If you walked into The Drake on the night of Sept. 13, as I did, you likely would have walked into a blue-black room. If you sat on the comfort of the bench, in the warm darkness of the far wall, you would have watched the venue come alive as people trickled in. That night, presented by Local Mojo, Autumn Drive headlined The Drake, accompanied by Over the Median.

Approaching the show’s start, people were milling about — mostly stylish university students, sporting loose jeans, tank tops, scuffed sneakers and T-shirts, accentuated by dark makeup and jewelry. There was laughter, students holding drinks, holding conversations with friends — and through it all, everyone periodically looking up to the stage in anticipation.

Preluding Autumn Drive was UMass-based band Over the Median. Made up of seniors Nick Savage as lead singer and guitarist, Cooper Gardner on drums and Gavin Donovan on bass, their performance was a testament to the band’s roots in friendship. They met during their freshman year at UMass, when Savage and Donovan put up a flier in Franklin Dining Commons with a list of bands they liked. It was an extensive list, including Nirvana and the Talking Heads. That same day, one person had replied, and that person was Gardner.

Over the Median started off with “Stealing Garv,” one of their unreleased songs, the intro started with a lively staccato drum rhythm which slowed down halfway through the song, to gradually pick up speed again.

Following was “Mary Gary,” set to be released alongside “Stealing Garv” on an impending album. The song was born of a comical misunderstanding. One day in class, Savage shared in our interview , he’d looked up at the board and misinterpreted the words his professor had written, reading them as “Mary Gary.” From there, he’d kept on writing in his notebook, based on that line.

“[Mary Gary] isn’t even in the song,” Savage said, laughing.

One of their last songs played was their recently released song, “Master of None.” Introducing it as one of the first songs they’d written, “Master of None” had a drum intro like a marching line in a parade and an eerie synthwave background. As the song reached its crescendo, heads banged and Donovan concluded with a solo, to which the crowd broke down into cheers.

“Welcome back to school,” were the words lead singer Charlie Gamache used to introduce Autumn Drive, a belated kickoff for their show. The yellow and orange hues bounced off the metal of the drums as they faced the crowd.

Made up of Gamache as lead singer, Aidan Parker on guitar and vocals, Patrick Igoe on bass and Joe Gavin on drums, the band was returning to The Drake for the second time this year. Opening with “Last Night,” Autumn Drive performed swiftly and energetically, moving briskly from one song to the next.

Since their founding in 2023, the band was coming into their own, onstage, and off. In our interview, Gamache said they had already begun writing songs for their following album. “It’s really exciting,” Gamache said about the process of creating them. This excitement for their craft was easily seen through their performance.

Of their own songs, Autumn Drive’s setlist included “Daisy,” “Work Out,” “City Song” and an unnamed, unreleased song set to be included in an upcoming album. The songs were contemplative and emotional, a testament to the care that the band puts into their music.

The show contained several covers, including “What You Know” by the Two Door Cinema Club, “Linger” by The Cranberries and “Kilby Girl” by the Backseat Lovers. Autumn Drive added a personal twist to each one, complete with raw emotion and a visible passion for the songs.

Before they ended the show, Autumn Drive wanted to thank their fans and reminisce on their history. “The first time we performed here there were, like, twelve people … and now we’re headlining,” Gamache said with a laugh before thanking everyone for coming.

After the show ended, people filed slowly out of the venue, elbow to elbow. Photographers stood outside with the musicians. The family of a band member opened proud arms. The chatter of enthusiastic voices spilled out into the cool evening. There was a new energy in the air. At The Drake, Gavin said, people came to see the artists themselves, rather than just a show. That night, this held true.

Charlotte Joly can be reached at [email protected].