Images: The Story So Far, Basement, Turnover, Last Call November 18, 2015 at Vinyl Las Vegas

Vinyl inside of the Hard Rock Hotel played host once again to another fantastic lineup with pop-punk powerhouse The Story So Far rolling into town. Basement, Turnover, and Las Vegas’ own Last Call were given support act duties as a sold out crowd filled the venue. You know it’s going to be a packed house when even the opening local band has a good sized crowd watching them.

Last Call fit the bill perfectly. The local pop punk outfit powered their way through their small 5 song set with positivity and a great reaction from a crowd who very likely had never heard of them before, despite being from Las Vegas. The thing that stood out most during the set was not just their music but the passion they had for The Center which is a local community center for gay and lesbian youth. The band had special benefit t-shirts made with profits and all record sales from the night going to the organization. The guys were also very humble about being chosen to open the show and took the time to give a shout out to other great locals and encouraged the crowd to check out bands such as Guts, Characters, and Alaska. After playing a brand new song “Impotent or Evil” and pushing through a few technical difficulties, the guys ended their set on “Small Town Blues.”

When I was first approved for the show, a friend of mine who knew I’d never listened to Turnover before told me to give their latest record Peripheral Vision a listen.  I blew it off and just chalked it up to being too busy to check it out. But before the boys even came on stage, I could hear lots of chatter among the crowd about how good the new record was, and I was beginning to regret my decision. Opening with “New Scream” Turnover appeared very relaxed and collected up on stage. They stuck to songs from the new record (which I’m sure no one was complaining about), and by the 3rd song “Diazepam,” they’d won me over as a fan. The entire crowd erupted in cheers as the opening guitar riff started and everyone sang along with frontman Austin Getz. Things picked up slightly in energy as the band ended on “Humming” and my now personal favorite and I think everyone else’s, “Cutting My Fingers Off.” I wish I’d followed my friend’s advice so I could have sung along to all the songs.

Following Turnover was the UK’s punk rock outfit Basement, who brought the first mosh pits of the night with their high energy set. Opening with “Whole” from 2012’s Colourmeinkindness, the crowd immediately got into it and sang along. They continued their 13 song set list mostly with material from Colourmeinkindness and 2011’s  I Wish I Could Stay. Mid-set though, fans were treated to more recent Basement material, “Summer’s Colour” from the 3 song EP they released at the end of their 2 year hiatus. We also got to hear their newest single “Promise Everything.” For me, the highlight of the set came at the end with fan favorite “Covet.”

Walnut Creek CA pop punk legends The Story So Far took the stage next. The band always puts on a high energy performance with lots of chances for the crowd to sing along and groove to. This night was no different and they got things off to a quick start by opening with “Nerve,” “Things I Can’t Change” and “Heavy Gloom.” Kids made their way over the barricade and kept security on their toes all night long.

The guys played a mixed set of all their releases until slowing it down midway to play “Phantom” and “Clairvoyant” from their self titled record and split EP. Cell phones and lighters were all pulled out during both as the crowd swayed back and forth singing along. Things picked right back up again though as “Quicksand” was next and instantly, everyone was jumping up and down along with the band. Playing fan favorite after fan favorite, The Story So Far had finally come to the end of its 15 song set, finishing strong with “Roam” and “Empty Space.” Can I just say how nice it is to see a band forego the now-so-cliche “planned” encore?

-Tylor Thuirer | https://www.flickr.com/photos/thuirermedia/