Students and community come together for punk music appreciation following the university’s Big Event.

The commuter lounge on the first floor of the Henry Student Center shook April 26 as the buzz from guitar amps and the clash of drums filled the building. People crowded around the band currently playing.

“On the count of four, everybody jump!” the singer yelled before band and audience members alike bounced off their feet to the rhythm of the music.

That band, Lila Ignite from Binghamton, N.Y., was one of six that recently performed at Wilkes as part of an on-campus music show. Also on the bill were mountaineer, Vendetta, Summer Holds the Earth, Social Loafers and an acoustic set by Jeremy Miller and Shana Noon.

“It was fun,” Dan Congdon, Lila Ignite’s bass player, said of his band’s set. “It was a much different environment than usual. It’s usually legions and house shows and bars.”

Sponsored by the Mansion RAs, the show was only part of a day full of activities commemorating the university’s Big Event, an annual campuswide community service project.

That sense of community was not lost even after the work ended; attendance was made up both of students and local music-lovers, bringing to the campus that sense of community that event coordinator and Wilkes freshman Derek Jolley has found in music since his youth.

“I wanted to throw a show at my college,” Jolley said. “I wanted to do something with my organization as well as with the school … . Wilkes really worked with me with putting the show on.”

Mark Rugerre, vocalist of Social Loafers, said he enjoyed the atmosphere that playing music in a college created.

“I saw some kids walking by, and they didn’t know what was going on, and they actually stayed for a little bit and listened,” he said. “It’s definitely a good spot, I think.”