By Grace Terranova – Staff Reporter

Local hardcore band Syndicate, composed of five Jonathan Law students, played in a 12-band lineup at Toad’s Place in New Haven on September 17.  

Syndicate is made up of Jonathan Law students ranging from sophomores to seniors. They are swiftly growing in popularity, especially in the local scene. 

“My favorite part of being in the music scene is being able to meet all the people in my favorite bands and playing shows with them,” Lead Guitarist and sophomore Ryan Conrad said.

Despite their young age, Syndicate has played over four shows in the past two months, with many more to come.

“Playing shows at such a young age is such a surreal experience,” Lead Vocalist and sophomore Nick Lucas said. “When I’m up on stage, it’s like I’m more than a kid. I have so much control over the people in the crowd and over the general feeling of the show and feeling in the room. It’s the greatest feeling ever, and people love to see it.”

Syndicate played a 25-minute set at the Lily Pad at Toad’s place. They played new as well as old songs that encouraged a large reaction from the crowd.

They are expected to play upcoming shows at FallFest in Newington and various other locations.

“It’s a very interesting experience seeing how far they have progressed,” junior Morgan Cappock Said. “I went to their first venue show in February, and since then they have made so much progress, and I’m so proud of them all.”

They have played multiple venues, including 10 Seldon, Cherry Street Station, and Graces Place. Their next show will be at the AJJ Memorial Skatepark on October 17.

“Watching people my age be well known for their talents is hard to comprehend, especially when you know them personally, but like I said I’m so proud of how far they have come and I’m excited to see how much they progress,” Cappock said.

Syndicate was formed September 1, 2024, and is made up of three current members. They played for the first time at their eighth grade talent show, and later played their first venue, Graces Place in Meriden.

“To me Syndicate means big and fun time just collaborating with my friends, doing what I love and what I’m passionate about – just a place of self expression giving me access to this community that I am so grateful for cause it makes me so happy,” Guitarist and senior Laylah Torres said, “I think the show went very well. There were a lot of people for us, more than some of the other bands upstairs I’d say, but I can’t wait for the next one because we actually cooked at Toad’s.”

Syndicate’s last four-song EP came out August 15, containing songs such as “DISEMODIMENT” and “AS WE PART.”

“I think the band definitely has a lot of potential to be something great if we choose to put in the work that’s necessary to get us to the place that we want to be at,” Drummer and sophomore Fred Clark said. “It’s just a lot of dedication and hard work, which I know we can do.”