Shining sun, soft grass, blue skies, a relaxing breeze and ice cold Sno-Cones made for a perfect afternoon to laze on the quad and listen to the sweet music that Activities Council of Bradley University’s Lydstock had to offer.
First to perform was Peoria native David Mooney backed by upright bass player John Williams. Together they make the folk duo Cousin David. Mooney took the stage with pep in his step, sweat on his brow, and a look on his face that could make even Eeyore smile. Cousin David started Lydstock off strong with a short but satisfying set.
“[Lydstock had a] great sound and a nice, laid back atmosphere… it felt like playing in somebody’s backyard,” Mooney said.
Next was The Well Reds, an Atlanta pop-rock outfit with a bit of an ‘80’s vibe and just a touch of disco influence. Fronted by Jeremy Ezell, The Well Reds set was made up of original tunes mixed in with a slew of catchy covers. Bob Marley, Bruno Mars, Depeche Mode, Imagine Dragons and more were mixed seamlessly into their original songs.
The final act was the soulfully bluesy rock group Terraplane Sun from Venice Beach. Their set was the perfect complement to lazing on the quad on a Wednesday afternoon. Lead singer Ben Rothbard had a voice that sounded like Bob Dylan and Roger Daltry (lead singer of The Who) if they had a vocal baby and raised it as their own. Of course, these vocals fit perfectly with the band’s rockin’ vibe.
Attendance started slow but began to gain momentum by the end of Cousin David’s set. The crowd was very passive; most people were sitting or lying down, basking in sounds and sun. The laid back audience was great for Cousin David and Terraplane Sun, but for The Well Reds’ much poppier set, it would have been nice to see people dancing. The Well Reds’ also had a difficult time getting crowd participation when asking for people to sing along, which was unfortunate.
Lydstock event planner, junior social work major Casey McDonagh said she thought that the show went smoothly and better than she had expected.
For future Lydstocks, McDonagh said that she would like to expand the event by increasing the number of performers and getting more well-known bands to play. It will be exciting to see what ACBU will do to make Lydstock an even more enjoyable show in the future.
The Well Reds’ new single “BPM (I Feel Rhythm)” and Terraplane Sun’s EP “Ya Never Know” are available now on iTunes.
