Rocket brought their debut U.S. headline tour to Nashville, marking their first-ever show in the city and packing Drkmttr with a set that demonstrated just how quickly their guitar-forward sound has grown past small-room confines. The Los Angeles quartet — Alithea Tuttle (vocals, bass), Baron Rinzler (guitar), Cooper Ladomade (drums), and Desi Scaglione (guitar) — are touring behind R is for Rocket, the band’s debut album released last month on Transgressive Records / Canvasback. With the set built around the album and selections from their earlier Versions of You EP, the night served as both a showcase of their new material and a reminder of how sturdy their early songs remain.
They opened with “Take Your Aim,” a jolt of volume and momentum that immediately set the tone. Rocket’s sound draws from the heavier side of ’90s guitar music—layered distortion, sharp percussion, and lines that bend into noise—but live it lands with a shape and presence that feels distinctly their own. The guitars locked together in dense waves, Ladomade pushed the tempos with an almost restless intensity, and Tuttle’s low end kept everything grounded while still adding weight to the room.
Early in the set, Nashville gave its usual reserved welcome, but the music’s momentum eventually reshaped the room. When the band eased into slower tempos, especially “The Choice,” the grooves thickened in a way that felt tailored for a bigger stage. What began with listening-room focus shifted into something more physical, with the energy steadily rising until pockets of dancing broke out across the floor.
The central part of the set added its own highlights, including “Crossing Fingers,” which hit harder live than on the album. Tuttle shared that this was their first Nashville show, yet the band played with the confidence of a group accustomed to the road. “Another Second Chance” delivered one of the set’s heavier sections, its outro expanding into a tightly shaped wash of noise in the small space.
If there was a limitation, it belonged to the venue rather than the band. Drkmttr’s system struggled to keep Tuttle’s vocals consistently above the mix — a common challenge in the room — but instead of losing the crowd, it pulled people closer to the stage. With minimal space for the four members to move, Rocket relied on interplay, musicianship, and sheer volume to fill the room. It worked. This is a band that already performs like they belong on a larger stage, not someday, but now.
The closing run — “Wide Awake” into the title track “R is for Rocket” — carried the strongest energy of the night. The songs opened up and gave the set a final lift that felt larger than the room itself. When the last notes faded, the merch line that immediately formed told its own story. Fans waiting to have their vinyl signed made it clear that Rocket connected with Nashville on their first appearance.
For a first Nashville appearance, the night centered squarely on the strength of R is for Rocket while showing how naturally the songs from their Versions of You EP fit alongside it. Live, the newer material carried more weight and texture, giving the album’s sharper edges and dense layers a fuller presence in the room. The older tracks added contrast without breaking momentum, underscoring how consistent Rocket’s writing has been from the start. It made for a closing stretch that highlighted just how cohesive this debut era already feels.
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