WHUS Radio, UConn’s sound alternative and student-run radio station, held its annual spring concert, Spring Fling, on Saturday, March 23, in the Student Union Ballroom. The headliners included two groups—Momma, an indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, and Teethe, a rock group from Texas. The opener was Ruby Left Step, a New Hartford-based alternative indie rock group—not unfamiliar to the Storrs area. They previously performed at WHUS’s Battle of the Bands in February and won the event, where they earned the opportunity to play live on WHUS Radio at 91.7 FM.
WHUS teased the event to UConn and the surrounding community on their Instagram to create hype for the show. As a result, the bands performing were only officially announced on Monday, March 18.
Doors opened at 6 p.m., and attendees were checked in by event staff. Tickets were free for UConn students with a student ID and $5 for non-students or students without a student ID. Each attendee entered the event with their own brightly colored green wristband—an indication of the colorful events ahead. Spectators were welcomed by lively music curated by WHUS Radio staff and vibrant Scooby Doo movie clips projected on screens around the ballroom.
Sophia Curran, WHUS events coordinator and fourth-semester management major, organized the event. This was not Curran’s first multi-headliner event; she organized previous WHUS events this year, including Mischief After Dark and Battle of the Bands.
Curran spoke about the process of assembling an event of this size and the many moving parts involved. “It took a lot of time and coordination to organize the event. It’s lovely to see it all play out.”
Ruby Left Step showcases indie guitar and vocals
Ruby Left Step started the night off with a lively set filled with exciting guitar solos and bopping vocals. Due to their win in Battle of the Bands, the band is familiar to many UConn students. They used that familiarity to their advantage—encouraging the attendees to introduce themselves to everyone around them and get hyped to dance. The band played some of their original songs and even broke out a cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” Their rendition of the Swiftie classic thrilled me—a self-proclaimed Swiftie since 2008—and the rest of the crowd. The crowd was singing, dancing and having the time of their lives. Ruby Left Step perfectly combined Swift’s lyrics with the sound of indie powerhouses like The Backseat Lovers.
Beach balls were tossed throughout the crowd during Ruby Left Step’s “The Party Song,” where the band continued to keep the energy pumped throughout their set.
Finally, the crowd was in for a treat when Ruby Left Step played their unreleased track, “Shuteye.” Despite the song being unreleased, many people in the crowd knew the words. It wasn’t a problem if you didn’t know them, though, as the band coached the audience through the lyrics — creating a harmony between the band and the crowd that rounded out Ruby Left Step’s set perfectly.
Grunge and soft rock meet with Teethe
Teethe came next, kicking off their set with a softer, grungier vibe than Ruby Left Step. The vocalist’s soft, haunting vocals that rasped through the venue and created a romantic ambiance. Attendees felt that romance, and couples began slow dancing around the ballroom.
Alessandra Cordero, a sixth-semester communications major, felt that vibe as well. She commented that Teethe’s set felt like “when you slow dance with someone and fall in love like in an 80s movie.”
Their set picked up as the night went on but maintained a slower, haunting vibe than the previous Ruby Left Step set. Their use of strong, raspy vocals transformed the ballroom into a venue reminiscent of an underground grunge scene.
Teethe’s set concluded on a peppier note where the guitar and drums picked up, and the crowd formed a large kick-line circle which eventually morphed into a dance circle where students began break dancing.
Momma and an acoustic set
Momma rounded out the event with an all-acoustic set. Normally, Momma is composed of four members—two vocalists/guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. Unfortunately, the bassist and drummer could not make Spring Fling, so the set became acoustic. No worries here, though— the acoustic set was still jam-packed with great music.
Soft blue and purple-tinged lights illuminated Momma vocalists Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten as they played their set. Their music’s soft, lilting harmonies blended beautifully and rang through the ballroom when they covered their hit “Medicine.”
The vibes were much softer—like something you would find in a small underground coffee shop or record store. Acoustic sets often make you feel much closer to the artist and the music — two facts that were proven with Momma’s set. With some twangy guitar riffs and joking intermissions, Momma had the crowd enraptured in their sound.
Attendees were in for a treat when Momma played new material live — songs that had never been played live before. “Fever” opened with gorgeous harmonies detailing the story of getting back together with an ex. The repetition of lyrics allowed for a build throughout the song that resonated throughout the crowd. The acoustic version of “Fever” encapsulated the feelings of a sad indie-girlie going through a breakup.
Momma spoiled attendees with self-proclaimed sharing of unreleased music. One of the vocalists shared, “These are leaks; we’re leaking them live.” One of the leaks, “Rodeo,” had profound lyricism and fun little guitar riffs. The two vocalists are skilled at blending their voices into beautiful harmonies — a skill showcased on “Rodeo.”
Their last song was about a tour they played with Teethe, the other headliner. This song was the perfect track to end on. It captured the entirety of Momma’s set beautifully and left the audience with notes ringing throughout the ballroom.
Attendees enjoyed Momma’s acoustic set immensely. Evelyn McNamee, an eighth-semester English student, commented on the energy all the bands brought but was most excited for Momma’s acoustic set. “I was really excited because my sister likes them, and she brought me,” McNamme said. “I love acoustic sets because I play guitar, and I love watching the tuning and how they play guitar.”
Spring Fling was not an event to miss. This event brought together groups of like-minded, music-loving individuals who rocked out and enjoyed the live music by Momma, Teethe, and Ruby Left Step. Attendees had the privilege of hearing multiple unreleased tracks from each band and left the event with new artists to include on their streaming platforms.