I’ve listened to Knuckle Puck for roughly 7 years. In those 7 years, I’ve never been able to see them live but I’ve followed them closely and always kept up with the new album releases & etc. So it’s safe to say this is a show I was super excited about. I was also excited to see who they brought on tour with them because I had never heard of either of the opening acts. The weather was perfect. It had been in the low 80’s all day in Atlanta, but by the time I had arrived at Center Stage the weather had cooled off nicely and it was in the high 60’s, which is perfect in my opinion. I was also pleasantly surprised to see how big the venue was. From the outside you never would have guessed it housed such an awesome space. They even had stadium style/amphitheater seating that I took advantage of after standing in the crowd all night.
Traffic was bad (as always) in Atlanta so I missed Anxious, the opening act, but I got there just in time for Meet Me @ The Altar to take the stage. Meet Me at the Altar was formed in 2015 when Téa Campbell met Ada Juarez through YOUTUBE; Juarez had posted a number of videos covering pop punk songs & Campbell reached out. The two quickly became friends and formed their band; the only problem was that they needed a lead singer. Edith Johnson was one of the individuals who tried out for the position, submitting a rendition of Paramore’s “All I Wanted” The name of the band refers to a text conversation between Campbell and Johnson, as Billboard notes: The band name stems from a text message Juarez sent Johnson in a bonding moment: ‘I was like “marry me!”‘ says Campbell, ‘and she typed, “meet me @ the altar.” In 2020, the band went viral, partially due to receiving public endorsements of pop punk veterans Alex Gasgarth of All Time Low and Dan Campbell of The Wonder Years. In October 2020, the band was subsequently signed to Fueled by Ramen. After re-releasing “Garden” under Fueled By Ramen, they released their first new single under the label, “Hit Like a Girl“, in March 2021. Their debut EP for their record label, “Model Citizen”, released on August 13, 2021. The members of MM@TA are Edith Johnson(vocals), Téa Campbell(guitar) and Ada Juarez(drums).
I was super surprised to find out just how “new” MM@TA was when I was doing my research. I never would have guessed by the way the crowd knew all their songs. There was even one guy, who I’m not kidding, held up his fingers in the shape of a heart all night hoping for a reaction from the band. I’m pretty sure I saw Edith smile and point at him at one point. They took the stage with such raw energy. They hopped around on stage and really knew how to get the crowd excited that’s for sure. I’m also not kidding when I say that my face lit up as soon as I saw an ALL GIRL pop punk band take the stage. It was super refreshing to see women doing something so amazing in a male dominated industry. The guitarist did some really amazing natural harmonics, the drums never missed a beat and Edith sounded angelic on stage. The amount of girl power that they radiated consumed me and made me feel super empowered, especially since it’s women’s history month! I felt almost as if I was watching pop punk history being made. Definitely made me feel like I was transported to the early 2000’s because they gave off major Avril Lavigne/Paramore vibes.
They are definitely a band I connected with and will for sure be catching next time they come around. Their performance had me dancing and bobbing my head the entire time. If you haven’t listened to them or heard of them definitely check them out! Their setlist from that night was:
- May the Odds Be in Your Favor.
- Mapped out.
- Hit Like A Girl.
- Now or Never.
- The Sweetness/My Friends Over You/Break Stuff/My Own Worst Enemy. (tour debut)
- Fell A Thing.
- Garden.
Hot Mulligan hails from Lansing, Michigan. The band was formed in 2014 by vocalists “Tades” Sanville and Chris Freeman, who also plays guitar and drums. Early incarnations of Hot Mulligan featured additional band members like guitarist/bassist Brett Annelin, who played on their debut, 2015’s Fenton EP — and Dolan Bowie, Logan Hayward, and Fin Svoboda, who joined the fray for their sophomore EP Honest & Cunning. The group’s lineup shifted over the years, with Sanville and Freeman remaining the core of Hot Mulligan. In 2016, they issued a split EP with Everyone Leaves, followed by 2017’s breakthrough EP Opportunities (which was later reissued with a bonus acoustic track, “Deluxe Capacitor”). After signing with No Sleep Records, the band — Freeman, Sanville, and fresh recruits Brandon Blakeley and Garrett Willig, entered the studio to record their first full-length. Pilot arrived in early 2018 and featured a newly recorded “Deluxe Capacitor” and “All You Wanted by Michelle Branch.” Upon release, the LP reached number 13 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Hot Mulligan returned in early 2020 with their sophomore set, You’ll Be Fine. The members of Hot Mulligan are Nathan “Tades” Sanville(lead vocals), Chris Freeman(rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Ryan “Spicy” Malicsi(lead guitar) and Brandon Blakeley(drums).
