Searching for a way to finish out your weekend on a high note? Are you a fan of punk, pop punk, and hardcore? Do you like shows that average out to $3 a band? If so, you’re in luck, because newly revitalized melodic hardcore/pop punk group Four Year Strong are in town, and they’re bringing along an expansive and dynamic support bill of Comeback Kid, Handguns, Expire, Heart to Heart, and No Good News! The sure to be stellar show is going down TONIGHT at Exit/In, and, amazingly, the whole six-band shebang will only set you back $18. Read on for a full preview!
FOUR YEAR STRONG
Blending elements of pop punk and melodic hardcore (a sound commonly dubbed “easycore”), Massachusetts act Four Year Strong first rose to prominence in the mid-00’s, helping usher in a new wave of bands which combine accessibly poppy hooks and appropriately heavy breakdowns (a scene which has only grown bigger and more popular in the years since). Following a slight hiatus, the group reemerged last summer with a new EP, Go Down in History, as well as a spot on Warped Tour, and, this year, they’re promising a new full-length, their first since 2011. Known for their high energy shows, Four Year Strong are definitely best experienced live, and Exit/In seems like the perfect space to get rowdy and get into them.
COMEBACK KID
Though they have their melodic moments, Canada’s Comeback Kid are a more traditionally hardcore punk band, bringing an edgier, more biting element to this bill. They’ve been going strong since 2002, and their latest, Die Knowing, shows no signs of the band slowing down anytime soon.
HANDGUNS
In contrast to Comeback Kid, Handguns are a purely pop punk act, incorporating very little hardcore influence into their sound. Part of a refreshing new crop of pop punk revivalist acts, their style is straightforward, sincere, and gimmick free, and their presence adds an even further and welcome diversity to the lineup.
EXPIRE
Milwaukee hardcore group Expire should definitely satisfy the Comeback Kid crowd, and, in an apparent effort to hook fans of both sides of the musical dynamic that make up Four Year Strong, they definitely lean hard on the heavy side of the spectrum.
HEART TO HEART
Continuing the rotation of pop punk and hardcore, Heart to Heart, named one of Alternative Press‘s 100 Bands You Need to Know in 2014, incorporate some heavier elements, but ultimately fall onto the poppier and more melodic side of things. They’re perhaps the most similar to Four Year Strong on the bill, and are definitely worth showing up early for!
NO GOOD NEWS
Newcomers No Good News will kick off the show with their unabashedly poppy flavor of punk. If you’ve been sleeping on this band, give their latest EP, Disposable Summer, a spin, and show up on time to catch one of pop punk’s most promising acts on the rise.
Four Year Strong, Comeback Kid, Handguns, Expire, Heart to Heart, and No Good News will perform tonight, Jan. 11, at Exit/In. The show is 18+, begins at at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available for $18.