As students gathered for All Campus Entertainment’s (ACE) annual Spring Fling, the opening performance of three student bands quickly brought the energy to the otherwise studious science quad. This year’s Spring Fling featured performances by student bands supermassivefrog, JYNX!, and Space Bar, the three winners of ACE’s Battle of the Bands, as well as a set from DJ Seb, winner of ACE’s Battle of the DJs.
Supermassivefrog, featuring Lyla Butler ’28 on the bass, Ronald Deng ’28 on the electric guitar, and Jane Bennett ’28 on the drums, opened the student-band lineup with a set that infused nostalgic songs with the band’s own style.
The band warmed up the crowd with “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson. True to their indie rock sound, they followed with “I Think I Like You” by the Australian alternative band, The Belair Lip Bombs.
Butler said the band wanted songs that attendees could sing along to and decided on “Tongue Tied” by Grouplove. Then came “Time to Pretend” by MGMT, for which Deng bought a special keyboard to play the synth. The band closed with their signature — “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac.
JYNX! followed with a set rooted in 2010s pop nostalgia, with Sabrina Lewis ’26 on guitar and lead vocals, Maya Ray ’29 on the keys and vocals, Yasemin Sukal ’26 on the drums, Yoheidy Feliz ’26 on bass, and Kat Eastwick ’26.5 on vocals and electric guitar. Ray described the group’s concept as “2026 is the new 2016.”
The band opened with “Determinate” from Disney Channel original movie-musical Lemonade Mouth. Ray described the rest of JYNX!’s set as an emotion-filled relationship arc, moving through the songs “Habits” by Tove Lo, “Animals” by Neon Trees, “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry, and ending with the defiant release of “So What?” by P!nk. “‘Habits’ [is about being] sad because you’re not with this person, but ‘Animals’ [is about being] with them, and [feeling] really addicted to them,” Ray said. “‘The One That Got Away,’ is that you lose the person … [‘So What?’] is an empowering relationship where [you] realize you are okay being independent.”
JYNX! has played together for two years, and plans to continue to play together through the end of the year. Ray said she was excited for the opportunity to play at Spring Fling not only for herself, but for her senior bandmates. “I’m really happy for them … it’s really their big senior moment,” she said.
Space Bar closed out the student band portion of the event. The band includes Katherine Bai ’26 and Cooper Johnson ’26 on vocals, Sachin Kirtane ’26 on drums, Tzevi Schwartz ’26 on bass, Mike Ma ’26, and Kai LaMothe ’27 on electric guitar. Space Bar built its style around reimagining 2010s pop songs with rock, jazz, theatrical bits, and the occasional Afro-Cuban reggae arrangement or a country hoedown solo, according to Kirtane.
Space Bar opened with a reharmonized “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry. Inspired by “Bieberchella” — Justin Bieber’s headlining performance at Coachella this year — the band then played the singer’s hit “Boyfriend,” followed by “Outside” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, and a rock version of “Heart Attack” by Demi Lovato.
Though each band brought its own sound to the stage, the student performers shared a common goal: to enjoy the night and celebrate one another’s music. “Honestly, we’re just trying to have fun, and I’m really excited to hear the other bands,” Ray said before the show.
Ma was especially impressed with supermassivefrog’s energy. “I was really impressed because they’re a three-person band and they fill the whole range perfectly,” he said.
The audience felt the energy from each of the student performances. “It was honestly iconic,” Sebastian Curillo ’29 said. “Everyone around me was singing, jumping, and screaming for more songs. It felt like the whole crowd woke up at once.”
Kirtane believes that the relationship between the bands and the crowd is the most important aspect of the performance. “We are so appreciative of the community that we can experience when we are onstage, both within the band, but also with everyone who’s watching and dancing and singing along, and that’s really why we play,” he said.
