Honestly, I had no idea who The Bends were until I decided to write about them, but now I’m hooked. When I got to their show on Friday night, the place was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, buzzing with anticipation for the group’s first-ever headline tour.
The Bends, made up of lead singer Hayden Field, guitarist Ian Marmande, bassist Chase Perkins and drummer Jacob Rhodes, started out by playing small college shows. Now, the group is quickly building a name for themselves across the South.
Jade Street
Kicking off the night was Jade Street, a band composed of Vanderbilt students Eli Meyuhas, a junior, and Zachary Zwelling, a first-year. They had a minimal set up, yet their energy was far from it. The band’s chemistry and joy were infectious, and the crowd responded in return.
Jade Street started out their performance with their song “Bad Man,” creating an atmosphere of lighthearted fun and passion. They followed with another original song, “Politics,” and then an electric cover of Oasis’ “Supersonic.” The talent of each band member was evident, from vocals to guitar riffs.
Midway through the set, Jade Street surprised the audience by bringing out their friend, senior Apple Martin, for a song. I discovered shortly after that her dad, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, was also in attendance that night. The Grammy award-winning singer made it clear to fans that while he enjoyed meeting them, he was there to support his daughter and didn’t want the night to be focused on him.
The group’s “subliminal” advertising campaign beforehand featured cryptic black-and-white Jade Street stickers plastered across campus with no explanation. Given the packed audience in the room, it seemed to have worked. During Jade Street’s set, the venue was filled with Vanderbilt students eager to support their friends and see what the hype was about.
The Gringos
Next up was the Gringos, a group from Athens, Georgia, who quickly won the crowd over with raw and gritty vocals. The crowd grew livelier during their set, with more people gravitating closer to the stage and chatting happily between songs. The first song of their set was energizing and left the crowd ready for more.
The lead singer then transitioned to the group’s next song, “Empty House.”
“Every band [has] got a song about a girl that broke their damn heart, right. This is ours,” Jacob Reina, Gringos’ lead singer, said.
They kept the energy high with a cover of “Kilby Girl,” and at one point, the lead singer even flipped his guitar around and played it backwards, earning loud cheers from the audience. By the end of their set, the number of people in the room had doubled in size, buzzing with anticipation for the headliner.
The Bends
Last up, The Bends took the stage with a wall-to-wall packed venue. They kicked off their set with the infectious, “Virginia,” a fast-paced song that instantly had the crowd swaying and nodding along. The band followed up with their rendition of “Yellow,” a fitting choice given the fact that Chris Martin himself had been in the same room just an hour prior. The lights basked the fans in a golden hue, matching the lyrics of the song.
Then, Field shared some exciting news before diving into their next song.
“We [have] a couple songs we’ve been working on that aren’t quite out there in the world yet, but we want to play them tonight,” Field said.
They went on to play “Keeps Me going,” which had groovy vocals and moody guitar riffs.
Between songs, he expressed genuine gratitude, thanking the crowd for showing up and filling the room with energy. The group, originating from Baton Rouge, gave a shout out to Louisiana State University, knowing they were to play Vanderbilt in football the next day.
The band surprised us with another unreleased song, “Lips” that had the same addicting indie-rock sound as their others. The Bends also performed a cover of “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga which transformed the pop hit into a darker, more mysterious slow burn — it was a standout moment of the night for me.
From there, the energy only got better: The Bends did a series of crowd favorite covers, including Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” and Maroon 5’s “This Love,” both reimagined with grittier vocals and electric guitar solos. Everyone in the room was fully entranced by this point as the band shouted “I love you guys” to their fans. The Bends left the stage to fans that wanted more, including me.
The intimate venue of Cannery Hall, the lively chatter of close friends, and of course, electrifying rock music was the perfect way to spend my Friday night. Though I did not go into these performances even knowing Jade Street, The Gringos or The Bends, I left as a fan of all three. They reminded me that there is always more to experience in Music City.
