A Sunday night in the middle of midterms may be the worst time to play a show at Brandeis. Or maybe it's the best time. What better way to relieve the stress of exams than by joining a crazy dance party with sing-along lyrics? That is exactly what went down at Cholmondeley's Oct. 9 when Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! headlined with Zanois, one of Brandeis' own rock power trios.

Zanois opened the set with their loud, eclectic blend of punk and indie rock. Lead singer Zane McDaniel (Justice McDaniel's '12 younger brother) impressed the audience with his ability to sing and play the bass guitar and keyboards simultaneously. Justice is one of the senior presidents of the Punk, Rock n' Roll Club. I was surprised to see an older man beating on the drums but soon realized that Justice's other bandmate was his father, Gavin McDaniel. The casting choice essentially captures the aesthetic of the family band. Zanois was extremely loud but offered ear plugs. They played hip indie rock but still maintained some oldies roots.

At one point, lead singer Zane yelled "Why" repeatedly until even I felt hoarse, and I realized that, while my obscure tastes allowed me to keep listening, Zanois would probably not appeal to our top-40-loving general population. However, their passion was clear, and Zanois successfully graced the small crowd of Brandeisians with their weird take on pop music.

While the headlining act, Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, was setting up, I became extremely curious. The stage was abandoned, and the floor of Chum's started to morph into a psychedelic happy house. Colorful curtains were put up around the room, and I spotted many inflatable objects, including a snowman, teddy bear and pumpkin. It was unbelievable that they did these crazy performances for a living. TPDR's goal was to create a temporary space for childhood recollections while dancing like crazy and singing extremely uplifting lyrics about true love and friendship—and they succeeded. I'm not much of a dancer, but even I could not curl up on the couch and simply watch the party. I abandoned my notebook to join the crowd in a night of absurdity.

The band's setup was relatively simple. There was a portable strobe light and a computer with background music and a live drummer, guitarist and singer. Combined with a small but energetic audience, the results were magical. The lead singer, Neil Fridd, walked and danced through the audience while teaching the lyrics to his songs. The band wasn't performing to the audience but rather with the audience. Barefoot and wearing only a red dress, Fridd had willing audience members assist with crazy stage antics. While Dustin McCormick stayed glued to the drums, the guitarist, Sven Tadhg, took the participants behind the curtains. He quickly returned with a five-person homemade dragon costume, or a series of jackets that were tied together with epileptic Christmas lights, making a fantastic moving light show. While TPDR's stage antics and presence were entirely unique, most of their music started with a simple piano or synthesizer riff and slowly built up to epic proportions before coming down. The formula worked, though, and I was instantly a fan. It was hard not to be swept into the dancing circles with the loud techno-rock blasting. Everyone was having so much fun.

One song, titled "Snowday!," instantly brought me back to my childhood, waking up early to catch the weather report and then drinking hot chocolate under the covers all day. That's what good music does. It brings you back to a moment in your life that you had long forgotten, and it makes you feel something.

After many thanks by the lead singer, the small crowd at Chum's reluctantly departed, probably to finally start studying for the midterms ahead. As I walked back from the crazy concert, I looked towards the even crazier week ahead with a sense of confidence. After all, as Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! sang over and over again in their last song, "We're alive and we're in love and we've got hope, just because." That sounds like a chorus that I could get used to.