On Friday night, five bands competed in WMUA’s Battle of the Bands. The competition occurred at The Drake, a live music venue in downtown Amherst.
The five bands that performed were Bugslam, Hivemouth, Reservations at 8, Dialog Talk and Siggy & the Futz. As soon as the doors of the Drake opened at 7 p.m., there was a line wrapped around the venue that stretched down the sidewalks of downtown Amherst. Soon enough, The Drake was packed with an electric audience excited for the show to start.
The show kicked off with a performance from Bugslam. Bugslam is a pop punk, Midwest emo band at the University of Massachusetts consisting of Jason Frankel (lead singer and guitarist), August Ellis (guitarist and backup vocals), Lulu Harding (bassist), and Noah Bromberg (drummer). The band performed four songs. The two covers performed were “Nollie Halfcab Heelflip” by Cabin Boy and “Hope” by Alex G. The two original songs written and performed by Bugslam titled “The Hold” and “Jaguar.”
Bugslam gave the audience a high-energy performance, a perfect start to the night. The originals were made for moshing.
Next up was Hivemouth. Hivemouth is a “riot grrrl” band at Amherst College made up of Nichole
Fernandez on guitar, Alice Burg on drums, and Samantha Spratford on bass. All members of Hivemouth contribute vocals. The four songs that the band performed were all originals including, “The Anti-Fruit Song,” “Slimehold Diary Entry #1,” “Great Expectations,” and “Unnamed Cowboy Love Song.”
Hivemouth’s performance was mellow and left the audience filled with curiosity about their original music, especially with “Unnamed Cowboy Love Song,” which was performed by Alice Burg. Burg wore a cowboy hat and coat while playing the keyboard, telling the audience about her cowboy love story.
After Hivemouth, Reservations at 8, the winners, started their set. Reservations at 8 is a rock band at the University of Massachusetts Amherst consisting of Peter Tuohy (lead singer and guitarist), Thomas Dalton (bassist), and Flynn Duffy (drummer). The band performed three songs including “She’s a Rebel” by Green Day, “Back Against the Wall” by Cage the Elephant, and an original entitled “Reservations at 8.”
The performance put on by Reservations at 8 was unforgettable. The audience loved the upbeat song choices by the band. The crowd moshed the entire time. At the end of their set, two of the members, Thomas Dalton and Flynn Duffy, jumped into the audience for a crowd surf.
The next act of the night was Dialog Talk. Dialog Talk is the stage name for Dakota Gill, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Unlike the other acts, Dialog Talk is a one-man show. Dialog Talk’s act consisted of all original electronic music created by Gill for fifteen minutes straight.
The audience loved the change of genre for Dialog Talk’s performance. The upbeat electronic noise was perfect for the night.
The last band to perform was Siggy & the Futz. Siggy & the Futz is an alternative band at Smith College consisting of Ursula Siegfried (lead singer), Ashlyn Bohn (guitarist), Tiffany Hooker (guitarist), and Lucy Ducharme (drummer). The band performed two covers including “(Nice Dream)” by Radiohead and “Chop Suey!” by System of a Down.
Siggy & the Futz gave the audience a calmer performance. The crowd was able to get a break from jumping around and was able to “vibe” along with the music.
At the end of the show, audience members were encouraged to scan QR codes hung up around the venue to vote for the winners. The winners, Reservations at 8, won $250 and were awarded the opening act performance for WMUA’s Spring Concert.
Paige Hanson can be reached at [email protected].
