Battle of the Bands

For other uses, seeBattle of the Bands (disambiguation).

ABattle of the Bandsis a music contest or competition in which a number ofbandscompete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by avoice voteof the audience or the band who brings the most people to support them. Traditionally, battles of bands are held at live music events and forums. Popular examples include the yearlyLive and Unsignedcontest in theUnited Kingdomand the annual SoundWave Music Competition.

A performance in a Battle of the Bands final, at The Kings Arms pub inAuckland

Format

A Battle of the Bands is acontestin which manybands,usuallyrockormetalbands, but often musical acts from a range of different styles, compete for thetitleof "best band". Its history though goes back to earlier times, at least the 1930sswing era,whenbig bandbattles between famous band leaders likeChick Webb,Casa Loma Orchestra,Benny GoodmanandCount Basiewere regularly organised in big dancehalls, like theSavoy Ballroom.The winner is determined by a panel ofjudges,the general response of theaudience,or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Prizes usually include cash, free recording time in a local recording studio, support or main slot at a local or large gig, a piece of new equipment, or agift certificate.For instance, the bandPhishwon a battle of the bands competition in 1989 in their hometown ofBurlington, Vermont,and won recording time at a local studio, which they used to record their second albumLawn Boy.

Battles of bands are sometimes held as part of a live music event; they are also commonly held at high schools and universities. The term "Battle of the Bands" is atrademarkin Canada, held since 1998 by the Toronto promotions company Supernova Interactive.

Historical events

In the United States one of the oldest rows of a Battle of the Bands talent show has been hosted by theHollywood Bowlin Los Angeles, the first time in 1959.The annual contest was meant to showcase teenage musicians and singers, the participants were either independent or associated with high schools and competed in several divisions like school band, vocal group, vocalist and combo. Auditions were being held early in the year, preliminary contests in spring and the finals in the Bowl in the summer. Two later famous musicians that have performed at the Hollywood Bowl Battle wereKaren and Richard Carpenterin 1966 (winner in combo and sweepstake).

One of the best-known battle of the bands competitions in the United States was theRock 'n' Roll Rumble,held by theBostonrock radio stationWBCN.The competition was held by the station from 1979 until its closure in 2009, and was then subsequently operated by an independent group. Several winners and participants became nationally popular after appearing in the competition, includingMission of Burma(1979 participant),'Til Tuesday(1983 winner),The Lemonheads(1988 participant),Letters to Cleo,Morphine,Powerman 5000(all 1992 participants),The Amazing Royal Crowns(1997 winner) andThe Dresden Dolls(2003 winner).

The simultaneous release of albums and singles in 1995 sparked a media-fuelled "Battle of Britpop"between northern England's working-classOasisand southern England's middle-classBlur.Also in theUnited Kingdom,the largest annual music contest in a battle of the bands format isLive and Unsigned,which has been operating since 2007. The contest regularly draws 10,000 participants, with the grand prize of a £50,000 recording deal.

In popular culture

A Battle of the Bands event forms the climax of a number of films, includingUp in Smoke(1978),Cotton Candy(1978),Freaky Friday(2003),School of Rock(2003),Metal Lords(2022),Bandslam(2009),Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey(1991) andBlues Brothers 2000(1998). In the horror thriller filmHouse at the End of the Street(2011), starringJennifer Lawrence,there are scenes resembling Battle of the Bands.

In the mid-1960s, Battle of the Bands events became popular in Texas. The Catacombs, a popularHoustonrock nightclub in what is now theUptownarea of Houston, hosted many well known groups of the era includingGrateful Dead,Jethro Tull,The Jeff Beck GroupandThe Mothers of Invention.Dallas,AustinandSan Antoniowere also popular venues.

In 1968, California rock bandThe Turtlesreleased a concept album,The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands,with the band playing in different styles frompsychedelictosurf musictobluegrass.

In theTake ThatmusicalNever Forget,the show centres on a tribute band working to win the "Battle of the Tribute Bands".

Third World Games have produced aBattle of the Bandscard game, which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the music business. The object is to recruit members into your band, equip them with instruments, win "gigs" and "hit singles" and earn enough "Superstar Points" to win.The game is also available for play onGameTable Online.There is also aBattle of the Bandsvideo gameandTV movie.In themusic video gameGuitar Hero World Tourand all games that followed, a "battle of the bands" mode is featured as an online gameplay mode.

The "battle of the bands" concept has had a heavy influence onreality television.Shows such as theIdol seriesandThe X Factorborrow the basic concept of a "battle of the bands" except with individual singers instead of whole bands, combining the concept with a serial elimination format. There was a brief American series in the vein,The Next Great American Band,that did use whole bands. The former South African competition Rockspaaider followed a battle of the bands format, where rock-bands from all over the country are given the chance to compete for the title "Rockspaaider" and a recording contract. Along with the introduction of the Afrikaans music channelMK,the competition resulted in the resurgence of the Afrikaans music industry, especially the rise of Afrikaans Rock.

In the comedy filmBill & Ted's Bogus Journey(1991), Bill and Ted's band Wyld Stallyns competes in and wins Battle of the Bands performing "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II".California rock bandPrimusmakes a cameo appearance as rival contestants performing "Tommy the Cat".

In the comedy filmBlues Brothers 2000(1998), The Blues Brothers Band and The Louisiana Gator Boys compete against each other in Battle of the Bands. The Louisiana Gator Boys wins the Battle, and Elwood Blues suggests that the two bands perform together on stage, which they do.

The comedy-drama filmDrumline(2002) features a battle of the bands with several historically black collegiate marching bands.

In the comedy filmFreaky Friday(2003), Anna Coleman's band Pink Slip enters Battle of the Bands at the House of Blues before they perform at her parents' wedding.

In the comedy filmSchool of Rock(2003), Dewey Finn enters Battle of the Bands with his students. It happens in themusicalandtelevision adaptation of the same name.

In the video gameRhythm Heaven(2008), there is a Battle of the Bands gamemode. It is similar to the Rockers mini-game, but with songs from other mini games, except That One Song, which is the Rockers 2 song. Drummer Duel (also from the DS game) serves a similar purpose. The Live feature fromRhythm Tengokuserves as a predecessor to this, as it is similar in concept.

The 2010 comic book adaptation filmScott Pilgrim vs. the Worldfeatures several Battles of the Bands that culminate in actual physical fights.

In the Australian thriller filmSwerve(2011), a battle of the marching bands serves as background to most of the scenes set in the small country town.

In the animated filmMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks(2014), a trio of banishedsirensfromEquestriaarrive at Canterlot High School and quickly transform the school's upcoming musical showcase into a Battle of the Bands in order to feed on the negative energy created by pitting groups against each other.