The standing area really started to get crowded once Hot Mulligan took the stage. A mosh pit broke out, people started crowd surfing & you could tell they were really feeding off of the energy coming from the stage. Their presence was immaculate, they had so much energy on stage I swear I don’t think any of them stayed in the exact same spot all night. You could tell as they were jumping around on stage that they were super comfortable up there and honestly living their best lives. It was obvious this band was meant for the stage that’s for sure. I enjoyed their set so much that after the concert I added a bunch of their music to my library. They definitely had a more teen angst vibe. Almost made me feel like I could beat someone up for talking to me the wrong way or treating me wrong. The guitar, bass and drums had the pop punk vibe, but once they met the raspy vocals of ”Tades” it gave the songs more of a “post emo“ vibe. I really enjoyed their set and knew exactly what they meant when they came on stage and announced themselves as the hottest new band or something to that effect. They had such great chemistry on stage & had me hanging on to every word, guitar rift and drum beat. I could also tell the lyrics were super emotional at points and almost made me want to cry from thinking of past experiences. They definitely transported me to times in my life that made me wish I had their music to listen to when I needed it. It was such an amazing vibe & the whole experience made me a new fan for sure. Totally made my neck sore from headbanging as well.
Their setlist for that night was:
- Deluxe Capacitor.
- All You Wanted by Michelle Branch.
- How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells?
- Losing Days.
- Featuring Mark Hoppus.
- OG Blue Sky.
- *Equip Sunglasses*
- Feel Like Crab.
- Green Squirrel in Pretty Bad Shape.
- Dirty Office Bongos.
- Digging In.
- Bckyrd.
From the southernmost suburbs of the Windy City, Chicago-based pop-punk unit Knuckle Puck formed in 2011 around the talents of John Siorek (drums), Joe Taylor (vocals), Nick Casasanto (guitar/vocals), Ryan Rumchaks (bass), and Kevin Maida (guitar). Drawing well-earned comparisons to bands like the Wonder Years, the Story So Far, and Rise Against, the band put out a trio of self-released EPs (Knuckle Puck Demo in 2011, Don’t Come Home in 2012, and The Weight That You Buried in 2013) before inking a deal with Bad Timing Records, which issued a pair of EPs (While I Stay Secluded and Weight That You Buried) in 2014. Another deal was struck, this time with Rise Records, and in the summer of 2015, Knuckle Puck finally released their debut album, Copacetic, which made a solid showing on the alternative and hard rock charts as well as Billboard’s Top 200. Tours of the U.S. and Europe followed, and in March 2017 the band delivered a 7″ single featuring a pair of tunes, “Calendar Days” and “Indecisive.” Later that summer, Knuckle Puck released “Gone,” the first of three singles from their sophomore LP Shapeshifter, which arrived in October of 2017. The group’s third LP, 20/20, arrived in August of its titular year, heralded by the singles “RSVP” and “Breathe.”
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for all night had come. The backdrop changed, the lights lowered and Knuckle Puck took the stage. The crowd roared as all the band members walked out, so much so that I was worried about permanent hearing loss after the show. It was definitely a very warm welcome to say the least. The venue was packed and it didn’t take long for a circle pit to form and part the crowd. They opened with their song “Want Me Around” from their 2017 album “Shapeshifter”. It was obvious this was a crowd favorite because I could hear them behind the photo pit singing along to every single word. Just like MM@TA and Hot Mulligan, they had an amazing stage presence. As the night went on the circle pit in the middle of the floor continued to rage, crowd surfers came from every angle and the band continued to encourage them to get the most of their experience. Their drummer John had broken his hand in the week(s) before so the bassist Ryan was on drums. I’m not sure if he knew drums well before the incident or what but he definitely killed it & played as if he had had years of practice. After I shot the first three songs I went and took advantage of the seats to get the best view; and also to rest my feet after dancing & jumping up and down all night. As soon as I sat down it was as if a wave of emotion came over me and I started to tear up. This was a band I had never seen, followed for so long, sang their songs at the top of my lungs at the lowest points of my life & now I was here, seeing them for the first time while also photographing them. I was so humbled to be there at that moment. They continued to sing track after track and I continued to sing every word I knew, as loud as I could. The stage lighting was amazing, everyone was on beat perfectly, keeping me captivated all night. Their energy was amazing and you could tell they were truly just a group of friends on stage doing what they loved most. I didn’t want the night to end but I knew it had to before long. They closed out their set with their most well known track “Untitled” from their 2015 album “Copacetic” which again had the whole crowd singing. As most bands do they said their thanks and left the stage as the guitar faded out. Soon after the crowd started chanting “ONE MORE SONG” & they came back out for an encore and performed “No Good” another well known song & the first song I ever heard by them. They encouraged the crowd surfers to go more wild than they had all night as the crowd sang along at the tops of their lungs. It was truly such an amazing concert & one I feel honored to have been able to photograph.
Their full set list from the night was:
- Want Me Around.
- Tune You Out.
- Double Helix.
- Gasoline.
- What Took You So Long?
- Everyone Lies to Me.
- Swing.
- Wall to Wall (Depreciation)
- Evergreen.
- Give Up.
- Green Eyes (Polarized)
- Pretense.
- Earthquake.
- But Why Would You Care?
- Gone.
- Untitled.
- No Good.
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