On Wednesday, Sept. 4, Wellesley students began to notice flyers popping up around campus: 

Coming from Seattle, WA
Concert in Caz
September 7th
Special Performance by:
The Well-Licked Rats

Immediately, concert-lovers across campus rejoiced — Wellesley College is notoriously lacking in the live music department. But who and what was this mysterious new band? None other than Wellesley’s own Mallika Bubb ’27, Emory Guenther ’27 and their friend Melia Golden, a sophomore at the University of Washington. With the help of their manager Riya Kalra ’27, audio engineer Catie Cho ’27 and merch designer Mallika Sunder ’27, the Well-Licked Rats put on a show to remember. A few days after the concert, I was lucky enough to talk with Bubb and Guenther to learn more about the band.

The group originally formed in Seattle, consisting of Bubb, Golden and Vedika Bhat, another Seattle native. When Bhat, the group’s bassist, was unable to make it to Wellesley for the show, Guenther stepped up to the plate. 

“I played around on the bass around the end of spring semester last year … I didn’t really know anything,” Guenther told me. 

However, after finding out about the plan for a Wellesley concert and the group’s need for a stand-in bassist, she committed herself to learning to play.  

“Originally, I thought I was only going to have to play six of [the songs], but I ended up playing all eleven originals,” she said. 

Members described the band’s genre as a blend of “punk, indie and dance rock” with a definitively funky vibe. All of the original songs were written by Bubb, the group’s lead singer and guitarist, and Golden, the drummer. 

“I would write the guitar parts and melody, and usually the lyrics too,” Bubb said. 

She would then bring the songs to Golden, who would work out the drums until they were happy with the finished product. Golden also contributed lyrics for a few songs, including “Cherry Tree.” At the Sept. 4 show, she stepped up to the microphone explaining that the song is an homage to the cherry tree in front of which she and her brother would take back-to-school photos each year. When Golden returned home from college for the first time, she found that the tree had been cut down. The sweet and sentimental song was certainly a crowd favorite thanks to its emotionally resonant context.

During a tuning break between songs, Bubb explained the origin of the band’s unique name. Bubb told the crowd that her first choice was “Radiohead 2,” eliciting scattered cheers and applause from the crowd. However, this name was vetoed by her bandmates. The name The Well-Licked Rats originates from a study Golden had learned about which discovered that rats who are “well licked” by their mothers in infancy are better at handling stress as adults. Finished with tuning her guitar, Bubb dedicated the next song to “all the unlicked rats out there.” The show concluded with acoustic covers of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” and Big Thief’s “Masterpiece,” with Bubb encouraging audience members to sing along. According to Bubb, these songs were the most nerve-wracking to perform. 

“I actually had not played ‘Fade Into You’ until that day … that was a very last minute [addition]” she smiled, recalling that Golden had written out the lyrics to the two cover songs for her so she could read off of them during the performance.

The show itself was a smashing success, but most attendees had no idea how many obstacles the band had to overcome for it to happen at all. Bubb recounts reaching out to Wellesley’s music department in search of a drum set and facilities to no avail. Instead, they rented the drums from a Guitar Center in Natick, bringing them to campus with the help of Hannah Cummins ’27, who volunteered as the band’s unofficial chauffeur. Bubb also purchased a soundboard, which she considers an investment for future shows. In total, the band spent around $250 in expenses to put on the show. They were able to raise some money back thanks to donations from the crowd and the sale of stickers designed by Sunder. However, Bubb emphasizes that it’s not about money. 

“I had no anticipation of making money … I just wanted to spark an interest in starting bands at Wellesley — I want to see more women in bands,” she said. 

In terms of the venue, the band was lucky enough to have Cazenove RA Riya Kalra ’27 as their manager. When the band struggled to find a location for their show, Kalra told them, “I need my [Community Engagement hours] anyway.” They ended up making the concert Cazenove’s monthly hall event, which allowed them to obtain speakers and a microphone through the College. 

In addition to the aforementioned challenges, the band had less than a day to practice, as Golden arrived in Massachusetts the day of the event. Golden took a redeye flight to Boston, landing early on the morning of the show. After Bubb and Cummins picked her up, Golden slept while the other band members set up in the basement. At this point, Bubb met the band’s audio engineer, Catie Cho, for the very first time. 

“We didn’t actually rehearse until around 2:00 p.m.,” Bubb revealed “We just played through the entire setlist, and I worked out a couple of kinks.” 

With just one afternoon to rehearse, the band managed to get through the entire setlist without a hitch.

The concert’s venue, Cazenove Hall basement, has a capacity of 75 people, a limit which was maxed out before the band had even begun playing. When asked if she could change anything about the show retrospectively, Bubb answered, “I felt bad about having to turn people down at the door … I hope next time we can accommodate for that better.” 

Bubb remarked that her expectations had been relatively low, expecting an audience consisting of 30 or so of the band’s friends. According to manager Kalra, a total of 105 students showed up. The band believes that the turnout proves how strong of a demand there is for live music at Wellesley. The venue also necessitated a strict no bags, no bottles, and no off-campus guests policy, requiring attendees to sign in at the door. In the future, the band hopes to put on shows independently to avoid such restrictions and make their concerts accessible to all.

I asked Bubb if she had any words of advice for other Wellesley students interested in performing music on campus. 

“Honestly, just go for it. Don’t be afraid to show people things that you’ve made,” she said. 

She also emphasized the importance of not striving for perfection (as Wellesley students may often tend to do). 

“Be patient with yourself, try to make the kind of music that you want to make … even if it’s not perfect, people are probably going to like it, or show up at least.”  

Bubb urged aspiring musicians not to fall victim to self-imposed limitations. 

“Don’t say ‘oh, I can’t perform until I can play a barre chord’ ‘I can’t perform until I can play a solo’ … Just do what you can, even if it’s very simple.” 

In her final reflection on the show, Bubb professed, “I want to show people that it’s not that hard to make music and it’s not that hard to be in a band. You just have to have the courage to put yourself out there.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Norah Catlin, Anabelle Meyers