Four New England-born bands duked it out on stage on Saturday, Feb. 21, during WHUS Radio’s Battle of the Bands at the University of Connecticut.
West of the Gate, an indie jam band from Willimantic, Conn., won the competition. Saturday marked the band’s first official live concert since forming in September 2024.
“Winning means we stay together; we make this work,” Jack Lombardo, the singer and rhythm guitarist of West of the Gate, said.
In the first round of the competition, West of the Gate was pinned against Vices Inc., a pop-punk alternative rock band from Portland, Maine. Frontwoman Eleanor Langthorne sang a mix of originals and covers — including “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads and “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan. The band, however, did not advance to the next round.
West of the Gate’s first set was opened by an original, currently titled “Driving Song.”
Lombardo noted the opener, a song inspired by his commute to work, was his favorite of the set.
The group also performed covers of the 1994 hits “Zombie” by the Cranberries and “When I Come Around” by Green Day.
Elizabory, an experimental heavy metal band from central Massachusetts, and Part of the Problem, an alternative rock band from Bethel, Conn. took the stage next to compete for a place in the final round.
Being the only returning band from last year’s event, Elizabory performed a lengthy and energetic original set fronted by singer Icez Killz. The group used horror movie visuals, costumes and makeup to set an eerie tone for their performance.
Part of the Problem, fronted by singer Lana Botex, advanced to the final round after also performing an original set. “Wildfire,” the final song of their first set, contained transitional instrumentals and strong vocals.
“I’m excited for people to be able to see the hard work that our organization as a whole puts in, as well as these bands,” Sire-Lawrence Brock, the events coordinator at WHUS Radio, said.
They’ve done a lot in terms of preparing and creating their bodies of work — I’m excited for people to hear that.”
In the final round of the competition, West of the Gate and Part of the Problem went head-to-head, performing brief, but engaging sets.
The winner was determined by the loudness of the audience’s applause. Almost a tie, the voting process was redone multiple times. However, West of the Gate pulled through as the winner of the competition after their second, instrument-heavy set. West of the Gate will get the chance to open at WHUS’ Spring Fling concert.
“We’re in a unique spot to give local bands this opportunity,” Colin Edwards, the general manager at WHUS Radio, said.
Throughout the night, students and audience members danced and sang along to songs and were exposed to new material from the diverse group of bands.
“I really loved the show,” Rebecca Beebe, a sixth-semester design tech major, said. “I love live music; it’s my whole life. It’s just so great that we have these kind of events at our school that support local music.”