Just about three months ago, rising pop-punker Knox opened for alt-pop band Nightly at their sold-out show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. At that time, he was hovering just under a million monthly listeners on Spotify, and his single “Not The 1975” had not yet begun to experience its recent surge in popularity. 

This past Friday, Knox, accompanied by friends and frequent collaborators Spencer Jordan and maryjo, headlined a sold-out Nashville show of his own, packing out the 500-capacity room Exit/In on Nashville’s west side. Minutes before Jordan took the stage around 7:45, a singular resale ticket priced at $500 was available for purchase on a secondary ticketing site, with nothing available at the venue. The place was lined with fellow artists… some aspiring locals, some more established names like BIZZY and Chloe Duvall, as well as media professionals from organizations such as IHeart Radio. Regardless of stature within the Nashville community, it appeared that most came equipped with purchased tickets. 

Jordan, who spoke less at this show than he did at New York’s Baby’s All Right just two days prior, hyped up the crowd with pop-rock ragers such as “Danny Phantom” and the aptly-titled “Hype Man,” the latter of which he says is “about being a simp.” His vocals were less erratic, more contained than in New York, but the physical energy was still prevalent.  

Maryjo, similar in musical vibe to Jordan, was next to take the stage. She delivered on-point vocals on tracks like “Don’t Call Me,” new single “I Woke Up,” and a cover of Paramore’s “Still Into You.” She was loose and goofy, perhaps a little too much so in terms of overall presentation, but was still vocally fervent and personally endearing, joking that Knox “asked me to close for him.” 

The lights dimmed for Knox at 9:22, led in by Jeremy Zucker’s “all the kids are depressed” on tape. With a tip of Knox’s hat to Zucker, one of the most prolific YA-geared singer-songwriters, he is, essentially, expressing his desire to attain that level of influence. 

He opened the show with “Love Letter” and “Man Down,” two high-energy cuts from his newest EP I’m So Good At Being Alone? His lower range, at this point in the show, was incredibly wavered, and, particularly during the verses, needed to work harder than he should have to for proper breath support. This was noticeable in “Nevermind,” another “I’m So Good…, cut in his opening set for Nightly in Philly this past November. It seems as if the cause of this is nerves… initial jitters that tend to dissipate after the first bit of the show. 

He lowered the key slightly for “Sneakers,” his most-streamed song to this point, which allowed him to make conscious, and reputable, changes to the melody in the chorus. It also allowed him to hit a solid belt on the line, “Seven little digits on the bathroom stall,” in the second verse that, in the studio, he flipped up to a head voice on. He retained that vocal quality and fluidity throughout the rest of the show, both with and without a guitar in his hand. 

While standing up on the balcony of this particular venue, it is almost impossible to hear the crowd below on the floor during full-band songs. Unfortunate for a hometown show that, in retrospect, should have been the loudest of the bunch. This factor was most reflected during songs like “I Don’t Wanna Know,” “Dumpster Fire,” “Girl On The Internet,” and “Porch Lights,” an unsuspecting highlight of the show vocally and musically. It was clear that the crowd, particularly the middle section, was very involved in these songs, but it was difficult to tell how loudly they were singing along. 

The unveiling of new songs “Me, Myself & Your Eyes” and “Invisible,” the former a typical Knox banger and the latter an acoustic, and perhaps not yet completed, acoustic track, was a highlight of the show. This led directly into an acoustic “Leg Day,” a Knox collaboration with fellow rocker John Harvie. The Nashville crowd, which was, again, extremely artist-centric, ate it up, vigorously singing along to what could be considered by Knox’s newer fans to be a deep cut. 

One of the most prevalent parts of Knox’s personality, both onstage and off, is his constant show of love to his bandmates. In New York, his space to move around was extremely limited, but the expanded stages in Nashville and Atlanta allowed him to more freely roam, resuming his back-and-forth antics with Christian Delzoppo on drums, and John Townsend on guitar. He also took the time to thank everyone involved in the operation… from front of house to back of house to his tour manager. With his family stood proudly and firmly planted on the balcony singing to every word, it’s easy to see who that level of gratitude comes from. 

He closed the set with “NYC,” his own personal favorite, “Here’s To Us,” a newer release that already feels like a classic within his discography, and, of course, the rising hit “Not The 1975.” A hometown celebration for the ages, “Not The 1975” was a victory lap. To be performing songs on that stage having written them, as he stated, “just down the road,” it couldn’t have been a sweeter moment for the skyrocketing star. 

Knox closed the I’m So Good At Being Alone tour in Atlanta this past Saturday to a packed 500 capacity house at Hell @ The Masquerade. With just two EP’s out, Knox’s set spanned an hour and 15-minutes of original material with no covers and no real monologuing. An impressive feat for a first headline run that, within a year, may be taken to the levels of Terminal 5 and The House of Blues. 

Review by Noah Wade

Photos by: Hunter Wurzelbacher

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