Let’s Be Friends hosted their winter music festival on Friday, Feb. 2 at the University of Massachusetts Student Union Ballroom. The four-hour festival featured an impressive lineup of six local musicians, as well as art showcases, clothes and jewelry vendors and student club pop-ups.
Let’s Be Friends Music hosts live shows and festivals featuring student and local musicians around the UMass community. Created with the purpose of showcasing student musicians and artists, the hosts of the event encouraged those in attendance to talk to new people and make new friends. Their most recent festival featured student bands Rain Theory, Reservations at 8, Leadheads, Greystone, Noddery and headliner Stock Goblin.
Beginning at 4:00 p.m., the first band to take the stage was Rain Theory. The band opened the festival with a bass-heavy funk sound. The set list included original songs as well as covers, and they began with a run of original songs leading to an electric rendition of “Someday” by The Strokes, a song which perfectly matches the band’s playful vibe. After another round of original songs and a cover performance of “A Certain Romance” by Arctic Monkeys, Rain Theory concluded their set with a relentlessly fun instrumental original called “Route 62.”
Reservations at 8, the next group to perform, changed the energy by introducing the crowd to their aggressive punk style. Following a streak of original songs reminiscent of the punk rock sounds of the ‘90s, the group performed a cover of “Dilemma,” a track from Green Day’s newest album “Saviors.” The set finished with their original songs “Reservations at 8” and “Cumberland Farms.”
Leadheads and Greystone followed Reservations at 8. Leadheads brought a playful and wacky energy that captivated audiences when they performed “I Found a Way” by Drake Bell, the theme song of the TV Show “Drake and Josh.” Greystone delivered a set seemingly delivered straight from the 2010s, featuring covers of “Television/So Far So Good” by Rex Orange County and “Cooler than Me” by Mike Posner.
Next up on the stage was Noddery. The band performed several original songs and some covers, namely “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet, “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars and finally “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. Led by a brilliant and energetic vocalist, the band members spread their energy with the crowd through their dynamic interactions. The guitar duo stole the show, delivering refined guitar solos while bouncing back and forth off each other’s energy.
Stock Goblin headlined the festival, introducing the crowd to their groovy music, akin to the sound of the ‘70s new wave acts like Talking Heads and Blondie. Stock Goblin provided a brilliant conclusion to the stellar lineup of student musicians that performed.
The festival also included a market featuring art, clothes, food and more. Student clothing vendors lined the back wall of the ballroom, ranging from vintage secondhand clothes to original prints and embroideries. Other students sold homemade jewelry and crochet beanies.
Student artists also showcased their work at the festival. An interactive stand had students rip off parts of the piece, while another piece asked students to deface it with a sharpie. One of the featured artists was Issy Paterson, an intermedia artist.
Several student organizations brought pop-up stands to the festival. The UMass Songwriting Club and UMass Art Club participated and the University Programming Council had a spin-the-wheel stand where they gave out prizes.
Gustavo Atencio Flores can be reached at [email protected].
