Up until just recently, Bad Suns had spent most of their time on the road playing second fiddle, touring the country as support alongside a bigger name, but with this Heartbreaker Tour the L.A.-based quartet has been able to burst out of that cocoon. Just five years after forming, the Southern California rockers are now headlining medium-sized club venues (many of them sold out) across the country with direct support from fellow California natives From Indian Lakes. About a week ago, I had the privilege of catching this very tour when it made a stop at the Deluxe room of Old National Centre in Indianapolis, and I was not disappointed.

From Indian Lakes of course opened the night, and they brought a mostly chill vibe to the table with their set. The indie rockers played quite a few songs from their latest release, Everything Feels Better Now, including “The Monster” and the searing “Feel Love.” One thing I immediately noticed about From Indian Lakes’ set was the constant groove they seemed to have going on. Throughout their set there was no shortage of tight drumwork and basslines, both aspects being impressive on their own, and together making for a killer performance.

While From Indian Lakes came with a more chill indie sound, Bad Suns stuck to what they do best – fun, driving alternative rock with punk undertones at times. Naturally, with their sophomore full-length Disappear Here having just released last September, the quartet pulled heavily from that record for their own set. Some of its highlights included the dancy “Even In My Dreams, I Can’t Win” and the pulsing “Disappear Here” which kicked off the night, but the California boys were sure to include a decent number of songs from their 2014 debut as well. Despite the varied setlist, it still managed to be rather cohesive, making their solid stage presence, particularly that of frontman Christo Bowman, only icing on the cake. By the end of “Cardiac Arrest,” it seemed like Bowman was beginning to lose his voice a bit, but instead of calling it a night, Bad Suns left the stage for a quick breather and then came back for a 3-song encore, which included the tour’s namesake “Heartbreaker” and a more well-known cut from their debut, “Salt.”

Bad Suns brought the fun and energy to Deluxe while From Indian Lakes brought the groove and headiness; the result was no doubt an interesting combination which made for a great night of rock.