By: Christopher McLaughlin

Sunday, Nov. 24 was indeed one of the coldest nights that Boston has seen this semester, with wind chill-influenced temperatures dipping down into the low teens.

However, you may not think it from the nearly endless line of galvanic and high-spirited kids wrapping around the block of the Royale Nightclub. A sold out show meant plenty of security personnel, extra bar hands, and a horde of ecstatic youth, all donning an array of trendy clothing.

One band’s banner seems to find common placement on many T-shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, and hats: “The Story So Far.”

Two years ago, one may not have foreseen The Story So Far headlining the 1,300 capacity nightclub. In 2011, the California-bred pop punk outfit were supporting Boston local band A Loss For Words in a much smaller venue, The Middle East, a show which drew well under the 575 capacity mark.

Since then, their signature formula of infectious melodies, innovative instrumentation, and all-too relatable lyrics combined with a rigorous touring schedule have catapulted The Story So Far to the forefront of the pop punk scene.

In the past year, the five piece band have moved from supporting hopeful local artists in VFW halls and traveling in 15-passenger vans to playing with pop-punk legends New Found Glory, performing on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour, and as of most late, headlining their own winter tour.

With a sold out crowd and an impressive collection of supporting bands, their Boston show was sure to be one to remember.

Doors opened as scheduled at 6:30, and shortly after opening band Heart To Heart tore right into their set. While short, the band of California kids set off the night with a high energy, mosh friendly 20 minutes of crowdsurfing that created a great sense of excitement and yearning for the rest of the touring bands.

Feeding upon that energy was the following band, Rotting Out. While their style bordered on the side of more hardcore than pop-punk, some of the crowd may have found themselves becoming a bit alienated, however others were more than happy to mosh away through their energetic and passionate set. Such Gold, who wasted no time shredding into their high-energy punk and hardcore influenced songs, such as “Sycamore” and “Gut-Rot,” followed Rotting Out.

Finally, Stick To Your Guns brought an immensely intense 35 minutes of hardcore influenced breakdowns that moshers were all too eager to embrace.

While four opening and supporting bands may have tired out some crowds, it was certainly not the case for the sold out audience that night.

As the lights fell and the opening chords ripped through the air, they were deafened by a roar of cheer and enthusiastic applause. As The Story So Far took the stage, vocalist Parker Cannon immediately set the pace as they sped into their latest single “Right Here,” which was immediately followed with crowd favorites “States and Minds,” “Roam” and “Daughters.”

The crowd screamed and chanted every word back at Cannon, with their bitter, emotional lyrics that some may identify with almost too well; “I know where you’ve been you’re ruining men never again will I let someone in.”

After the first few songs, Cannon took a moment to speak to the crowd. “I said this to New York at the show last night, but I’ll say it again, because it applies to Boston as well,” he spoke slowly.

“When we were first starting out, you guys were the first place outside of our hometown that ever gave a shit about our little band. Because of you, we’re where we are today, and for that, we can never say how much we love this city.”

However, Boston definitely showed it’s love back. Security was barely able to handle the aggregation of crowdsurfers, as the band played through fan favorites from their debut and sophomore releases, “Under Soil and Dirt” and “What You Don’t See.” They even threw in one of their singles from a rare older release, “680 South.”

As the night came to a close and The Story So Far ended their show with a crowd-pleasing encore of “High Regard,” they thanked the crowd, venue staff, and departed the stage, Cannon once again declared their love for the city of Boston, and the fans that helped them get to where they are today.

As the crowd chanted for a second encore that they may have known they would not receive, it’s clear that the love and respect between The Story So Far and Boston will certainly exist for years to come.