By Gabriella Pacitti
Correspondent
The College Union Board’s alternative group (CUB ALT) welcomed New York-based artist Chloe Lilac and opening band Millington to the College on Nov. 29 for their last concert of the fall semester.
The performers brought their unique energies to an intimate audience on Tuesday night with two entertaining sets that had the crowd dancing throughout.
The concert was an opportunity for students to enjoy some live music and be introduced to smaller artists they may not have been familiar with.
Emma Maggio, a freshman mathematics and secondary education major, shared her unfamiliarity with the night’s performers.
“I’ve heard of the genre but never listened to them,” Maggio said.
Amelia Phillips, a freshman music education major, shared similar sentiments. Despite being unfamiliar with the artists they came to see, both Maggio and Phillips agreed that CUB concerts are a good time.
“We went to the last concert they had and had a lot of fun, so we decided to come tonight,” Phillips said.
To kick off the evening, the self-proclaimed “brass-emo” band Millington performed a seven-song opening set, which included “Let You In,” “Maryanne” and “I Don’t Want You Back.”
(Elizabeth Gladstone / Photo Editor)
The six-man ska group served up an eclectic combination of rock vibes and jazzy brass instruments that caught everyone’s attention. It was as if a 2000s pop-punk band teamed up with a college pep band: heavy on the drums and guitar with the fresh sound of the trumpet and saxophone to mix things up.
This was an aspect that didn’t go
unnoticed or unappreciated.
“I haven’t seen that, so I was like, oh, that’s interesting,” said Leila Hudson, a freshman speech pathology major.
The band’s style of music seemed to be a pleasant surprise to most attendees, as many of them could be seen dancing or head bobbing along to the band’s infectious music.
Lilac followed Millington’s performance with a twelve-song setlist. Among the lineup were her singles “19,” “High School” and “how does your girlfriend feel about it.”
Lilac’s unique musical personality was front and center throughout her performance.
“19,” a personal and timely song, was a dive into the experience of living through a pandemic as a teenager, with standout lyrics such as “Nobody gets me, I live in a bad dream, the world’s f-ing ending and I’m only 19.”
Before continuing her set, Lilac introduced “19” and gave the audience a deeper look into the song, briefly talking about what inspired her to write it.
“I wrote this song in the middle of the pandemic about how just scary everything was,” Lilac said as she introduced the song.
She made a point to connect with her audience, at one point asking everyone to sit down with her as she sang “taxidermy.”
“This song kind of deals with my struggle with codependence,” Lilac said.
Her set was a mix of high energy that got people dancing and slower, more emotional tunes that gave listeners a look into her personal world.
Similar to the reaction to Millington, familiarity with the artists doesn’t necessarily matter when they’re good at what they do.
“I liked the music,” said Janice Romero, a freshman speech pathology major. “I liked what she sang about.”
The night ended on a high note with both artists sticking around after their performances to talk with audience members and the event coordinators.
To sum it up as simply as Hudson, “Free music, good vibes.”
