As the history major I am, I’ve been browsing FSU’s digital archive, DigiNole, which has all sorts of documents recording past life at FSU, including newspapers, yearbooks, and old pictures. What most caught my attention, however, was DigiNole’s collection of past Club Downunder concert posters. Even before FSU’s new student union was built with a dedicated space “Downunder,” there were “underground” (literally and figuratively) music performances at FSU whose planning came to create Club Downunder. FSU’s Heritage & University Archives have digitized the advertisements for Club Downunder shows since 2000 (and there are physical copies in Stroz).
CDU held a free Faye Webster concert on March 24 which students have been buzzing about since it was announced. College music venues including Florida State’s have been showing up-and-coming indie artists for years. Here are five past FSU shows that I would 100 percent time travel to for a taste of that early 2000s to 2010s indie scene.
Mac Demarco
Club Downunder was truly someone who liked Mac Demarco before he was famous. Playing on Sep. 27, 2012, his show at FSU was less than a month before his first album, 2, came out on Oct. 16, 2012. Perhaps DeMarco gave FSU an early performance of the would-be iconic songs on that album like “Freaking Out in the Neighborhood” or “My Kind of Woman,” or maybe one of his first songs he created as a solo artist in 2011, “My Jean.”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Who would have known when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed at FSU that they would release a song in 2007 called “Heads Will Roll” whose “off with your head, dance ‘till you’re dead” lyrics would be heard nearly any night in Tallahassee clubs into 2024? Playing in November 2003, the band would have recently released one of their first albums, Fever to Tell, which included the Mazzy Star-esque “Maps,” and another one of my favorites, “Y Control” (side note — I’ve heard “Y Control” multiple times on WVFS Tallahassee. Is there a connection here??).
The Drums
You’ve probably heard The Drums’ song “Money” somewhere on social media, as its guitar instrumentals have been the sound of several trends. Their show on Oct. 26, 2011, was a part of their tour for their album Portamento, whose distinctive early 2010s indie sound included “Money” as well as some of my other favorites like “Days” and “What You Were.”
Peter Bjorn and John
My love for Peter Bjorn and John is evidenced by the fact that I’ve already mentioned them in an article about my favorite study music. You’ve more than likely heard their song “Young Folks,” which plays in the pilot episode of Gossip Girl while Serena walks through Grand Central Station. I have to say I love the whole album that this song is a part of, Writer’s Block. According to DigiNole, their November 2011 show was canceled, but it’s not like I can time travel anyway.
Youth Lagoon
The one song I know (“Cannons”) by Youth Lagoon would’ve been enough for me to come to their show. Their album cover for The Year of Hibernation, also the CDU poster, matches the sound of the song: hazy and uplifting, a perfect springtime vibe for their March 2012 show.
One day maybe I’ll find who else CDU hosted before Y2K (apparently The Goo Goo Dolls and Nirvana played). And just maybe, one of our kids who was “born in the wrong generation” won’t believe we got to see Faye Webster for free.
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