The University Programs Council hosted a Battle of the Bands at the Amphitheater Friday for the first time, where student bands across the University music scene vied for victory and the chance to open for Springfest April 11 which will be headlined by A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. In the end, No Composure was crowned champion.
The Battle of the Bands drew in a crowd of hundreds, lasting just over four hours. Each band played for 20 minutes, with setlists ranging from three to five songs. The evening also featured a groovy guest performance by student band Loose Leaf. For each of the five rounds, two bands would compete with an audience vote-by-applause — moderated by the hosts — deciding which band would be sent to the judges, a panel of five UPC members, to declare a winner.
Liam Mullins, No Composure bassist and second-year College student, touched on how Battle of the Bands encouraged the winning group to focus more on their audience engagement than they had before.
“Since the stakes were a lot higher, and there was a general emphasis placed on … really putting on a show for the people that are watching you, I think just about everyone in the band took it more seriously in terms of getting out there, looking energetic and working with the crowd more,” Mullins said.
The event kicked off around 7 p.m. when the two UPC hosts, third-year College students Bhavyasri Suggula and Yaritza Rodriguez-Alvarenga, introduced the premise of the battle and hyped up the crowd for the night of live music to come.
Split Decision kicked off the event with a combination of covers and their own original songs including selections from their recently released album “Easy Does It.” During a performance of “Hangin’ Around” — the first song they ever released as a group — the crowd grooved to the youthful, quintessentially college track. They followed that up with another original song, “All This Time,” during which Travon Cervantes, saxophonist and Class of 2024 alumnus, smoothly backed up vocals by Joe Leonard, lead singer and fourth-year Engineering student.
After their performance, the hosts returned to the stage and asked a few music-related trivia questions to give students the chance to win free Battle of the Bands merch.
Competing against Split Decision was Last Call, who drew in more supporters around the stage as their set began. The band started with “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer, featuring a sweet saxophone solo from third-year College student Jack Peacock, and proceeded with “The Only Exception” by Paramore that had a stellar build up. Then, Simone Marijic, lead singer and third-year College student, showcased her powerful vocals in a nearly 10 minute-long rendition of “Zombie” by The Cranberries where every band member got their time to shine in a solo.
Dylan Smith, Last Call guitarist and fourth-year College student, expressed his excitement to participate in the Battle of the Bands.
“It’s wonderful, this is a very historic piece in U.Va. history,” Smith said. “It’s wonderful to be able to do what we love here.”
After an audience vote in which Split Decision won, Birds N’ the Breeze took the stage against Scarlet Fever. The former band’s setlist spanned eras and genres, playing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and “From The Start” by Laufey, spotlighting keyboardist and second-year College student Shreyas Agnihotri. Scarlet Fever’s members came on stage aptly dressed in red and introduced energetic pop hits, such as “Ain’t it Fun” by Paramore, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan and CeeLo Green’s “F–k You.”
Scarlet Fever drew in a louder crowd with more engagement, later winning them the audience vote. Harrison Snedeker, keyboardist and third-year College student, described the experience of playing at UPC’s event and noted that this was the band’s largest performance yet.
“There’s this feeling you get when you’re up there and you’re letting everything you got go, and you’re in sync with the people around you,” Snedeker said. “It’s incredible.”
Next up was Swamp Street, who performed a jazzy rendition of Player’s “Baby Come Back,” and in their last song, featured a trumpet solo that garnered much applause. Loose Champagne fired back with some funk of their own, featuring a setlist full of R&B and rap, including a jazz cover of Mac Miller’s “What’s the Use?” The band showcased their groovy basslines, angelic vocals and occasional saxophone solo that kept the audience dancing. After incredibly successful performances from both bands, the audience vote went to Loose Champagne.
Krispies took the stage next with one of the most unique lineups of the night, including an electric fiddle performance by third-year Engineering student Cavan Meade. They played “Misery Business” by Paramore and “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. The battling guitar and fiddle solos on stage had the audience erupting into cheers. They were met with No Composure’s “Mamma Mia” by ABBA, “See You Again” by Tyler, The Creator, and an electric cover of “505” by Arctic Monkeys. The crowd engagement was there as they got the audience to sing along and move with the music.
After several re-votes of applause from the audience and an incredibly close victory for No Composure, Name Game went on with a set of hard-hitting rock songs. After opening with “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, they performed “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo and “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, including a remarkably smooth transition between the songs, followed by a cover of “All I Wanted” by Paramore. Weekends & Wednesdays, was the final competing band of the night and brought a much heavier sound to the stage, opening with “Hysteria” by Muse and “Killing In The Name” by Rage Against The Machine. With matching animal onesies adding some comedic contrast to their performance, they were a hit with the crowd.
Fourth-year College student Nick Chu and second-year College student Teddy Price both impressed the audience as they took turns on the intense vocals between songs. In the end, after another series of re-votes due to the close competition, the audience went with Weekends & Wednesdays.
At this point, five bands had progressed through the rounds, and it was up to the UPC judges to decide who put on the overall best show.
In the meantime, the audience was treated to a final performance by Loose Leaf who played at last semester’s Fall Fest. The band treated the audience with “Higher” by Creed and “Dark Necessities” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, before ending with “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls. Loose Leaf brought a classic sound to the stage that had the whole audience singing along.
After long anticipation, the winners were announced. While each band put on an incredible show, No Composure’s song choice, cohesiveness and crowd work earned them the victory of first place, with Loose Champagne coming in second.
A common sentiment expressed by the bands was how Battle of the Bands brings together so many talented musicians and is great for the music scene at the University.
“That’s what it's all about — getting people interested in the music scene and going to see shows,” Mullins said.
Elizabeth Schmidt, the arts and enrichment director for UPC and third-year Architecture student, expressed a desire to continue to host Battle of the Bands events in the future, touching on the community aspect of the show and what it adds to the University music scene.
“A lot of people who don't normally go to UPC events are coming to this event just to hear their favorite band, but then they'll stay for a couple other bands,” Schmidt said. “So, people are able to listen to bands that they have not heard.”
Ganeev Kaur, second-year College student and UPC arts and enrichment coordinator, explained that UPC’s mission for Battle of the Bands was to honor U.Va. student musicians and give them a platform to come together and perform in front of the rest of the community.
Battle of the Bands did just that, bringing the vibrant music scene to Grounds. The event showcased a diverse range of musical talent that gave the University community a night to remember.
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