The promotional poster I made for the 4/9 show
One of the coolest student lead activities I’ve participated during my time at Bryn Mawr has been being a member of the Bi-College concert booking club, Federation United Concerts Series, or FUCS for short. With its cheeky name and the graphic design skills and eclectic music tastes of its members, FUCS is dedicated to enrich the arts scene in the Bi-Co with concerts with a roster of up and coming artists based around the Mid-Atlantic every semester. Plus, all performances are free for Tri-Co students!
Established in 2002, FUCS has hosted music acts who have gone on to achieve mainstream success such as Rico Nasty, Diplo, Major Lazer, and Vampire Weekend. In addition, some of FUCS alums have gained also achieved artistic success of their own, namely Michelle Zauner who most know as Japanese Breakfast and the author of Crying in H-Mart. Looking at past shows in the FUCS archives, a show I wish I had to chance to go to the one with Raveena — I would have loved to experience of her ethereal energy in a live performance setting!
Typically each member researches and books one artist while working with other members to pair artists with similar ambiances to build a show. Because of the members’ diverse music preferences, we encourage them to lean into the genres they like to listen to the most. Personally, I listen to a lot of music with R&B, hip-hop, bedroom pop, funk, and soul influences, which has led me to invite Warner Meadows to perform last December and Nathanie for this semester.
Nathanie doing her thing! Photo cred: Ellie Esterowitz
For the 4/9 show with AJAY and Nathanie, the concert took place at James House at Haverford. A creative space open to any Bi-Co students, every surface of the building is covered with various doodles and paintings that it’s collected over the years, and so the entire building is basically one giant mural. The chaotic yet strangely-cohesive space helped set the tone of the show and added to the energy the artists brought. It’s very rewarding being able to invite an artist who’s music you’re excited about and see a crowd of people get into the groove of that artist. When I found Nathanie’s music on Spotify, I was drawn to the atmospheric and chill ambiance of her sound but seeing her live with her band, I really loved the musical versatility she has in her performance! While it’s always exciting to hear songs available on streaming platforms in a live setting, for me, it’s even more exciting being able to hear a song or rendition of a song that isn’t available online. Nathanie’s cover of Tyler the Creator’s See You Again at the show filled that role and was a wonderful way to end the night.
FUCS has been a resource for me to meet other artistic students in the Bi-Co, be more in tune with the local talent, and to get closer with people I already know. One of the things I love the most about FUCS is that almost every time I’ve gone to a show, I’ve left the concert with spirits high, whether because of discovering a bunch of songs that I want to listen to or loving the crowd energy, or both. Especially since the pandemic isolated folks and discouraged large group gatherings, it’s been wonderful to build a fun environment to gather with students again (with appropriate COVID protocols of course)! To see updates on FUCS’ upcoming shows, be sure to check out @fucs.mp3!