The University of Connecticut’s student-run radio station, WHUS, will be hosting their annual Battle of the Bands in the Student Union Ballroom on Saturday, Feb. 3.
The show starts at 6:30 p.m., with doors opening an hour before. The competition includes six bands. This year, the competing bands are The Jawns, Basement Camp, Overlöded, Ruby Leftstep, The Sauce and Dying Under the Influence (DUI).
According to WHUS Events Coordinator Sophia Curran, a junior management major, bands will be paired off and compete for a spot in the final three. During the initial pairings, each band will perform sets lasting 20 minutes. The bands that make it to the final three will perform a final song to determine the winner. Winners will be decided by audience applause.
Curran said that the previous year was a big success, with the ballroom reaching maximum capacity.
“The UConn music scene was really thriving at that time, so hopefully we get somewhere close to that,” Curran said.
According to Curran, only bands who have not been in the competition before are allowed to compete in order to “showcase new talent” at the school.
“A lot of really good UConn bands have been there before, but we have other shows for people who have done stuff with us before,” Curran said.
Curran explained that a committee formed by WHUS started reaching out through social media in November to solicit audition tapes from bands. The committee reviewed the audition tapes and chose the six best competitors, which Curran emphasized was a very tough decision.
“We have a good range of genres,” said Curran. “We have a little bit more of folk music to indie and alternative rock all the way to hardcore punk, so it’s going to be a good time for everybody.”
The winner of the competition in 2023 was Stattic, a band that intermixes jazz and rap.
“You typically see the UConn scene really enjoying music you can dance to. People want to jump up and down,” Curran said.
Curran encouraged students to take the opportunity to enjoy live music on campus.
“It’s really for the experience, you know? We pay a good amount of money to have a big artist perform in the same space with a similar crowd, and now people get to be close to that,” Curran said.
Tickets are free for UConn students, who must bring their UConn ID to the event. Tickets can be bought beforehand from the link found on the WHUS Instagram page or at the door during the event. Curran estimated that the show would last around three to three and a half hours.
“Students are gonna get live music for free which I think is not something that’s easily accessible. Especially a lot of times you have to drive places, pay money to get in,” Curran said. “Students can walk down the Student Union and experience some really good fun live music for free, and I think that’s just a good experience and also just good for the soul.”