Rocket’s Hometown Show in Los Angeles
los angeles, ca - november 22, 2025
Being a large, bare-walled, black and dimly lit venue, the Roxy felt like walking into a house party before the show began. The most fitting space for Rocket to close out their first headline tour in their hometown city of Los Angeles. After debuting their first record, R is for Rocket, on October 3 of this year, this sold out show was inevitable for the band.
Photo via Jaxon Whittington
The energy of the crowd felt more communal than one would expect for a rock concert - attendees were double fisting gin-and-tonics while noise of chatter echoed throughout the room, all while making friends with family members of Alithea Tuttle, lead singer and bassist of Rocket. As I scanned the room, there was a blurred vision of Rocket T-shirts layered over long sleeves, wolfcuts, baggy black denim, converse and leather boots.
The openers, Girljockey and World’s Worst, kicked off the two-hours of nonstop headbanging. Girljockey brought a darker and more ominous tone, with raw and hard-edged notes that were gruelingly good. World’s Worst amped up the energy with their up-beat songs and enthusiastic band members.
Feeling like the greatest 90s garage party you’ve ever been to, Rocket got to the low-to-the-ground stage. “Take Your Aim” started off their set, a single released earlier this year, instantly elevating the energy of the room with punching guitar and chest-rattling drums that you couldn’t fight rocking to. They took us back to 2022 with “Sugarcoated” from their Versions of You EP, highlighting Tuttle’s hypnotizing vocals. Rocket so effortlessly created this euphoric yet thrilling air in the room fueled by the symphony of Tuttle’s soft melodies intertwined in these heavy and thunderous guitar-forward grunge sounds.
“We’re really excited to be here, this is the best night ever,” Alithea Tuttle says sweetly to the audience. Guitarist Baron Rinzler chimed in explaining, “We took a really long, scenic route to get here. We’re from the valley and ended up in West Hollywood.” It was almost comedic the way these heavy-hitting and hammering songs were coming from the gentlest, most soft-spoken musicians.
The aching and vulnerable lyrics written all over this album shined in “One Million”, “The Choice”, “Number One Fan” and “Another Second Chance”. This overall theme of figuring out feelings, doubt, relationships, and love portrayed through distorted, biting guitar and a driving drum oozed an oxymoronic masterpiece.
Photo via Rocket
Under red and purple lights, Tuttle was in a dance with guitarists Rinzler and Desi Scaglione on the stage. Cooper Ladomade laid down the drums on “Act Like Your Title”. From the side stage, a man in all black emerged and ran across the stage, diving into the crowd. A mosh emerged and suddenly my gin-and-tonics were splashing as “Crossing Fingers” led our bodies through the dynamic flow between hard and soft points of the song. Crashing our bodies into each other was the only way to absorb this set correctly while Rocket played through their new album. There was head banging, hair tossing, elbows clashing with shoulders, lights beaming, laughter and screams, yells and recklessness – a potion of celebration for R is for Rocket.
It felt like an honor to have a spot in that room and share the last stop for a major record release tour for Rocket. After revealing their LA Dodgers flag laid out on their stage, Scaglione shouted, “Los Angeles is the best city in the fucking world!” with the crowd cheering in response. The band’s pride in their accomplishments combined with getting to play in their hometown overflowed off the stage and onto the audience.
Rocket has clearly made a name for themselves as one of the rawest rock bands coming out of the music industry right now, leaving new listeners and loyal fans in anticipation with what comes next.
What a show, Rocket. It’s way too easy to say I will be on the lookout for future shows. And I will be bringing all my friends.