PHOTOS: Wallows | 8.20.24 @ Ascend Amphitheater

Wallows
w/ BENEE
Ascend Amphitheater; Nashville, TN
August 20, 2024

Photos by Elizabeth Marsh

The last time LA indie pop and post-punk trio Wallows played Nashville, in 2019 at the former Cannery Ballroom, their debut LP, Nothing Happens had only been out for a few months, and breakout single “Are You Bored Yet?” was still freshly viral. Though the band had been playing together for years under various names at that point, had released a well-received EP and some early singles as Wallows, and had, inevitably, drawn attention thanks to the successful acting careers of co-frontmen Dylan Minnette and Braeden Lemasters, that first record and tour really helped cement the trio as a formidable new indie act in their own right, and not just another Hollywood vanity project (in fact, both Minnette and Lemasters have scaled down their roles significantly in the years since, letting the band become their primary creative focus).

In the five years since that show, they’ve released two further full-lengths- 2022’s Tell Me That It’s Over and this year’s Model– another EP, Remote, and a collection of early singles, and they’ve gone from a buzzy new group with a lot of early TikTok traction, to bona fide stars, honing and maturing their sound from breezy bedroom pop to refined, accessible post-punk, and playing major fests and increasingly larger stages, as evidenced by their long-awaited recent return to Nashville, recently headlining Ascend Amphitheater with New Zealand alt pop singer BENEE.

Kicking off with Model opener “Your Apartment,” the set was heavy on cuts from their latest (and perhaps best album to date), like “Bad Dream” and “Calling After Me.” Longtime fans had plenty to love as well though, as the group also made sure to include older favorites like “These Days,” “Just Like a Movie,” and “Remember When” (only their sophomore LP felt a little under-represented). A little over halfway into the show- which was enhanced with dazzling production and ornate set design- Wallows moved to a small B-stage, for an intimate performance of two early tunes, “Pictures of Girls” and “1980s Horror Film” as well Remote EP earworm “OK,” before moving back to the main stage for a few more crowd favorites to finish out the show. Returning for an encore, they, of course, played “Are We Bored Yet?” and another favorite from their debut, “Only Friend,” closing out triumphant, highly-anticipated return to town and met with a legion of new and enthusiastic fans.

We hope it won’t be as long a wait until Wallows’ next return to Music City. Until then, check out some photos from their latest- and biggest- Nashville show yet below!

All photos by Elizabeth Marsh

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Setlist:

Your Apartment
Anytime, Always
Scrawny
Don’t You Think It’s Strange
Quarterback
Bad Dream
These Days
You (Show Me Where My Days Went)
At the End of the Day
Canada
Just Like a Movie
A Warning
Uncomfortable
She’s an Actress
Pictures of Girls
1980s Horror Film
OK
Worlds Apart
Pleaser
Calling After Me
Remember When
I Don’t Want to Talk

Are You Bored Yet?
Only Friend