Fans from all over rallied in Battelle atrium on Nov. 7 to see Vellichor and Lady Heroine at Capitol Boogie, hosted by WVAU Radio, to engage in some Friday night punk mischief.
Every semester, WVAU, American University’s college radio station, hosts a free concert featuring local artists and bands from various underground scenes. This year, WVAU brought Vellichor, a DMV-based Riot Grrrl band, and Lady Heroine, an Orlando-based rock-and-roll band. Both groups brought fans to Battelle Atrium to enjoy hammering bass, explosive drums and aggressive lyrics.
Born out of the D.C. area, Mei (lead vocalist and lyricist), Michael (electric guitarist), Aidan (lead drummer) and Angel (bass guitarist) formed Vellichor, the band’s name being inspired by the feelings of nostalgia. The band members are all affiliated with AU in one way or another.
Mei is an alumni from the Class of 2025 and studied graphic design in the College of Arts & Sciences. Michael and Angel are both current sophomores, with Michael studying in Business Administration in Kogod School of Business and Angel studying Psychology through CAS. Angel is WVAU’s tech co-director and helped set up the event.
“This is our home away from home,” Angel said.
Vellichor describes themselves as many things — punk, alternative-rock, metal — but said Riot Grrrl fits best. Riot Grrrl is a feminist movement born out of the punk scene — think Courtney Love, Bratmobile and L7. Mei said they take inspiration from their experiences with queerness, angst and love to infuse into the band’s discography. Most importantly, Mei said they want to make people dance.
“I try to write music so that people can forget about the shit going on in the world,” Mei said. “I like people to have a good time: community, dancing, moshing, all that.”
Vellichor played at WVAU’s 80th birthday celebration earlier this year, as well as countless other shows in the D.C. area. However, playing as the opener for Capitol Boogie and sharing the stage with Lady Heroine felt like an honor, Angel said.
Capitol Boogie is open to the entire D.C. community, not just AU students. When Sisi Key found out that Lady Heroine was playing, they had to come and see them. Key, a multi-disciplinary artist from Southeast, D.C., found Lady Heroine when Sadie, one of the band’s hit songs, blew up on TikTok.
“I actually love this song, and then they ended up coming out with a whole album,” said Key. “I f–ks with them heavily.”
Other fans like Nijie Taylor and Miah Taylor, D.C. area natives and brothers, said they appreciate how Lady Heroine is an alternative band with a Black female lead, unlike most rock or punk bands. Miah Taylor, an out-of-towner from Virginia, said Lady Heroine is one of those “perfect sound” bands.
“It just sounds so good,” Miah said. “Their entire sound is just, yes. I could listen to this all day.”
While Nijie Taylor may have heard of the band only two hours prior, he said it didn’t take long for him to follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a fan of the band.
“Played about four songs, three of them got saved,” Nijie said.
Lady Heroine is an alternative band from Orlando, Florida., Andres Rodriguez (drummer), Kaitlyn “Kait” Francisco (lead vocalist and backup guitarist), Felix Gallardo (lead guitarist) and Cesar Lamelas (bass guitarist) shoved all their equipment in a car and drove the 15-hour trip to D.C. Despite playing together for five years, every performance still surprises them.
“It feels not real,” said Francisco. “It’s really awesome to just be in these new places and discover new people. It’s just really cool, and we’re humbly accepting all the love we get everywhere.”
Their setlist included fan favorites like “Dirt,” “If They Knew,” and of course “Sadie.” Many fans knew the hit from TikTok and the crowd visibly became more intense and lively.
Moshpits are an informal tradition at most punk shows, and Capitol Boogie wasn’t any different. The crowd exploded into pandemonium, and even the lead singer got caught in the chaos. Lady Heroine said they live for these moments.
“It feels like we get to play famous for a few seconds,” Gallardo said.
Throughout the event, WVAU distributed homemade zines featuring the run-of-show and small tidbits about each band. Vellichor also handed out buttons branded with its logo, and Lady Heroine sold stickers and shirts.
According to Lady Heroine, its goal is to record and release another EP by early January 2026. Fans can find a tease of one of the band’s to-be-released singles on the back of their merch, “Rub Off on Me.”
Looking forward, Lady Heroine said it wants to exceed what they’ve accomplished year-by-year. They want to be rockstars full-time, instead of balancing their day jobs.
“That would be the dream,” the band said. “That would be exactly what we want.”
This article was edited by Payton Anderson, Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman and Ava Stuzin.
