Over the past year, Last Call has become a familiar name in Kingston’s student music scene. The seven-member band — Skylar and Ellie on vocals, Brendan and Claire on guitar, Sinead on bass, Nic on saxophone, and Leo on drums — describes their sound as “indie, raw, and pop.” Since the band’s inception, they have won QMC’s Battle of the Bands, played Ale Palooza, Muse Mini Desk, and the JDUC’s grand opening, and both headlined shows and opened for touring bands at The Toucan and The Merchant. It’s fair to say a lot has changed since their first practice in 2024.

When asked what has changed most since the band’s early days, Ellie pointed to the group’s growing trust in one another. “We trust each other more while we’re playing,” she says. “I feel like we’ve all grown closer as friends and as people.”

This shift in relationships has also changed the band’s onstage dynamic. Anyone who has followed Last Call since Battle of the Bands can notice the difference from the audience: the performances feel more confident and more settled, and the energy between members is clearer. The band moves less like a group figuring things out and more like one that knows how to play together.

There wasn’t one single moment when Last Call became a “real band”, each member remembers it differently. For Skylar, playing Ale Palooza was an early turning point. “Ale already was a pretty big marker for us, just having the big stage and such a big crowd come out so early on in our career,” she says.

Leo instead pointed to the band’s more recent shows at The Toucan. “I’d probably say one of our Toucan shows,” he says. “Recently our Toucan shows have gotten so much bigger. We had such a big crowd, and everyone’s so into it. It’s just so much fun.”

The band also credits Kingston’s music community with shaping its identity. Brendan describes the scene as constantly evolving. “There’s always something you can look forward to,” he says. “There’s always a band you haven’t seen before.”

For Ellie, performing around the city has expanded the band’s perspective beyond the student scene. “We definitely look up to not only Queen’s bands, but Kingston bands as well,” she says. “Playing at places like the Toucan has given us opportunities to see bands we wouldn’t have known about otherwise, like Squid Pistol and Sweet Pete in the Heat. It’s exposed us to Kingston as a whole, not just the student population.”

Claire adds that one of the most interesting parts of the Kingston music scene is its intergenerational nature. “You get these intergenerational crowds, locals and students together,” she says. For her, sharing spaces with more established local musicians has created opportunities to learn from artists with more experience. 

Last Call’s next show takes place at The Mansion on Saturday, February 28, alongside Dutch Baby, Naked by Nine, and LHRK. The event will be prom-themed, with audiences encouraged to dress in full glam. The night will include a photo booth, and the band plans to nominate a prom king and queen based on whoever is best dressed.

The show will also mark an important milestone for the band, as Last Call plans to debut their first original song, something they chose not to reveal much about in order to keep it a surprise.

When asked why people should come to the prom show, Ellie says, “It’s either you can come and prove that you didn’t peak in high school.” Skylar jokes, “or if you sucked in high school and you were a loser, now it’s your chance to be cool.”

Tickets for the show are available online at https://www.bouncelife.com/events/697d346135ae451420f3393f