Indie bands rock church house

If a perfect balance is to be found between local bands and west coast indie groups, WHUS Radio found it in their first concert of the year this past Saturday. For those who can’t decide which coast has better music, the punk concert featured groups from both California and Connecticut; the first “Radio for the People” show of the season included the San Diego-based band Plateau on tour with Colleen Greene of Los Angeles, followed by Willimantic’s own The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die. 

Half of the concertgoers wore earplugs, many of which were fashioned out of paper towels and toilet paper. Miss Greene aside, the show could be heard and even felt from outside of the building. In true punk fashion, opening act Plateau unleashed a flurry of short, guitar-heavy, extremely loud songs, the lyrics to which were indiscernible to many. 

Andrew Maloney, a 2011 UConn alum, described front man Kevin Gist’s band as “tight, but slightly repetitive.” The playing progressed from California surf-inspired lyrics over repetitive chord progressions to nearly anthemic punk. 

Massachusetts-resident-turned-Californian Colleen Greene followed Plateau with a balanced, surf-rock sound. Green, who usually plays guitar solo with a drum machine, was backed by members of Plateau as she pled, “Walk with me and tell me I’m your girl.” Her sound varied from more experimental drum-and-vocals sections to classic punk sounds. A self-described “stoner pop” musician, Greene “I need you... I need you...” lyrics were not unlike that of her home state’s two-piece Best Coast. However, and almost unexpectedly, Greene’s later tracks proved she could hold her own among the heavier acts.

The headliners, The World is a Beautiful Place..., were a completely different sound altogether. The “twinkly emo” genre, according to Central Connecticut 1st-semester sociology student Nicole Lapriore, is named such that the acts associated with it are access points into modern emo music. Easily the loudest of the three bands, “TWIABP&IANLATD” was tinged with emo and metal influences. Lead singer and keyboardist Thomas Diaz’s voice was surprisingly perceptible over the wail of the band, which was easily the tightest-knit of the bands. 

Jules LeFevre, promotional director for WHUS, is familiar with a wide range of music genres and aims to apply his extensive knowledge to booking future acts; Saturday’s concert is, accordingly, the first of many the radio hopes to put on throughout the year. When they happen, 1st-semester psychology major, Therese Masotta promised, “I will be them.”