AP Tour headliner All Time Low's vibrant pop-punk has ample hooks and a modicum of substance — but the Baltimore quartet's breakthrough album, So Wrong, It's Right, which came out last September, doesn't do anything to distinguish the band from the myriad other acts performing similar sounding material. Conversely, The Matches have emerged from emo roots to craft a wildly eclectic collection of ass-shaking pop and moody rock songs on their new Epitaph full-length, A Band in Hope. The Oakland four-piece effortlessly shifts from bouncy ditties to shadowy indie-rock offerings, resulting in an album that smacks of a smartly programmed iTunes playlist.
Rockstar Energy Drink presents The AP Tour featuring All Time Low w/The Rocket Summer/The Matches/Sonny/Forever the Sickest Kids, 6 p.m. (doors), Sun., April 20, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $14 (advance), $16 (door).
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2008.