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Review: British Invasion Coffeehouse

On the night of the British Invasion Coffeehouse, Clements was absolutely packed. The majority of the audience was decked out in prime Anglophile fashion, and Union Jacks were blazoned across everything from shirts to shoes. At least three different Doctor Whos compared sonic screwdrivers, and those well-versed in Brit sci-fi classic “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” could spot Arthur Dent wandering about, trusty towel in hand.

Performances ranged from the usual music, poetry and improv to displays of rather more unusual talents. Siblings Kristin and Harrison wowed the crowd with their choreographed Chinese yo-yo routine, which was definitely a stand-out performance of the evening. Another was the Sign Language Club’s coordinated hand dance to Keri Hilson’s “Pretty Girl Rock;” a few black lights and copious amounts of highlighter on hands turned a pretty cool routine into a glow-in-the-dark showstopper.

As always, popular favorite Orff drew plenty of applause with their cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass.”Daly Montgomery returned with her crowd-pleasing “emoetry,” this time bringing a third generation of Montgomery into the tradition of gloom, doom and hilariously inappropriate metaphors. The evening took a more somber turn when “Group Colin,” a veritable crowd of Hockaday girls and Cistercian boys, performed Jimmy Eat World’s “Hear You Me” as a tribute to a Cistercian junior who was recently killed in a car accident. Despite the rather cramped seating and occasional technical difficulties (time-killing chemistry jokes were a common trend of the night), the British coffeehouse was, as coffee smashing success.

– Lizzie