There’s rarely a dull weekend at Kenyon. For a student population of around 2,000, musical talents are ample — a fact made clear when a band showcase transformed the Horn Gallery into one of the liveliest spots on campus, a corner vibrating with music and movement against the quiet, cold Saturday night. 

Original sounds abounded. The audience was treated to several songs written by the performers themselves, beginning with the first performance from Aidan Puntes ’26 and Keira Ely ’29. The two soft acoustic tracks written by Ely, titled “Sweat” and “Fulton Street,” started the night on a mellow note. “Bare bones is all that we need, all that we want, we can afford,” the chorus of “Sweat” rang on top of the lightly strummed melody, a tender lullaby fitting for a cold February night. “Fulton Street” ended the duo’s set with the gorgeously evocative refrain “Manic starvation. Just purple carnations. You can stay hungry for now,” a treat to the ears of poets and dreamers among the audience.

The showcase took on a powerfully nostalgic tenor when Victor, one of Kenyon’s beloved student bands, took the stage. At the beginning of the set, Maya Silver ’26 reminisced about the band performing at the Horn while they were first years, and how they now found themselves in the same spot as seniors. Victor performed an original song titled “Something to Remember,” which has been recorded and released on the band’s Spotify page. “These memories are the ones that I call home” — the final chorus of the song, carried by the harmony between band members’ voice and the ascending instrumentation, is a stirring tribute to the bittersweetness of maturing and growth. 

The covers were no less exciting, each one reimagined by performers’ personal sonic touches. The second act of the night, a trio composed of Silas Camp ’28, Silas Rosenfeld ’28 and Anastasia Nikolic ’28, took on the mellifluous R&B hit “Japanese Denim” by Daniel Caesar. While retaining the lush instrumentation, the band transformed the song with a raspy vocal performance from Rosenfeld, a change from Caesar’s buttery voice and falsetto flourish. The result was a rough-edged jam that gradually lifted the mood of the room. Another highlight of the night was an all-instrumental jazz track from student band New World Monkeys, who performed a cover of “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock. The electrifying horn-driven tune got the audience moving and swaying.

The cover that really brought the house down was Victor’s rendition of “Night Shift” by Lucy Dacus. The intro of the song must have immediately reminded the attendees of the times they have screamed out the lyrics in catharsis —  because once the song approached its swiping chorus, the room hummed with voices singing along. The night shifted into a moment of collective effervescence as voices joined for the final chorus. 

The energy of the performers was a delight to watch. Mouse Rock, performing Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” thrilled the audience with jangly guitar and energetic panache from vocalist Finn McWhirter ’26. He shuffled across the stage, bobble-heading along with the beat while belting out the pop hit to the cheers of the audience. Another act that got both the performers and audience bouncing on their feet was Redford, playing two original songs called “Abdullah Song” (named after their guitarist Abdullah Sajid Ismail ’28) and “Sleeves,” featuring elastic basslines and catchy melodies, followed by a captivating cover of Big Thief’s “Stimulation Swarm.”

It was clear throughout the night that the performers were friends having fun together. New World Monkeys showcased what might be easily mistaken for a drunk-karaoke version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” judging from the rough, slurring vocals and the way the bandmates threw arms over each other’s shoulders and giggled. As revealed in an email to the Collegian, they were performing a mashup of the Sinatra original and Sid Vicious’ cover. The closing band, Dining Hall Suicide, invited two of their friends to the stage — Ireland Bone ’26 for extra supporting vocals and Prince Davenport ’28 for drumming. The latter — regular Collegian readers might notice his absence in the photo credits as he has been doing off-campus study — told the audience that he just flew in on the day and got informed which song he was going to perform two hours prior. The band then presented a vibrant cover of Japanese Breakfast’s shimmering number “Everybody Wants to Love You,” bringing the night to a joyous end.