On March 6, 2020, the Brandeis Association of Music and Concert Organizers hosted its second event of the year, “BAMCO Presents: Horse Jumper of Love with Boston Cream,” in Cholmondeley’s Coffee House. The event was created and organized by the group to bring the world of rock and indie punk on to the Brandeis campus. That night, Chum’s became a lively, energetic concert venue packed with eager, cheerful students and performers alike.

The show’s opener, Boston Cream, is an indie punk band from the local area of Boston, Massachusetts. Describing their music as “mutant freakout party music,” Boston Cream rocked the audience with their harsh chords and confident lyrics.  The band consists of five members: Melanie Bernier, Ryan Connelly, Peach Goodrich, Joe Marrett and Nicholas Ward, who all bring a unique sound and style to form one cohesive and epic performance. The purple and orange lights illuminating both the performers and the audience created an entertaining ambience, combining punk rock flair with disco influences. During the show, the members each performed a choreographed dance to fit the stylistic sounds of each song as the audience danced alongside them.  At the end of the show, the members wiped the sweat off their brow (just to show how hard they really rocked) as the audience erupted in cheers. It was an amazing way to start the show and the interactions between the band and the audience were filled with laughter and joy. 

Following Boston Cream, Horse Jumper of Love, the headliner, jumped on stage as the audience burst into cheers and applause. Their music layers the hypnotic drone of slow chords with heavy rock and metal influences heard throughout their songs. The Boston-based band is made up of Dimitri Giannopoulos (guitar and lead vocals), John Margaris (bassist) and Jamie Vadala-Doran (drummer), who formed the band in 2013.  They have been featured on several prominent radio stations as well as popular music magazines.  The band performed some of their more popular songs, such as “Ugly Brunette” and “Orange Peeler,” both of which were followed by the audience’s enthusiastic participation in its lyrics. Toward the end of their performance, the band performed a special song that was immediately recognized by everyone in the audience: the theme song to the popular TV show “Drake and Josh.” The tone quickly shifted from moody, relaxed beats into one of casual, comical enjoyment to end the show. Afterwards, Anthony Rivera ’20 said, “They are a solid band that deserves more recognition. I am happy that Chum’s can be a place for them to show off their talent.” 

The concert was a success and well-received by the students who attended. In an interview with the Justice, Anna Bartusis ’20, both a long-serving member of BAMCO and General Manager of Chum’s, said, “It was such a fun show! Boston has a great music scene and it’s awesome to support local bands.” BAMCO remains an irreplaceable, invaluable club on campus in their efforts to host events dedicated to showcasing bands who present different styles and genres of music and performances around the East Coast.  Being around people who were simply enjoying the night with amazing music, food and friends was an awesome way to end the stressful week.