On November 15, Hamden’s own Space Ballroom was graced with a performance by Boston natives, Vundabar. The night started with Leeds band, Courting, warming up the crowd with electric energy on this North American tour. As the band came to the stage, the blue and red spotlights lit up the dark room filled with music lovers.  

The UK band opened up with the song “After You” and set the tone that the members were there to bring. Post-punk and hyperpop sounds filled the venue. Not only did Courting put on a great show musically, but the band also expressed their charismatic personalities with their crowd interactions.  

Vocalist Sean Murphy-O’Neil told everyone in the room to get real low before the next part of “Jumper” played. In that small room, it was obvious who didn’t follow the directions to kneel down, but when the beat kicked in, every person in the room was jumping. In the middle of another song, “Grand National,” Murphy-O’Neil pretended to take a phone call before finishing the song. While it was random, it kept the audience engaged. When the audience wasn’t giving the amount of energy the band wanted, Murphy-O’Neil asked us what Connecticut’s rival state was, to create a competition with who could have been louder. The room pretty unanimously shouted out Massachusetts, which unbeknownst to me, was Vundabar’s, home state.  

During the song “Popsong,” the crowd was being taught the chorus so we could all sing along. Lucky for us, it was easy, and Courting had the whole room singing “over and over and over again.” Soon after, drummer Sean Thomas got to show the audience what he was made of with a drum solo, while guitarist Joshua Cope and bassist Connor McCann stood by.  

My favorite part of this set was the Olivia Rodrigo cover that sounded nothing like the original. It was wild to hear two songs with the same lyrics and same beats but sounded so different being performed in a completely different style. Hearing “bad idea right?” with this grungy UK sound with loads of drums and some screaming sprinkled in was something I didn’t know I needed to hear. For their final song “Flex,” the band pointed out the “No Moshing” sign and instead told everyone to “dance very gently and slowly.”  

Next up was the long-awaited headliner, Vundabar. The three-piece band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Brandon Hagen, bassist Zack Abramo, and Drew McDonald, the band’s drummer and synthesizer. The three were scattered around the stage in what seemed like their own spots, as they kept to their areas for the entire set.  

“We are Vundabar and you are Connecticut,” was what Hagen kept repeating throughout the night. Initially, I thought Hagen was relatively soft-spoken, but that was before I heard him start singing and he continued to get more hyped throughout the show. The band started off their set with their new single “Life Is A Movie” released back in October.  

Before most of the songs, Hagen would make a pun or joke that seemed pretty random, but as the next song kicked in, you realized it was related to the next song title. “Chop those drums” led to “Chop,” “ready to go for a dive” led to “Diver,” and “let’s give this song a crack” led to “I Got Cracked.” During “Worn / Wander,” the band would periodically freeze in place while they waited for the crowd to cheer. The audience played along and screamed like they’ve never screamed before.  

Throughout the set, the microphone had a cool reverb effect that made Hagen’s voice echo throughout the room. The upbeat indie rock sound felt intense and enchanting. With over 613 million streams on Spotify, “Alien Blues” took the room by storm. As the night came to a close, the band’s final song was “Need You.” Suddenly, the lights turned on and the night was over far too soon. As a talented musician once said, “We are Vundabar and you are Connecticut.”