On Jan. 23, the band Laundry Day performed in an intimate show hosted by Club Downunder at Florida State University (FSU) in the basement of the Student Union. The band consists of vocalists Sawyer Nunes and Jude Ciulla, guitarist Henry Weingartner, bassist Henry Pearl and drummer Etai Abramovich. The bandmates started making music while all five attended high school together in New York City, but after releasing their debut album in 2018, they left the city limits to embark on their first of many tours. In the five years since its formation, Laundry Day has worked with big names such as Kevin Abstract and Romil Hemnani of BROCKHAMPTON, Clairo and The 1975. Currently, they have four studio albums, the most recent being We Switched Bodies, which was released in February of 2022. The band has also amassed large followings on social media, with an especially successful TikTok account with 56,000 followers and over five million likes.
As I walked into Club Downunder’s quickly filling venue, I immediately sensed the excitement of the crowd as they waited for the show to start. People were meeting up with friends, swaying to the pre-show playlist, and trying out Proof, FSU’s new on-campus bar. As the lights went down, the band walked out onto the stage and the crowd’s energy grew.
At first, Laundry Day seemed cool, calm and collected, but as they began to play their first song, they immediately matched the audience’s energy. Their setlist included fan favorites such as “FRIENDS,” “Jane” and “Lavender,” and even one or two Drake covers in between. The entire room was dancing, and the crowd started moshing by the stage at one point. Club Downunder staff members and volunteers couldn’t have looked more satisfied with the success of their event.
Jude Ciulla kept the crowd entertained in between songs with quips such as “shoutout to Diet Coke” and some short stories about their recent travels. The show came to a close after two encores with Ciulla announcing, “It is now time for our national anthem.” I heard an older woman behind me immediately say, “Amen.” I can only imagine the shock on her face as the band began performing Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The USA,” which the rest of the crowd responded to enthusiastically.
Once the show ended, students began filing out, some shuffling slowly in hopes of a third encore. It was a great show and a hugely successful event on campus, one that I wasn’t sure I would attend, but I couldn’t be more glad that I did. This is just one of the many events that Club Downunder puts on for free for FSU students to enjoy. And they are not the only club to do so, there are countless options to get involved and have fun at our school. I cannot recommend taking advantage of FSU’s events enough, because you’re sure to end up with an amazing experience just like this one.
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