Engulfed by a musical trance, Madeline Follin, lead singer of Cults, swayed behind the microphone stand. She moved to the music’s rhythm, her eyes hidden behind dark bangs.

A heavy melody rose swiftly over a buzz of conversation. All at once, images of masked teenagers riding bikes were projected on the wall behind the band, and the music crashed into a monstrous clash of drums. The beat quickened, and Follin exaggerated her movements. The cacophony of noise lurched to a screeching stop, and the band members threw their hands up, hinting at the crowd to do the same.

The crowd in the Schine Underground on Wednesday night cheered, a few with hands above heads, clapping out of rhythm. Follin approached the microphone and tilted her head back to sing along to ‘Abducted,’ a song off the band’s 2011 self-titled debut album.

An indie-pop band, Cults headlined the first Bandersnatch Music Series concert of the spring semester. The concert was sponsored by University Union. Syracuse natives The Vanderbuilts opened the show for a few hundred fans.

‘I’ve known Cults for a few years,’ said Kevin Lee, a sophomore finance major. ‘This was my first time in (the Underground), and the atmosphere was great for this show.’

The Vanderbuilts warmed up the crowd. As the hometown group took the stage, friends and fellow classmates greeted them warmly. The music started and aside from bobbing their heads, The Vanderbuilts stayed relatively motionless like the crowd. The crowd and band quickly warmed up to each other with help from violinist Aya Yamamoto, who never stopped dancing even with her violin tucked under her chin.

Christie Glaser, a senior music major, thinks indie folk-rock is growing more popular on college campuses today.

‘It’s more comfortable for a lot of people to identify with,’ she said. ‘It’s music people can get down to and enjoy.’

The highlight of The Vanderbuilts’ set came with a steady and consistent beat on the bass drum, kicking off a lively folk song. As the guitars came in, the tune of ‘I’m Coming Home’ was immediately recognizable. The guitars stopped, but the drum persisted, and Yamamoto filled the empty space with a riff on the violin. As the song came to an end, the band thanked the crowd for coming.

After The Vanderbuilts left the stage, the lights dimmed. Sampled noises echoed throughout the room, soon muffled by increasingly loud guitars. The crowd waited in the dark, anticipating Cults’ first song.

The band used a digital projector to add a psychedelic feel to the room. Shapes bent and mutated on the wall behind the dark silhouettes of the band. Normally a duo, Follin and partner Brian Oblivion enlisted a full five-piece band for the performance. The extra musicians added aggression to the music, which didn’t phase fans, who consistently bobbed along.

After a few songs from their debut album, Follin stopped the music to announce their next track.

‘We’re gonna play a slow jam for you now,’ she said.

Motown-esque song ‘You Know What I Mean’ got the audience swaying.

Digital snow graced the wall, reminding the crowd of the cold waiting just outdoors. As the song reached its climax, Follin belted into the microphone and the crowd whistled and cheered wildly.

Oblivion connected with the crowd when he asked for the location of the nearest bar. Smirking, he announced the final song, ‘Abducted,’ and begged the crowd to stay into the music for just a while longer.

‘If you have an ounce of energy left, this is your moment, unless, of course, you have a ton of work to do after the show,’ he said.

Students danced with the music, which crescendoed into an inaudible mess with only a hint of the original song.

The show came together effortlessly, said Jonathan Groffman, executive adviser to the Bandersnatch Music Series.

‘We were close to a sellout, and people really seemed to be into it,’ he said. ‘That’s really all I look for when judging whether it’s a success or failure.’

jtinfant@syr.edu

Published on February 29, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Joe: jtinfant@syr.edu | @joeinfantino