Concertgoers’ endless energy and enthusiasm poured from The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center courtyard Thursday night during WMUC 90.5 FM Fest — its first in collaboration with the University of Maryland’s annual NextNow Fest.
The festival, which headlined local indie bands, is held annually in September. This year’s lineup included God Forgive This Dog, They Are Gutting a Body of Water and feeble little horse. Olivia Mezzullo, WMUC’s social media director, said the bands hyped up attendees while also fitting a goal to highlight local artists, a main focus of the festival since its origin.
“I wanted there to be at least one local artist because that was something we always did with WMUC Fest,” Mezzullo, a senior government and politics major, said. “I thought it was really important that we were supporting local artists in this.”
God Forgive This Dog, from the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, kicked off the evening’s performances with a set primarily composed of instrumentals. The captivating sounds ended in an explosive finale, with overblown guitars and shrieking vocals got the crowd dancing for the first time of the night.
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Douglas Dulgarian, lead singer of the Philadelphia indie band They Are Gutting a Body of Water, also known as TAGABOW, helped keep the energy high by speaking with audience members with reminders of what a great time he was having.
Amrit Singh, a senior public health science and family science major, said their favorite part of the night was making connections with other attendees. Singh added that listening to live music even if unfamiliar with the performing bands can be fun.
“You do make friends really easily in a community where you can bond over something,” Singh, who also works at WMUC, said. “In this case, it’s music.”
Closing band feeble little horse ended the night on a strong note with audience members swaying along to an atmospheric set. The band concluded with its signature closer, “Down.” The song’s intense crescendo left the crowd in a frenzy by the end.
Tyler Clifford, The Clarice’s senior artistic planning coordinator, emphasized that organizing WMUC Fest wasn’t just about amplifying local bands. It’s also about serving the campus and community with a free, accessible concert, Clifford added, with students also involved in event organizing.
“It’s really a team effort,” Clifford said. “I think having a diverse team who is able to own certain parts of the festival and then see them thrive in terms of their programming is really exciting.
For sophomore psychology major Cael Lynch, the ability to connect with people and make friends at the concert was invaluable. The free festival also allowed Lynch to connect with more people over their shared love for music, he added.
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“It’s great and it’s live music, you don’t even need to know the bands,” Lynch said. “There’s literally no requirements to come here, you don’t have to be anyone, you can just come and enjoy your time.”
Mezzullo, who had a hand in organizing WMUC Fest, said she was impressed by both the high attendance and positive reception. She finds events like these very important to the artistic and community sides of the station.
“Everyone seemed really excited to be there, everyone was respectful of each other and of the artists, and I think everyone was just there, having a good time,” Mezzullo said. “Really, that’s all that matters. It’s not about selling out the show or packing the courtyard, it’s just about people showing up and enjoying music.”
