band of Skulls, Bands That Rock, Brooklyn Bands, Fear Report, New Zealand Bands