The Speakeasy hosts the second show of the semester – The Whit

On Friday, September 27th, Glassboro basement music venue The Speakeasy hosted its second official show of the semester. The line-up consisted of LVNA, Hue Hinton, Bristoltooth and Spud Mack. Technically this was their third show, considering the acoustic show at The Villa closed on September 13th and moved to the Speakeasy.

The Speakeasy is one of the scene’s longest-running venues, hosting its first show on February 15, 2024. It is a popular venue due to its proximity to campus and pleasant atmosphere.

“It’s the most beautiful venue I’ve ever been to on campus,” said James Reilly, a frequent visitor to the Rowan show.

Typically, The Speakeasy has used a marker on concertgoers’ hands to show that they have paid and to prevent people from sneaking in after the venue has reached capacity. This time they used paper wristbands, which are much harder to counterfeit and make it much easier for venue owners to spot and turn away people who might sneak in. They most likely made this move due to the widespread closure of shows this month due to their increasing popularity and turnout.

The first act was LVNA. They have been very active in the scene, performing around four times at different venues this month alone. The second act, Hue Hinton, is a solo artist performing with a backing band. It’s rare to see solo artists in the Rowan scene. Bristoltooth began their performance and the audience responded really well to the music. As soon as everyone started moving, everyone in the basement was told that the police had shown up and everyone needed to get moving. Spud Mack, the key band that won last year’s Battle of the Bands, didn’t get a chance to perform.

This is the third show to close this month alone, which is extremely uncharacteristic of basement shows. This closure was also particularly significant due to The Speakeasy’s long period of operation.

“Even the already established venues have problems with the police. If these venues can’t survive, then music and the community as a whole can’t either,” said Ronan Flynn, another active member of the scene.

The Rowan scene is not just important for the musicians who are part of it, but rather encompasses a wide range of people, including photographers, videographers and artists.

“Glassboro’s music scene has helped me find a place where I belong… I hope it can continue to grow and do the same for other people like me,” said Jane Van Wie, a student artist and photographer at Rowan .

The loss of these spaces has affected the ability of the people of the Glassboro community to express themselves in a community where they feel comfortable and accepted. Everyone is still showing up to concerts and opening new venues, and nothing can hold back the passionate members that make up the music scene here at Rowan University.

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