The night may have been chilly for what the Smith College Student Government Association (SGA) dubbed their Spring Concert, but the frigid weather deterred no one from attending: Canadian indie pop band Peach Pit drew a crowd of more than 1,500 students from across the Five College Consortium on Jan. 28. As the show’s MCs called out the names of Amherst College, UMass Amherst, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and finally Smith, thunderous roars for each school echoed through John M. Greene Hall (JMG). Even before the openers came on, audience members danced in their seats and spun to the music playing over the speakers, murmuring amongst themselves as they anxiously waited for the show to begin.
Smith’s very own quartet, the Nova-brides, kicked off the night with dreamy electric guitar chords and soft drums, eliciting cheers from the audience. Lead singer Smilla Eihausen ’26 opened with ethereal vocals not unlike those of singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou. Under colorful lights, Mira Lora ’26, Stella Hopper-Gramenz ’26 and newest member Josey Gerrard ’26 led the crowd through a cover of “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak that mellowed the atmosphere, swaying to the familiarly moody, romantic tune. The band performed originals “Married to That Feeling,” “Cerulean Blue” and “Racing,” along with “Hey, Hey You,” a brand-new single that had been completed earlier the same day. In “Racing,” an upbeat love song with a twangy guitar solo, the Novas sang, “Cause baby my heart is racing / got me mistaking every little sign,” as the audience nodded their heads to the playful melody. Throughout their songs, the Novas’ lyrics hinted at tattooed love interests and intimate moments, paying homage to the ups and downs of college romances. One could tell which audience members were Smithies based on how loud they cheered the Novas on in between songs.
With the Novas having warmed the crowd up, the next opener surprised the audience and shifted the mood entirely. Leyla Ebrahimi, a New York City-based artist, brought the energy with original songs including “i’m too pretty for this” and “nobody matters but You.” With intense electric guitar and drums backing up her belting lyrics, she asked the audience, “Do you believe in me? Do you think I’m a star?” to which they cheered. Despite a humorous slip-up when Ebrahimi confidently referred to Northampton as “Newhampton,” the show indeed went on, with her second single even prompting the crowd to stand up and bounce along. Ebrahimi’s music recalled songs like “bad idea right?” and “get him back!” from Olivia Rodrigo’s second studio album, “GUTS,” telling (or yelling?) the same winding, incomplete story of finding oneself through first loves and heartbreak. Ebrahimi ended her set with an upcoming release titled “i’m sorry maria,” a dramatic yet mournful track that kept audience members on their toes before the floor was turned over to the main event.
When the long-awaited Peach Pit took the stage, the crowd went wild. The four musicians started with their signature 2016 song “Peach Pit,” and their jangly guitar sounds filled the hall amidst the cheers. They sang, “It’s been a long season through / this rotting fruit with you,” instantly transporting the crowd away from the long Massachusetts winter season to something closer to a laid-back beach vacation with the band’s “surf-rock” melodies. After playing two more songs, “Black Licorice” and “Vickie,” singer and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith addressed the audience. The vocalist announced that he was happy to have finally visited Smith College, saying, “It’s actually my college — since my name is Neilson Smith,” earning him thunderous laughter and cheers. As the show continued, the band transitioned smoothly between songs, keeping the mood at once light and tropical-feeling with their 2020 song “Psychics in LA” before moving into a more dreamlike soft-rock sound with hits “Give Up Baby Go” and “Tell Me You Love Me.” Regardless of what the tone was, the audience was entranced, with some singing along to familiar songs passionately, twirling in place with their friends, or even just swaying along as they watched the performance.
The seasoned band members clearly knew how to engage the audience, especially lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy. When the band played their number one hit song “Alrighty Aphrodite,” which has over 160 million streams on Spotify, Vanderkooy took his opportunity to bask in the spotlight. With a soundtrack backing him up, Vanderkooy enjoyed his metallic guitar solo by running to the front of the stage, jumping to the beat as he vigorously struck his guitar, drawing screams and cheers from the audience. Smith and bassist Peter Wilton mostly remained toward the back of the stage, but neither refrained from enthusiastically bopping their heads — the former occasionally whipped his long hair around in true rockstar fashion as he still managed to play his guitar with practiced precision. Wilton even brought out a violin at one point, blending the instruments’ delicate, classic sound seamlessly with the upbeat indie pop melodies.
When the band announced they would play their final song of the night, “Shampoo Bottles,” the audience brought out their phone flashlights, waving their arms back and forth to the tune even before being directed to do so by Smith. Yet it wasn’t long after the members exited the stage to thunderous applause and cheers that the audience began stomping and chanting in unison, “One more song!” Much to the delight of the crowd, Peach Pit did indeed return, with Vanderkooy charging back onto stage and spraying a lucky few audience members with his water bottle. The band launched straight into a surprise encore, performing their song “Drop the Guillotine,” from their 2018 album “Being So Normal.” The crowd roared as soon as the song began, with some audience members even singing along to the lyrics, “You sure know how to drop that guillotine on me / Though you were never one to see me bleed.” Crashing cymbals from drummer Mikey Pascuzzi along with Vanderkooy’s epic electric guitar sequence raised the room’s mood to soaring heights.
Alas, all that goes up must come down. Peach Pit made their grand finale with one of their moodier hit songs, “Tommy’s Party.” The audience mellowed, swaying to the lamenting lyrics, arms around each other as they held their breath in anticipation of hearing the last chord. When the musicians let their instruments go quiet at last, the audience jumped back to life, cheering, clapping and waving to the bowing band.
Peach Pit exited the stage for a final time, waving back to the audience before ducking behind the curtain. As the jittery crowd began pouring out of JMG Hall, joyful voices were already reminiscing on the night’s events. Whether they were walking arm-in-arm with their friends back to the Quad, or curating an Instagram story as they waited for the PVTA, nearly everyone seemed to concur that it was a night well spent. Personally, I would agree. SGA’s spring concert, having unexpectedly showcased three bands across at least three different genres, was certainly a resounding (and earsplitting) success.
Be First to Comment