The Maintenance Shop was jam-packed with fans of alternative music Friday night as KURE 88.5 FM held their fourth annual KURE Fest.

ISU’s alternative radio station was proud to present a line-up this year that included the DJ Blackbird Blackbird, as well as alternative rock bands Yellow Ostrich, General B and the Wiz, The Olympics and The Contra Social.

Sponsors for this year’s festival consisted of The Inter-Residence Hall Association, the Government of the Student Body, The Fighting Burrito, Interstate All Battery Center, Maintenance Shop and Arcadia Cafe.

The event was kicked off with a pre-party on the Memorial Union’s terrace. The group who came out was treated by a few local DJs who mixed some beats to prime the music-lovers for the show.

Opening for the night was Ames’ year-old rock group The Contra Social. The band played a few original songs including “Run Away” and “Back to Square One” and covered Neon Trees’ “Animal” as well as a couple Led Zeppelin hits.

Iowa City-based The Olympics offered the evening some pop sensibilities. The attendees got moving to some of their popular songs such as “Gypsy Blood”, “Young Casanova” and “New Year’s Eve.”

General B and The Wiz from St. Paul, Minn. brought their eccentricities to Ames for a second time as they delivered their distinctive brand of psych-rock. The crowd was very receptive as the ensemble transitioned into some vehement rock choruses.

“It’s our second time ever playing in Ames. I like you guys, Iowa State is a pretty good place. Thank you all for coming out,” said guitarist Seth Duin.

Headlining act, Yellow Ostrich, played for the first time in Ames for this year’s KURE fest. New York City’s pop-rock band delighted the audience as they played some of their older tunes like “Whale” and “Marathon Runner”, as well as some tracks from their newest album “Ghost”.

Closing out the night was California’s dreamy folktronic DJ Blackbird Blackbird. Armed with a soundboard and his MacBook, the night’s only solo act transfixed the most dedicated of attendees and stimulated some passionate dancing with his lengthy psychedelic mixes.

The entire event lasted about five hours. Those in attendance responded quite positively to the show, including Adam Bengtson, a senior in advertising at Iowa State.

“I came here for the interesting music,” Bengston said. “It was packed. It’s really exciting to have such cool music on campus here in Ames. It was a really good turnout.”

Those can tune into KURE on 88.5 FM to hear alternative music from these artists and more and to get information on more events like this year’s KURE Fest.