On Friday, Sept. 27, the Glassboro basement music venue “The Speakeasy,” hosted its second official show of the semester. The lineup featured LVNA, Hue Hinton, Bristoltooth, and Spud Mack. By technicality this was their third show, considering that the acoustic show at The Villa was shut down and moved to the Speakeasy on Sept. 13. 

The Speakeasy is one of the longest-lasting venues currently active in the scene, hosting its first show on Feb. 15, 2024. It’s a popular venue due to its proximity to campus and comfortable atmosphere. 

“It’s the nicest venue I’ve been to on campus,” said James Reilly, a frequent showgoer at Rowan.

Typically, The Speakeasy has used a marker on concertgoers’ hands to show they have paid and stop people from sneaking in after the venue has reached capacity. This time they used paper wristbands, which is much harder for people to forge, and it’s much easier for the venue owners to see and turn people away who might be sneaking in. They took this step most likely due to the widespread shutdown of shows this month due to their increase in popularity and turnouts. 

The first act was LVNA. They have been super active in the scene, performing about four times this month alone at a variety of venues. The second act, Hue Hinton, is a solo artist who performs with a backing band. It’s rare to see solo artists in the Rowan scene. Bristoltooth started their set and the crowd was super responsive to the music. As soon as everyone began to move, everyone in the basement was notified the police had shown up and everyone needed to head out. Spud Mack, the pivotal band who won Battle of the Bands last year, did not get the chance to perform. 

This is the third show this month alone that’s been shut down, which is extremely atypical for the basement shows.  This shutdown was of special importance as well because of how long The Speakeasy has been operating.

“Even the already established venues are having trouble with the cops. If these venues can’t survive, neither can the music and the community as a whole,” said Ronan Flynn, another active member of the scene. 

The Rowan Scene isn’t just important to the musicians who are a part of it, rather it encompasses a wide range of people from photographers, videographers, and artists.

“The Glassboro music scene has helped me find a space where I belong… I hope that 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 impacted the ability of people of the Glassboro community to express themselves in a community where they feel comfortable and accepted. Everyone has still been showing up to shows and starting new venues, and nothing can hold back the passionate members that make up the music scene here at Rowan University.

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