From metal to pop music, Boston College Music Guild’s 2026 Spring Band Showcase featured exhilarating performances from eight student bands in the Vandy Cab Room this past Thursday. Performing a mix of original songs and covers, the skilled bands put on their best show for the audience.
Milquetoast
It’s easy to tell when an alternative band is confident in its style and capabilities. Milquetoast embodied a suave, vintage tone, spearheaded by its crooning lead vocalist. Her gentle yet strong voice, paired with the bass, guitar, and drums, created a mellow punk vibe.
As Milquetoast performed a handful of covers, such as “All I Wanted” by Paramore and “Cheap Fun” by Born Without Bones, a video compilation of milk cartons flashed in black-and-white behind the band as a not-so-subtle nod to its name. Throughout the set, audience members cheered on the band members, giving the room an atmosphere of enthusiasm and support.
Maximum Utility
Having released their first album, I Have to Admit, this year, Maximum Utility already has a few songs that the audience could recognize. To start, Maximum Utility performed “Kill That Girl,” an upbeat indie-rock song with romantic themes, which set the tone for the rest of their set.
Crisp, bopping guitar melodies and easy-to-remember riffs carried listeners through a fun, energetic set of originals, such as “Honey,” “Toys,” and “Atlantic Avenue.” With its bright, nostalgic tunes, Maximum Utility provided the crowd with heartfelt music that made them sway and nod along.
Creeps Like You
From covers of current indie hits, like “Au Pays du Cocaine” by Geese, to iconic classics, like “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead, to pop earworms, like “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, Creeps Like You had all their bases covered.
The band members bantered with the audience between almost every song about anything and everything, including the name of their drummer, Tom Brady. While Creeps Like You stayed relatively loyal to the original sounds and styles of their covers, the band infused “Call Me Maybe” with angst in an alternative rendition. The band closed with “Not Strong Enough” by boygenius as a dedication to Women’s History Month.
Pedestrian
Pedestrian was up next with a combination of popular rock songs and a quirky original, called “Blue and Yellow.” The lead vocalist harnessed a nasally, expressive tone during “Supersonic” by Oasis, giving the song a refreshing twist. Next, Pedestrian performed a smooth, sullen version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles, another crowd-pleaser.
Each of the band members’ unique contributions meshed together to make a cohesive sound. A clear standout of Pedestrian’s set was the electrifying guitar solos that stole the spotlight and kept the audience enraptured and cheering.
Letters in June
Shredding guitar and crashing cymbals is the name of the game for Letters in June. The band members left it all on the stage, headbanging and pitching their bodies about, while performing a handful of original songs, including “Be My Eyes” and “Delta.”
The most stunning aspect of Letters in June’s performance was their stage presence. The music seemed to take over the performers’ bodies, as they vigorously played and traded enthusiastic looks with each other. Their authentic rock spirit and each member’s infectious joy made for an invigorating experience.
Blind Drive
Blind Drive followed up Letters in June’s angst and pure rock ’n’ roll with lively grooviness. It opened with “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor in an obvious invitation to the audience to shimmy along with the band’s performance. Then, the recognizable intro to “Zombie” by The Cranberries began, and Blind Drive launched into another fan favorite.
The leadwoman stole the show with her crisp, confident vocals. Backed by equally cheery bandmates, she sang smash hits, like “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer and “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure, smiling all the while.
Limestone
Another major switch in genre, Limestone hit the ground running with “The Hand That Feeds” by Nine Inch Nails. With overwhelming angst, the Limestone quartet performed the industrial rock hit with passion as the song gradually reached its explosive outro.
Limestone then performed “True Love Waits,” marking a second appearance of Radiohead that night. A triple threat, the frontman alternated between vocals, guitar, and keys, filling the space with the song’s yearning melody and soft, pleading lyrics. Limestone left the audience with echoes of their melancholic setlist.
German Exit
While only composed of three members, German Exit packed a powerful punch. Each song belonged to the hardcore punk genre, which involved the lead vocalist’s emphatic yelling and wailing into the microphone. With intense focus and headbanging, German Exit’s members contributed their spirited strumming, drumming, and singing to fuel the high-tempo performance.
In particular, its original song “Harm Sound” stood out because of the band members’ synergy and the song’s build into the catchy outro. Together, the trio closed out the night with cathartic metal, a satisfying end to the BC Music Guild’s Spring Band Showcase.
