The house was a-rockin’ and the people came a-knockin’ when Blowflies and Stagnox took the stage at Nova Arts on Friday, Sept. 5.
The community turned out to support the two Keene-based bands, starting with Blowflies, composed of juniors May Cassidy, Lonny Smith, Nathan Welsh and KSC alumnus ‘07 Bill Mitchell, playing the opening set.
Welsh, lead guitarist, said this was the band’s second formal performance and its first time performing at Nova Arts.
“I think it went amazing, everyone was at their best,” said Welsh. “I was just talking to our drummer, [Mitchell], outside of the venue about how you’re never, ever going to have a perfect show. You know, it would be impossible.”
Welsh was particularly excited about the flow of the performance, “I think the fact that we just ran so smooth, [Smith, lead singer], the vocals were incredible. I’m so excited [to do] way more stuff [and] put out more music.”
The band primarily performed tracks from its debut 2025 EP “Hypnagogic Rope,” including songs such as “Josh,” “War Song,” and “Mosquito Bites,” among others.
After Blowflies warmed up the house with their opening set, Stagnox, composed of Keaton Walsh of Keene, Lucas Majer of Brattleboro, Vt. and Ben Robison, senior at KSC and WKNH program director, took the stage for the final set of the evening.
Stagnox, which gets its name from a character in the Legend of Zelda video game series, according to Walsh, is “influenced by a whole lot of genres” when asked about their style of music.
“We do dabble in a lot of genres,” added Walsh. “But the main objective with each song is to write just really catchy pop music.”
Blowflies opening for Stagnox was unplanned but exciting, said the band; “It turned out to be perfect,” added Walsh.
“I was excited because I never got to see them [Blowflies], but I had known [from] the Keene community that they were great, and I was looking forward to it,” added Robison. “I knew that was a great bill to have, the two of us.”
Reflecting on the band’s performance on Friday, Robison said, “I think we felt pretty good.” He added that it was Walsh’s favorite performance so far.
The band played selections from its 2025 demo project “Peanut Butter & Jealousy (Part 1),” including the tracks “Dummy” and “Ministry of Love.”
Stagnox also showcased a medley of covers during its performance, playing tracks “…Baby One More Time,” by Britney Spears and a segment of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Queen.
“We also thought it was a pretty good turnout, so I think we definitely thought it was a very good show,” said Robison
The performance was well-received by students coming to support their friends and locals as well.
Tyler Desjardins, senior at KSC and WKNH productions director, said, “I had heard the new Stagnox project and thought it was pretty decent, but then I heard him [Robison] live. I was like, ‘Okay, this rips harder than it was. ” However, this was Desjardins’ first time listening to the Blowflies.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that is just fantastic,’” said Desjardins. “This isn’t the kind of music I bump usually. So the fact I’m singing phrases, not just because I know these people, it’s because it’s good music generally.”
Senior at KSC and WKNH Public Relations Coordinator Katie Duggan shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s not my kind of music, really, but it’s also really cool to see a lot of student bands coming together,” said Duggan.
Frequent attendees of Nova Arts performances were impressed as well.
“I hadn’t heard them [Stagnox and Blowflies] before and they both did amazing,” said Malachi Snide. “I am impressed with how robust the alternative scene is in this area.”
Snide, a local community member from Swanzey, said they have been to a “good chunk” of the performances at Nova Arts. They added, “I started coming here before I [started working] here at Brewbakers. I have always loved the community aspect of the coffee shop and I love that they have started doing shows.”
This performance is part of a series of events lined up by Nova Arts at 48 Emerald St., with the support of a recent grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, said Alyssa Vantier, community organizer at Nova Arts.
“We’re able to allocate [funds across a] portion of the year [for] folks to come in at a discounted rate to just be in the space, to get a feel for it,” said Vantier. “[If] there’s any kind of economic barrier, it kind of alleviates that.”
Timothy Fitzpatrick can be contacted at
Smith and Cassidy are members of The Equinox’s staff.
