On Friday, Nov. 1, the University of Massachusetts Amherst student radio station, WMUA, presented the Battle of the Bands. It was hosted at The Drake in Amherst Center. It included a Halloween costume contest and the sale of limited edition WMUA T-shirts.
The Battle of the Bands is one of the largest events featuring student musicians in the Amherst area. This year, a Halloweekend ambiance filled the venue, with witch hats, wizard capes, cat ears and Chappell Roan costumes adorning the crowd.
First up was Twolips. They represented Mt. Holyoke College. Going for a ‘90s rock sound, their members include Lily Kenny on drums, Georgia Swanson on bass, Charlotte Barry on guitar and Clara Murphy on vocals and guitar. They started slow with “Little Plastic Candle” by Ani DiFranco, followed by the upbeat “Fire” by the Black Pumas, “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand and “Hysteria” by Muse. Barry showcased an impressive combination of chords during the final song. The band wore matching aprons, saying they were the Bear from the acclaimed series “The Bear” on Hulu.
Second was The Pipits, a DIY indie rock band representing Amherst College. Their members include Kaisar Perry on drums, Phoebe Neilsen on bass and vocals and Alma Clark on vocals and guitar. The band brought in an acoustic guitar, opening with their original, “Object Permanence,” followed by “Purgatory Chasm,” which they recently released on all streaming platforms. Perry dressed as Count Dracula, Neilsen as a clown and Clark as a zombie. The vocalists belted their original songs, one of which was about being in a situationship with a coworker.
Up next, donning crafty wizard hats and custom capes, was the winner of the Battle, Skruple. A rock band representing UMass wowed the crowd with their first note. Featuring six members, the band includes Claire Neville on drums, Anya Lu and Ceci Carry on guitar, Syd Chuang on bass, Amelia Ross on keys and backup vocals and Ahna Frede on lead vocals. They opened with a shortened version of “Bring it on Home” by Led Zeppelin, followed by an original called “FORK!” which they hope to release soon. Their performance continued with their favorite crowd pleaser “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet and concluded with “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers. The audience danced through the entire set, jiving with the riffs and belts of the talented lead vocalist.
Skruple reflected on their victory, saying “We are so beyond stoked to have had this opportunity! It is so crazy that we won WMUA Battle of the Bands on only our third ever gig! We cannot wait to perform more and see all you super cool people there!”
Next to the stage was Helen’s Hands. A part of the Amherst College music scene, the band includes Lucas Bernstein on drums, Tom Aitken on bass and vocals and Jeff Robinson on vocals and guitar. They reject genre, they said, instead hoping to make concise, stripped-down music using the format of the rock band to pursue this. Helen’s Hands opened with “I, Joan,” “22 In Tongues,” “Wrang,” “Hero Hero” and “The Kill,” all of which are originals. Their performance was sprinkled with moments for the instrumentals to shine. The band dressed as a classroom: a teacher, a pencil and a class clown. They expressed their gratitude, saying, “We want to thank WMUA for having us and supporting us.” Helen’s Hands was set to play at a fundraising concert also hosted by WMUA on Nov. 9.
Throughout the event, attendees had a chance to vote for the best costume through WMUA’s Instagram story. The emcees declared three winners.
The final band to perform was Sgraffito Kill, a punk group with shoegaze and metal influences. Their members include Pearl Sapirstein on drums, Devin Hecht on bass and Gray Abshire on vocals and guitar. Sapirstein, dressed as a self-described “sexy Peter Steele,” attends Mt. Holyoke College. Hecht, dressed as a self-described “sexy John Lennon,” and Abshire, dressed as Strawberry Shortcake, attend Smith College. They played five original songs, including “Cassadega,” “Steel Car,” “Tagline,” “Vowels and Consonants,” “Backwards” and a cover of “Self-Surgery” by Mrs. Piss. As for upcoming releases, Sgraffito Kill announced, “We have a demo EP [extended play] that’s being released on Nov. 16!” The band was thrilled to play alongside other talented groups.
Each band praised the talent of the previous one. Even though this was a musical competition, each group was supportive and encouraging of their fellow artists, uniting in the shared love for great music.
Medha Mankekar can be reached at [email protected].
