In what surely seems like a bit of an oddball show during an inaugural season of country, alternative, rock royalty, americana, and generally more older-skewing acts at downtown’s brand new Ascend Amphitheater, the lineup tonight, Oct. 13 will give teens and twenty-somethings a reason to venture to the new show space. Pop punk stars All Time Low and pop rock/post-hardcore outfit Sleeping with Sirens co-headline what they’re calling the “Back the the Future Hearts Tour,” with Neck Deep and One Ok Rock pegged to open. Easily clocking in at one of the most budget friendly Ascend shows of the year, this one’ll only set you back $10-25, so grab your tickets right here and read on for details!
ALL TIME LOW
If Blink-182 and New Found Glory busted the door open for mainstream pop punk in the ’00s, and Fall Out Boy and Paramore helped cement its certifiable crossover appeal, then Baltimore’s All Time Low have ascended to become the torchbearers of the scene, unrelenting in their dedication to the bands that inspired them and their punk roots, while unafraid to embrace their unabashed poppiness and mainstream appeal. For more than a decade, the quartet have toured relentlessly, and have released a plethora of great albums, several of which have become modern pop punk classics. Whether on Warped Tour, supporting acts like Fall Out Boy, or commanding respectable crowds at clubs and amphitheaters on their own, All Time Low are an undeniable pop punk success story, and a band with more substance than meets the eye.
SLEEPING WITH SIRENS
For the release of their fourth full-length, Madness, Michigan by way of Florida rockers Sleeping with Sirens teamed up with super producer John Feldmann (who’s also had his hand in some of All Time Low’s best work) and found a new label home at Epitaph, crafting their most pop rock effort to date, without entirely shaking their hardcore and punk influences that more heavily informed the group’s earlier work. A perfect compliment to All Time Low, SWS have followed a similar career trajectory, organically building up a fanbase through relentless touring, and amassing breakthrough buzz with their 2011 sophomore effort, Let’s Cheers to This. They only get better with each release and, live, Sleeping with Sirens are a force to be reckoned with; don’t miss a chance to see them at their largest Nashville outing to date.
NECK DEEP
Welsh pop punk group Neck Deep are on a similar career trajectory as All Time Low in the early days, garnering a ton of buzz, both from fans and critics, in their few short years of existence. Having only formed in 2012, the band exploded onto the scene last year with their debut full-length, Wishful Thinking, then managed to avoid the sophomore slump and one-up themselves with this year’s Life’s Not Out to Get You. Still retaining a decidedly more edgy, upbeat, and punk-rooted sound, the band blend influences of early pop punk acts like Descendants with edgier contemporary artists like The Wonder Years, taking cues from peers All Time Low and New Found Glory for big, catchy hooks and pop sensibilities. These guys will be headlining shows this size before you know it.
ONE OK ROCK
One Ok Rock hail all the way from Japan, and if that’s not reason enough to show up early, we don’t know what is. A decade in, the group combine elements of alternative, pop punk, and post-hardcore, and have honed a very radio friendly sound throughout their impressive seven full-length releases. The band have found a lot of success in their native Japan, but only in recent years have begun to tour internationally, making their stateside debut late last year. This is almost certainly their first time in Nashville, so show them some support!
All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, Neck Deep, and One Ok Rock will perform tonight, Oct. 13 at Ascend Amphitheater. The show is all ages, begins at 6 p.m., and tickets are available for $10-25.
