Photos by Sarah Berger '27
By Sarah Berger ’27
Arts and Entertainment Editor
As the doors of Chapin Auditorium opened on Sept. 28, a small crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs. It was the first show of the semester put on by Mount Holyoke College Students for Alternative Music, also known as MHC Alt, a student group who organizes concerts on campus. The show was free and open to the public, and though the crowd was primarily made up of Mount Holyoke College students, there were several people from the wider area in attendance as well.
MHC Alt members pointed to the shows as a way to form community. “On campus, we feel a little isolated from the other colleges,” Pach Pacheco ’25 said. “So it’s also just giving our students on campus a community. If they’re not able to get to the other shows at other campuses, [we are] able to have that here as well.”
Vic Klapa ’26, co-president of MHC Alt, spoke to the need for a space for music. “I feel like sometimes people don't really have enough to do on this campus on the weekend, and they’ll kind of end up outsourcing it at [the University of Massachusetts],” Klapa said. “So, you know, we just kind of really wanted to bring that kind of scene here.”
Audience members formed a packed group close to the stage, which helped to counteract the enormity of the venue. There were approximately 60 people in attendance, although more filed in as the night continued. The first band to play was Pulse, who hail from Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. They described their music as alternative rock. They primarily played their own music, although they closed out their set with “Head in the Ceiling Fan” by Title Fight. It was the second show they had ever performed.
After Pulse came Stoplight Makeout, a screamo band. It was also their second show, and they expressed excitement at the unconventionality of playing in Chapin. They played entirely original music. Sadie, the group’s singer, outlined their songwriting process. “We'll set up in the garage and they'll start playing some shit and I'll just start screaming over it and the lyrics kind of follow. So not too much of a professional process, but yeah. It's fun.”
The DIY spirit inspired by the first two bands continued with Sapien Joyride, who closed off the night. In addition to playing their own music, they brought an alternative twist to some much loved classics, like “Say it Ain’t So” by Weezer.
The show concluded before 10 p.m., but it had the energy and spirit of a late-night affair. Band members joined the crowd after their performances. They also interacted frequently with audience members, creating an atmosphere of a mutual exchange of joy.
Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.