Cholmondeley's is the place to be on a Saturday night-if you like insanely loud rock music and hipsters, that is. Last Saturday night at Chum's, That Racket, The Graveyard Kids and Team Spirit drew a modest-sized, head-bobbing crowd in an atmosphere that That Racket's drummer, Matthew Giolito, described as "friendly and chill."

For those of you who haven't been to Chum's, it's a quirky place. There are paper cutout snowflakes dangling from the ceiling and writing and drawings all over the light blue walls-including a sketch of Kim Jong-il as an eel. A disco ball hangs from the ceiling and on the door there is a depiction of an astronaut-mermaid hybrid made out of tape. It was a fitting atmosphere for the equally quirky bands and audience to rock out together.
The show did start more than half an hour late, which was slightly annoying-but then again I don't attend a lot of rock concerts, so maybe that is typical. There was very loud music playing during the 30 minutes before the bands started playing to get the crowd excited.

That Racket, a four-piece band headed by Brandeis student Rafael Rodriguez '16, who goes by Daniel Short onstage, was the first to perform. The drummer, Matthew Giolito, a sophomore in high school, introduced the band, and then himself, as "The Crimson Bolt." His hot pink gloves were quite a crowd pleaser. The drums were a bit heavy during the performance and probably shouldn't have been on microphone because they drowned out both the other instruments and the vocals. With interesting song titles like "Mandarin Oranges," "258" and "Zero," it was a shame that I couldn't hear the vocals.

Rodriguez brought a very enthusiastic stage presence. His dance style was at times very explicit and showy, a style that the crowd loved. Throughout the show he would jump down from the stage and to dance with the crowd-at one point he even rolled onto his back and continued singing from the floor. Rodriguez's stage performance does not reflect his attitude in real life, however. When I asked him what he thought of the two other performances that night, he humbly stated that he hoped that his band "kept up with [the other bands'] stellar performances."

For a group of high school and college students, the music was good and the band is clearly talented. Aside from its raw music, the band definitely has a confident presence on stage, which for me, at least, is the most important thing a rock band can have.

The Graveyard Kids came on next. The lead singer, in a flashy outfit, gave off a David Bowie vibe. The band's sound was a bit more polished than That Racket's. The band boasted some really impressive guitar solos and were a bit more audible than That Racket due to proper miking-although their vocals were still overpowered by all the instrumentals. Midway through the set, the guitar player and the bass player switched instruments, demonstrating their musical flexibility and skill.
In a gesture of gratitude for the opportunity to play, The Graveyard Kids dedicated their last song to Brandeis. By the end of their set, the crowd had formed a mini mosh pit and people seemed to be having a good time.

The third band, Team Spirit, decked out with leather and impressive facial hair, looked like an old-school rock band. All the musicians were into their music with an intensity that was less distracting than the other bands. Unlike the other two bands, the instrumentalists quieted during vocals so that the lyrics were actually audible. This band was clearly the most experienced of all. Their ensemble even included Ayad al Adhamy, a former member of Passion Pit. Their first album, Team Spirit-EP is coming out today on iTunes.
Rodriguez said it was the most fun he had ever had at Chums. It turns out that the talent of the bands didn't matter that much. In the end everybody was having a good time, casually rocking out with friends.