Founder’s Court goes alt-rock as bôa kicks off U.S. tour at Rice

By Radhani Kapoor and Arman Saxena     4/29/25 4:24pm

Founder’s Court morphed into a festival ground Friday night as British alt-rock band bôa launched the U.S. leg of their “Whiplash” tour. The group headlined the third annual Moody X-Fest before what organizers estimate was “a little bit over 2,000 students” — the largest turnout in the event’s three-year history.

Moody X-Fest exists because of the Moody Foundation’s 2021 $100 million donation for “beyond the classroom” experiences. Brown College senior Sara Davidson, a member of this year’s new student advisory committee, warmed up the crowd by rattling off just a few of the programs that money fuels — from Moody Global Fellows to new humanities research grants.

The festival began with a performance from Mariachi Luna Llena, one of five student acts chosen through the festival’s new campuswide application.

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“Mariachi Luna Llena definitely expanded my horizons … these were very compelling performances,” said José Cicerchia, a lecturer in the department of modern and classical literatures and cultures.

Jones College junior Hayne Lim said K-pop dance crew BASYK’s performance was a highlight.

“BASYK always puts on such a good performance,” Lim said.  “I feel like BASYK really fits the Moody vibe because they’re really festive and they’re all about the visuals and getting everyone’s energy up.”

BASYK president Hanna Zhang said the team spent months polishing a set that carried over from their Cypher showcase a few weeks prior. 

“The energy was really high, really nice, and I think overall, we all were pumped for our last performance of the semester,” said Zhang, a Duncan College junior.

For some performers, the quad-sized crowd was a thrilling first.

“I had never performed any of this in front of a crowd before,” said Amy Wang, a Kasama performer and Lovett College freshman. “Honestly, [performing] was so fucking fun.”

X-Fest veterans arrived armed with a game plan to take advantage of the seven vendors.  Duncan junior Amy Lee said visiting Moody X-Fest for the food has become a ritual among her friends. 

“It became our tradition to come and grab food … of course, we love free food and to see people around who I would have not run into in my classes and catch up,” Lee said. “I’ve seen people grabbing [food] very strategically, going and grabbing six boxes.”

Back in October, 1,560 students ranked potential headliners; bôa topped the list.

Some students said they knew bôa only through the TikTok revival of their 1998 song “Duvet.” Martel College sophomore Sarah Tabrez, who voted for the band in the fall because of the song’s popularity, said she was thrilled her vote paid off.

 “I voted for them in the survey and they’re actually playing … I’m so happy,” Tabrez said.

Sid Richardson College junior Arjun Surya said he crammed before showtime. 

“I have listened to [‘Duvet’] before on Spotify…and it's pretty good,” Surya said. “I listened to ‘Twilight’ on the way here just to get my homework done, so I would recognize more than one song.”

McMurtry College freshman Stella Shrinsky-de Armas, a self-described longtime fan, staked out the barricade. 

“[bôa] played everything I wanted to hear,” she said, guitar pick and set list in hand. “‘Drinking’ is like the best song ever.”

bôa vocalist Jasmine Rodgers turned the quad into an interactive experience: she led a “Happy Birthday” serenade for a fan named Kyle and dedicated “Beautiful & Broken” to “anyone that feels a little bit broken but also a little bit beautiful.”

Before the inevitable closing song “Duvet”, Rodgers teased the audience.

“You’ve been so deliciously patient,” Rodgers said. “[The next song] is called something that we only call it in the U.K., here you call it a comforter.”

“Duvet” — bôa’s most streamed song — sent phones skyward and voices hoarse. Shrinsky-de Armas said she stood “a foot” from the stage.

“I ascended, it was beautiful,” Shrinsky-de Armas said. 

Initially unfamiliar with bôa’s discography, Collin DeSoto, a McMurtry freshman, said he left with a larger playlist.

“I would say I discovered some new songs today,” DeSoto said.

According to Moody X-Fest program manager Andy Osborn, attendance has climbed from an estimated 1,500 in year one to just over 2,000 this year. 

“That growth is the best metric of success we have,” Osborn said in an email to the Thresher. “Students keep showing up, so we’ll keep growing the event with them.”

Elijah White, a McMurtry freshman, said the turnout was the best part of the show.

“It’s really hard to get some Rice kids out of their caves,” White said.  “Seeing them actually come out and enjoy themselves was cool.”

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