This past Saturday, April 27, WHCL partnered with on-campus publications, Signature Style and The Spectator, to bring the Hamilton College community to 7 Hamlets. If you somehow missed all of the emails, this was an off-campus live music event at 7 Hamlets Brewery, located only 7 minutes from campus at 26 Seymour Lane. The live music was performed exclusively by Hamilton College students. The lineup ranged from indie to jazz-funk to pop-rock covers. All of the bands were well-received as the nearly 200 attendees danced and drank to the rhythms.
The opening act was newly formed Handsome. The group performed for the first time at Sidney Gish’s WHCL x CAB Acoustic Perfomance last week. At 7 Hamlets, Handsome changed up their setlist and included a keyboardist. They played Hozier, Bruno Mars and Phoebe Bridgers. With each song, Handsome heightened emotions with their raw and indie sound. Not to mention, all of the vocals were incredible. This is a little less surprising considering that all of the band members are a part of Hamilton College’s youngest all-female and non-binary a capella group, Tumbling After. After Handsome’s phenomenal performance at 7 Hamlets (having only been a group for a week), I honestly can’t wait to see their future performances in the semesters to come.
Once Handsome closed their set, fan-favorite The Berriez took the stage. The pop-rock cover band pulled audiences to their feet for remixes of “Drunk in Love/Dream On” and “Zombie.” As always, Isa Cardoso ’25 used strong stage presence to encourage dancing and singing-along. The audience was so entranced by their performance that they chanted “One more song!” until The Berriez inevitably gave in. The encore of “Crazy Train/Applause” had the entire brewery shaking. From funky guitar riffs to jaw-dropping vocals, The Berriez proved once again why they are a must-see campus band.
To end the night, Frumptet played their iconic jazz-funk music. The crowd stayed on their feet bouncing around to their catchy beats. WHCL General Manager and Frumptet-enthusiast, Carter Megali ’26 said, “Frumptet has my heart, and it broke a little to see them perform for the last time. What are we going to do now? I guess I gotta pick up the sax.” For a final performance, Frumptet blew me away. They kept everyone moving and the vibes high, which can be difficult for a band playing such a niche genre with no lyrics.
The three bands flowed into one another seamlessly and built on the previous performance’s energy. 7 Hamlets hosted an incredible night of fun live performances and dancing with great food and drinks. Since this is the last live music event before the Class & Charter Concert, I am excited to see where Handsome and The Berriez go next semester. As it is Frumptet’s final performance, I can’t wait to discover who will fill the Frumptet-sized hole in my heart.
WHCL, Signature Style and The Spectator worked together to create an incredible off-campus live music experience. This event was similar to the performances at Saranac Brewery that occurred earlier in the semester. The prospect of having consistent off-campus events where transportation is provided has the potential to truly shift the nightlife scene on campus. Local breweries and venues will benefit from the influx of spending and newfound awareness amongst the college student population. On top of that, students have been complaining for years about feeling restricted to our hill. Henry Gooding ’24, The Berriez groupie, when asked about his experience at 7 Hamlets, said, “I hope there are more events there. I think the accessibility for anyone to be able to go was cool. Off-campus band concerts are such a good idea that should happen more!” While Henry is just one person, his feelings are echoed throughout this campus.
As the semester comes to an end, I hope we can reflect on the great memories we made at 7 Hamlets and continue to plan similar music-related events on and off campus in the coming semesters.
