Fordham Lincoln Center’s student radio station Wavelengths hosted their annual Ravelengths concert on McMahon Lawn, an event dedicated to featuring live music and student musicians on campus. The event included three student DJs: Ruby Faye, Jenba and DJ Mleeks, who showcased their individual talents in their unique sets.
The standout set was headliner internet sensation Laundry Day. The band is based out of New York City and was formed in 2018 by vocalists Sawyer Nunes and Jude Ciulla-Lipkin, guitarist Henry Weingartner and bassist Henry Pear. The band members first met when they attended M479 Beacon High School together, located in Hell’s Kitchen blocks away from Fordham Lincoln Center.
Many people attending Ravelengths were drawn to Laundry Day through their humorous videos on TikTok, but there is much more to this comical group of boys. According to the pop-culture publication Complex, the band members were inspired by artists such as Tyler, the Creator and Brockhampton.
McMahon Lawn served as a very intimate and casual venue for the event, allowing students to gather closely around so that the band members could dance and sing with the audience.
In 2019, the band gained popularity after they opened for Clairo and The 1975 on their respective tours, and later even performed at Tyler, the Creator’s music festival, “Camp Flog Gnaw.” In 2020, their song “Friends” was featured on the hit television show “On My Block” as the closing track for the season three finale.
As of late, Laundry Day has started gaining popularity for posting videos online of them singing mainstream songs, acting out skits and creating comedic sketches, they now boast 192,000 followers on TikTok and 201,000 followers on Instagram. Recent social fame has opened even more doors for the band, and their show at Fordham is a part of their university tour.
McMahon Lawn served as a very intimate and casual venue for the event, allowing students to gather closely around so that the band members could dance and sing with the audience. The Laundry Day members presented friendly and happy dispositions, as they were energetic and thrilled throughout their performance.
The headliners spent the night engaging with Fordham students in attendance. Lipkin and other band members shared anecdotes about some of Laundry Day’s past shows.
Although Fordham’s crowd was much smaller than the crowds they experienced at University of California, Los Angeles, the band said that they were equally excited to be playing at the university. On the night of the show, the band members expressed that it felt really nice to be performing at home only blocks away from their high school.
Laundry Day’s set included all of their most popular songs, such as “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Jane.” The band also played an unreleased single “Why is everyone a DJ?” which is set to release on April 19. Each song on the setlist was performed with enthusiasm and high energy, and the crowd reciprocated their spirit throughout the gig.
By the end of the night, the event was shut down by the police as the result of a noise complaint. McMahon Lawn is an open space and, therefore, drew grievances from local residents. However, everyone in attendance at the event laughed off the reported disturbance as they played “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, the last song of the show.
Ravelengths was an opportunity to see some of Fordham Lincoln Center’s student talent and have a personal experience with the rising stars of Laundry Day.
The headliners will be performing in New York City in the near future, with two performances at The Bowery scheduled for May 24 and 25.