South of Tama recently played their debut performance at Masquerade Harris only a few weeks ago on Feb. 16. Despite the fact that they are relatively new as a group to the music scene, they more than just warmed up the audience for main act Creeping Charlie. At the group’s first song, audience members filled the room, which likely bolstered both the confidence and responsibility of the opening band to keep the crowd enticed. 

South of Tama worked well as an opening act. One of the reasons why they succeeded in readying the room comes from the fact that they played covers — songs familiar enough to the crowd to create a casual atmosphere, allowing the audience to move to the beat. In both vocals and instrumentals, the five-piece group fit the songs in their own style — another sign of a satisfying gig.

After I saw two of the vocalists, Grant Anguiano `24 and Theo Richter `24, at their own live music event at the Canary Underground Speakeasy, I was a bit worried about their performance for Creeping Charlie. Though their vocals never disappoint, these two guitarists had seemed a little disorganized at the Speakeasy event. However, at the Gardner concert with their three bandmates, South of Tama worked well together. I loved seeing them smile at each other. 

Perhaps the most attention-calling aspect of the group is Noah Mendola `26’s upright bass, which I would want to see more action from. If you have this uncommon element to a band, why not give more solos if possible?