On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Spanish indie rock duo Hinds brought an infectious energy and rockin’ tunes to Coventry’s alternative music venue The Grog Shop. Alongside opening band The Happy Return, both acts took advantage of the more intimate venue and brought a level of crowd interaction and lighthearted fun to the stage that exceeded all of my expectations.

For those who are unfamiliar with the band, Hinds hails from Madrid and has only been performing as a duo for just over a year now. The original pair, close friends Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote, remains intact, but bassist Ade Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen both announced their departure from the band in July of 2023 without giving any reason as to why. Factoring in another split from their management team, a canceled tour due to COVID-19 and a lost record deal, Cosials and Perrote had plenty of material to draw upon for their most recent album “VIVA HINDS,” released this past September. And despite all their troubles, the two artists were nothing but upbeat onstage, talking about their journey to get back on tour in a tongue-in-cheek manner that I personally never could have mustered.

Before I get into the review itself, I do want to acknowledge that my friend and I had quite the lucky streak that night and it definitely colored our perceptions of the two bands in an overwhelmingly positive way. We got to The Grog Shop pretty early and secured a spot right in front of the stage—I could have reached out and touched Perrote if I wanted to. I also won the merchandise table’s raffle and ended up taking home a signed Hinds setlist, and my friend somehow ended up with the opener’s list after it got passed through the front row. Most unexpectedly, right before The Happy Return went on, their drummer gave us a disposable camera so we could take pictures of the band for a video soon to be posted on their social media account.

The Happy Return themselves had surprisingly good music for a band I had never heard of before that night, but I think they shined the most with their sense of humor. They told us jokingly that they’d only heard good things about Ohio online before coming here, and that we were the first crowd not to boo them offstage. They also sang a song named after and dedicated to Annabeth from the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which in retrospect is both sweet and kind of weird if you look too closely at its lyrics. Since I was right at the front I really had to hide how hard I was laughing, since I didn’t want it to seem like I was making fun of their performance when in reality the subject matter was just a little too much for me. No matter how you look at it, though, they definitely engaged their audience and set the tone for the rest of the night.

Hinds only continued the enthusiastic energy set up by The Happy Return. I’ll admit that I don’t know most of Hinds’ songs by heart, but it was hard not to get sucked in by the music anyway. I don’t think they played a single track that I disliked. My favorites were probably “Boom Boom Back,” which is their most-streamed song on Spotify, and “The Bed, The Room, The Rain And You.” The duo and their current touring bandmates bassist Paula Ruiz and drummer Maria Lázaro danced and jumped around the stage and sang their hearts out. By the end of the concert, there was a genuine mosh pit in the middle of the floor, which if you’re familiar with The Grog Shop you’ll know is no mean feat in a space that small. I thought some of the people moshing were taking it a little far for a Tuesday night—I personally feel like there’s never a need to push and shove anyone—but I guess it was nice to see how into the music they were.

Hinds also continued the night’s themes of humor and crowd engagement. After the first few numbers spent dancing, Perrote revealed that she had been wearing a boot the entire time and put a picture of her foot’s X-ray on the front of her microphone stand, where it stayed for the rest of the night. For their final number, the pair even asked if anyone in the audience knew how to play guitar, and pulled two people onstage to play and sing alongside them. After the show was over, they stuck around to sign people’s merch and take photos with fans, both of which I took them up on. I almost never buy concert merch, but the t-shirts were honestly really cute—Hinds mentioned during their set that they see fashion almost as an extension of music, which is why they design their own merch—so I had to snag one.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. I would highly encourage Case Western Reserve University students to seek out smaller concerts—they’re cheaper and more lowkey than most mainstream shows, but with far more opportunities to get to see artists up close. Plus, The Grog Shop is about as close to campus as you can get, making them a great venue for CWRU students. My friend and I were actually able to take a Safe Ride to get there—it doesn’t get any easier than that. Whether at The Grog Shop or otherwise, I don’t think you can go wrong with seeing any concert as long as the artist brings even a fraction of the energy and enthusiasm that Hinds had onstage last Tuesday.