Images: Second to Last, Characters, Sue Falls & more February 9, 2014 at the Southern Nevada Sports Centre

I rushed to the Southern Nevada Sports Centre after work on Feb. 9 to see pop punkers Second to Last headline a show supported by an admittedly random smattering of local bands.

Due to my aforementioned day job and the early 5 p.m. start time of the show, I missed all of Jordan Hendricks’ solo performance, and all but the last song of We, The Odyssey, which ended up being a Fall Out Boy cover. So the first full set of the night for me was pop punk trio See by Faith. Unfortunately, the band sounded pretty terrible, and admitted as much themselves, stating that they hadn’t practiced in over a month. Here’s hoping for a better showing next time.

Face The Sun was an odd mixture of kids and a pirate that all really seemed to enjoy playing together. They were the heaviest band on the bill and while the costume this far from Halloween was an unusual choice, the band didn’t sound half bad. Next up was Sue Falls, self-described as “alternative rock w/ hip hop and electronic influence,” and I’ll say that they definitely demanded attention. Between singing, the lead singer would break out with screams to keep the audience on their toes. They had good stage presence and reminded me a lot of early Linkin Park.

Unfortunately due to some equipment troubles, I had to miss Off Trends, but luckily, I made it in time to catch some familiar faces in Characters. Midriff-baring lead singer Ben Tsai was sporting a fetching The Story So Far crop top, and the band rocked out with all their energy, opening with “Cage,” and playing a solid set that included a cover of “Heart’s All Gone” by Blink-182.

Unfortunately, by the time Second to Last set up their gear in the Sports Centre, the crowd had dwindled considerably. It’s pretty crazy how amazing the band members sound together considering the latest lineup contains members from three different states. Bassist Russell St. Clair should be familiar to local pop punk fans, having played in a variety of Vegas-based bands like Love It or Leave It and GUTS. Iowa-based drummer Brandon Blakeley reached out to the California-based lead singer Tyson Evans online, and ended up on tour with them. The band took the small crowd in stride, and put on a fantastic set.

Editor’s note: Check out these Stripped Down Sessions we filmed with Second to Last singer Tyson Evans before the show.

-Hunter Wallace | https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter_wallace/