The Campus Center Auditorium came alive on Friday, Sept. 19 with the Let’s Be Friends music festival. The show, organized in association with the Residence Hall Association and headlined by Brattleboro, Vermont-based band Thus Love, featured local bands Skruple, Grand View Point and Autumn Drive. Let’s Be Friends brought its attendees together through live music, clothing stalls, art stalls and free food.

Let’s Be Friends, which organizes live music festivals in New England, holds events at the University of Massachusetts once a semester. Having held its annual Winter Festival in February, its goal is to create a sense of community in the region, especially among the student population, some of whom also have a stake in organizing its events.

The music festival showcased not just the skills of its musicians and vendors, but also the power of community when people are brought together. Devin Dixon, UMass alumnus and Let’s Be Friends’ Director of Operations, thanked the RHA for their role in organizing the event and spoke of how it was meant to bring its attendees together. “The objective of Let’s Be Friends, number one, is to spread joy and provide positive entertainment,” Dixon said “We want to give students an opportunity to express themselves on stage and have fun.”

Attendees got to enjoy the efforts of artists who were ready not only to entertain them but also display their own strengths. The first band that performed that night was the student band Skruple. Skruple consists of lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Ahna Frede, bassist Syd Chuang, lead guitarist and singer Ceci Carry and drummer Claire Neville, the latter of whom was not available. Filling in for Neville was Let’s Be Friends’ Director of Media Strategy, Peter Drakos.

Skruple’s setlist comprised of both original songs and covers, including of The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mayonaise” and Mannequin P****’s “Loud Bark.”

“I feel like our set just kind of shows off … our style and our attitude … on stage,” Frede said. “I feel like we have kind of fun and maybe it’s just me, but maybe I’m a little domineering on stage. But I like the songs we play. I think that they have good energy.”

During the performance, Frede, Chuang and Carry decided to switch roles, with Frede playing bass, Chuang playing lead guitar and Carry singing lead vocals. The band said that the switch was not only fun but an opportunity for them to hone their musical skills.

Skruple, which usually performs with an additional guitarist, only featured Carry on lead guitar at Let’s Be Friends. Thus, they had to adapt their setlist to accommodate songs they could play with the instruments they had on hand.

“I think that we also have to pay attention to logistics, with [us] only having one bassist, one guitarist, and a drummer. There’s some songs that are just not tangible to do,” Frede said. “But sometimes we can … adapt them and make them like our own.”

Following Skruple’s performance was Grand View Point, who were followed by Autumn Drive. Autumn Drive consists of lead singer Charlie Gamache, lead guitarist Aiden Parker, bassist Patrick Igoe and drummer Joe Gauvin. Among their setlist was their new single “Only You,” which they will include on their new EP in October.

The band performed at the festival at Let’s Be Friends’ behest. Igoe in particular shared his excitement about performing at the University after several months, especially at the beginning of a new school year when people were rejuvenated.

“It’s great to be back. We were here a week ago at the Drake and we made a good splash to the start of the school year,” Igoe said. “It was good to play the new tunes for the Amherst College crowd.”

Finally, Thus Love took to the stage. Their lineup, comprised of singer and guitarist Echo Marshall, guitarist and keyboardist Shane Blank, bassist Ally Juleen and drummer Lu Racine, performed both songs that they had released for their first album as well as more recent songs, including their latest record, “All Pleasure.”

Marshall stated that he did not wish to restrict the band’s artistic style to one genre only. “To me and my bandmates, [our music] is … an artistic catharsis, and it can limit you in a lot of ways if you yourself, as the artist, choose to put it in a box,” Marshall said.

The four bands’ performances drew a great deal of enjoyment from spectators, stallholders and organizers alike. Each set drew applause and cheers, electrifying the crowd and getting them into the groove of the music.

Attendees showed their appreciation for the efforts that the musicians and festival organizers , some of whom were current students at UMass, put into the show.

Hooper James, who hosted the event, spoke about the community-building aspect of the event and its importance in a world that can be divisive.

“Deep down, we all have souls and hearts and minds, and it is very important that we can connect with other humans … because we’re animals at the end of the day and we move together better as a tribe,” James said, adding that it also served as a platform for student entrepreneurs to turn “their passion into income.”

Kalana Amarasekara can be reached at [email protected].