Stafford Commons transformed into a makeshift concert venue for Battle of the Bands, featuring NC State’s own talent and delivering cautionary “loud environment” warnings to nearby devices.
University Activities Board organized a multi-setlist event appealing to both music lovers and the general bustling crowd of students on campus. Four bands — Armadillo, Moving Boxes, The Layaways and Avent Ferry — competed for the audience’s vote to win the competition and a LEGO Fender Stratocaster.
Christopher Myers, a third-year studying environmental science and the entertainment committee chair for UAB, said Battle of the Bands was a free event to provide accessible fun to students.
“We really just want to showcase student talent and also provide entertainment on campus for the students,” Myers said. “We’re trying to keep costs as low as possible so that there’s no barrier for people to come in and enjoy this kind of stuff.”
UAB will continue to organize events featuring student talent.
“We have several events coming up that showcase students because we have a lot of talent on campus, and we want to give that exposure,” Myers said.
Armadillo took the stage first. The band holds about one year of experience together, and their cohesiveness was evident through their set.
The group of three performed their original “Ten Seconds to Transmission” and covers. With impressive solos from all three members and notable drum interludes, Armadillo energized the crowd from the start.
Second to take the stage was Moving Boxes, who boasted an impressive rock sound while integrating modern punk. They opened with fan-favorite “Bed Bath + Beyond My Breaking Point” and ended with their traditional closing song, “Trust Fall (Don’t Catch Me).” The band also performed “Stop Signs are Merely Suggestions,” which is the first track that has been released from their upcoming album.
The Layaways, who have garnered a dedicated following on campus, were the third band to play. Audience members kept up with the band’s upbeat, vivacious energy that matched their indie-rock sound. The band performed their original song “Miss Grenade;” various other unreleased originals, including “Sirens,” which will be available to stream within the next few weeks; and a cover of Arctic Monkeys’ “R U Mine?”
Last to take the stage was the band Avent Ferry, who ensured the event ended on a high note. Performing an original, which they said a member wrote during class, and a plethora of covers — from OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” to Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” — Avent Ferry had the crowd singing and dancing along to upbeat rhythms and slower rock tunes from start to finish.
Following the completion of Avent Ferry’s set, audience members were directed to vote for their favorite performance of the night, and UAB announced The Layaways as the winners of Battle of the Bands.
Camden Willis, The Layaways’ vocalist, said having events such as Battle of the Band on our campus is a valuable way to gather in the community.
“This is a really good opportunity because it gets a lot of local Raleigh bands together,” Willis said. “Everyone’s just so skilled in their craft, and we can all come together and have a good time. It’s cool to have a bunch of people just walk around and say, ‘Hey, look, there’s good music’ and then come over and listen.”
The Layaways’ drummer Henry Sasser said he thought the location of the event was great.
“It’s good to be able to see the hype around local music here,” Sasser said. “Even people who didn’t know about this event or plan to come see us saw or heard this happening and got to come over and listen, which is just so cool.”
Mac Boland, guitarist for The Layaways, said he’s appreciative of the opportunity to play alongside other student bands.
“This is just it,” Boland said. “Like, these are the bands, these are my friends. I got to play and battle with my friends. It was a lot of fun, knowing the bands and being able to do this.”
