On Saturday afternoon, the Vassar grounds began buzzing with noise. Soundchecks could be heard across campus as Slow Pulp and Tanukichan warmed up on Noyes Circle (colloquially known as the Nircle). The 72-degree day was filled with a surplus of live music and student-run events. But for eager Vassar music lovers, the main attraction was the 2026 Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) Spring Concert. Adorned with glitter eye shadow, flowy skirts and ribbons around our necks, we marched over to the Nircle at 6 p.m. sharp to see student band, Anodyne, begin to warm up the crowd.
The Miscellany News communicated with ViCE Co-Head Kwabena Adae ’26 via email to discuss logistics surrounding the event. Preparations for the day began around 6:30 a.m., with ViCE members decorating campus paths with colorful chalk drawings and promotions for the bands. Additional setup included production load-in, setting up dressing rooms and accommodating the artists. Ultimately, ViCE’s ample preparations did not go unnoticed, and the electrifying concert that followed was a well-deserved reward.
Artist selection must occur up to months in advance with the help of a booking agent. Adae stated, “ViCE’s selection of artists includes creating a running list of artists we are excited by, curating a vibe, researching artists, aggregating student sentiments, and beginning the bidding process.” Once the act arrives on campus, ViCE has the opportunity to interview the bands. Students can look out for Slow Pulp and Tanukichan’s interviews in the Fall of 2026.
On concert day, ViCE-sponsored festivities began at 3 p.m. with the Art Fair—a collaboration between Vassar Artists Group (VAG) and ViCE—and the “Vicennial Games,” which included soccer, dodgeball, capture the flag and kickball, all lasting until 5 p.m. Students displayed their finest creations, including prints, jewelry, collectables and clothes, to be sold to students who anticipated the night’s events. This high excitement remained as the student bands for the ViCE concert began at 6 p.m., with a nearby taco truck opening its window shortly after.
Anodyne kicked off the night with a list of their originals, which have now become Vassar favorites. The indie rock band consists of sophomores Elliot Evans [Disclaimer: Evans is a Copy Staffer for The Miscellany News], Nikolai Jerrard, Leo Kogan and Joey LaRosa. Students spread themselves out in groups on the Nircle. Some brought bowls of food out from Gordon Commons, eating dinner picnic-style with Anodyne’s bright guitar riffs to accompany them. Others thrashed around right in front of the stage, with their hands in the air, dancing among friends.
The stage then transitioned into Bedlam’s set, which began at 6:45 p.m. The band got the crowd excited and more and more students began to trickle onto the Nircle. The all-senior band, which consists of Denver Brown [Disclaimer: Brown is the Live Events Chair for The Miscellany News], Duncan Beauchamp, Kalina Sloat and Walt Schoen, took the venue by storm, performing with their quintessential ’90s emo rock sound. Their electric guitars paired with the upbeat drum beamed across campus, calling to students far and wide. Gatherings of students could be seen getting ready for the concert and peeking out their windows from their dorms in Noyes House. A cool breeze blew in, relieving the crowd of the hot sun that had taken over campus the previous week. Those lucky enough to witness Bedlam’s set got the best spots in the crowd up close to the stage for the rest of the evening.
Shortly after Bedlam topped off their set, up-and-coming indie rock artist Tanukichan went on as the last opener of the night. Wearing a grey crew-neck sweatshirt paired with a black knee-length skirt, Tanukichan looked like a typical Vassar student. Backed up by just a drummer and a guitarist, Tanukichan looked out over the crowd, picking her droning bass. Some students took to nearby hammocks, overlooking the orange glow of an occasional cigarette piercing through the crowd. Not a phone was in sight as students swayed to the fuzzy, distorted guitar. Tanukichan’s light voice hummed lyrics that were hard to make out among the overpowering guitar that is quintessential to her sound. As the sky finally relinquished its tranquil blue, increasing clusters of friends stormed the concert site, skipping and dancing hand-in-hand with Tanukichan’s dreamy vocals and crunchy production in the backdrop.
With the blazing sun now fully away, Noyes House illuminated its grassy circle with a soft glow. Tanukichan finished her set with “Hunned Bandz,” a deep, distorted guitar-heavy jam that permitted students to swing around. Once finished, the crowd cheered as she thanked the audience and announced that Slow Pulp would follow shortly. “That was euphoric,” a nearby peer uttered. Final preparations began, with some students running back to their dorms for final liquor touch-ups and much-needed bathroom breaks as the stage was set up. Stragglers sprinted into the mass of students as bright stars loomed above. At last, Abigail Schoenecker ’26 and Adae enthusiastically took the podium to introduce Slow Pulp, sparking echoing screams from the assembled students.
Fog filled the stage as lights flowed between white and light blues. Slow Pulp kicked off their set with “Do You Feel It,” an ethereal, short track that builds a minimal production to an energetic, roaring anthem. “Do you feel it?” lead singer Emily Massey—dressed in a blue zip-up and grey baggy pants—asked. And surely we did. As the track revved up, the listeners’ excitement did as well, with head-swaying and jumpy whirls quickly taking over the audience.
Slow Pulp confidently transfixed concertgoers with their addicting indie rock tracks. As the band continued with punchy jams “Idaho” and “At It Again,” the smell of cigarettes overtook our nostrils. Behind the band, projections of bright oranges whirled around, paralleling the grooves of the audience. Once the band reached their fourth tune, “Cramps,” the thrilling spirit of the audience was obvious: The Brewers’ shared euphoric emotions gleamed in the band’s coming-of-age akin production.
We watched our peers rock between each other, bearing empty water bottles or tiny Pinot Grigio glasses in their hands. During “Falling Apart,” Massey noticed loyal fans screaming the lyrics and decided to turn the microphone towards the audience. “Why don’t you go back / To falling apart? / You were so good at that,” we proudly sang, a smile overtaking Massey’s face. With cellphones barely making an appearance, the crowd was truly experiencing Slow Pulp in the moment. Perhaps my favorite part was during the country-twanged “Broadview,” in which Massey brought out a harmonica during an instrumental break, thus causing the crowd to roar. Maybe it was the collective elation of a free concert, but the vibes felt fresh. We certainly got lost in the band’s hazy dream-pop melodies and could not help but bounce our bodies about the shoegaze sounds.
Slow Pulp finished their set with “At Home,” a hard-hitting banger that showcased intense guitar riffs and atmospheric, floating production. Once again, Massey turned the microphone towards the crowd for the final section of the song, a build-up of plucking strings and melodic drums. As Brewers chanted the song’s repeating lyric, “Should I try all over again?,” they took in the final moments of the show, wrapping their arms around one another as they swayed. “This was so much fun,” Massey spoke before she left the stage, and concertgoers unquestionably agreed—perhaps the event’s warm, uniting energy is the most at home they felt in a while.