No, there wasn’t any smoke seeping onto the stage floor. And there were no overly fancy costumes, nor were there thousands of screaming fangirls standing in the crowds. There were, however, electric guitars, drums, and three bands quite ready to face off to be known as the best.
The performance started with The Face Stabbers, a three-member band wearing funny sunglasses. To warm up, one of the guitarists serenaded the audience with his guitar playing off the stage.
The crowd laughed and clapped as the band played and dedicated their songs to a multitude of things: St. Patrick’s Day, the tsunami, and bus drivers, among other things. Their fifth and sixth songs even included a conversation with a grandmother about Ash Wednesday and a story about football and a helmet one size too small.
At the end of their performance, the audience was asked to participate as the band played their last song. Shouts of “Courtney Love” and “Yoko Ono” could be heard filling the room as the beating of the drum reverberated all over. At some point, one of the guitarists set himself down from the stage again and mingled with the crowd, managing to land on a table and toppling it afterwards (we know he did not mean it, surely!).
The second act consisted of four people: three guitarists and a drummer. They called themselves Number Five is Alive, and they opened up their performance with a song about Wendy’s—not a girl named Wendy, but rather the fast food restaurant.
The next song had an interesting story, as the band claimed they had finished it at 4 am that morning. Instead of pausing to take a breather, the band went straight to its third performance, which consisted of a fast and catchy tune forever ingrained in my head.
Their fourth song—also their cover song—had a lengthy title that somehow included Myspace.com in the picture. The band ended with a last song called “Awakening,” which brought some of the crowd to sway back and forth, and then clap appreciatively after they were done. Someone from the back even yelled for the band to perform one more song, only to find that they were done.
The night was not over, of course, as the last band went up to perform. Calling themselves HaStyle & The Sun, they opened up with a deeply opinionated song about the war in Iraq—whether you agree with their views or not, it was catchy.
My personal favorite of the performance was the light-hearted “No Shoes Blues.” It told a vivid story of a boy in trouble all because he let a homeless person steal his shoes. Quite an adventure, I know, but it was funny nonetheless.
Two more songs followed suit, and the last one ended with much gusto after the free-styling of the lead singer, of course. To be honest, I was actually sorry that their performance ended—it was that entertaining.
After the bands performed their bit, the ballot took place. People bustled towards the voting table to put their rectangular pieces of paper into one of the three boxes for their favorite band. Now, I’d tell you which one I voted for, but that would be giving away the ending in the next paragraph!
In the end, third place went to The Face Stabbers and second to Number Five is Alive. To no apparent surprise at my end, the winner of this semester’s Battle of the Bands went to HaStyle & The Sun! Well-deserved indeed.
