Battle of the Bands


Battle of the Bands is a music contest and music competition in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a voice vote of 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 yearly Live and Unsigned contest in the United Kingdom and the annual SoundWave Music Competition.

Format

A Battle of the Bands is a contest in which many bands, usually rock or metal bands, but often musical acts from a range of different styles, compete for the title of "best band". Its history though goes back to earlier times, at least the 1930's swing era, when big band battles between famous band leaders like Chick Webb, Casa Loma Orchestra, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie were regularly organised in big dancehalls, like the Savoy Ballroom. The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, 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 a gift certificate. For instance, the band Phish won a battle of the bands competition in 1989 in their hometown of Burlington, Vermont, and won recording time at a local studio, which they used to record their second album Lawn 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 a trademark in Canada, held since 1998 by the Toronto promotions company Supernova Interactive.

Historical incidents

The simultaneous release of albums and singles in 1995 sparked a media-fuelled "Battle of Britpop" between northern England's working-class Oasis and southern England's middle-class Blur. Also in the United Kingdom, the largest annual music contest in a battle of the bands format is Live 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.
One of the best-known battle of the bands competitions in the United States was the Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, held by the Boston rock radio station WBCN. 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, including Mission of Burma, 'Til Tuesday, The Lemonheads, Letters to Cleo, Morphine, Powerman 5000, The Amazing Royal Crowns and The Dresden Dolls.

In popular culture

A Battle of the Bands event forms the climax of a number of films, including Bandslam, Blues Brothers 2000, Up in Smoke, School of Rock, Freaky Friday, and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. In the 2012 horror thriller film House at the End of the Street, starring Jennifer 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 popular Houston rock nightclub in what is now the Uptown area of Houston, hosted many well known groups of the era including Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck Group, and The Mothers of Invention. Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio were also popular venues.
In 1968, California band The Turtles released a concept album, The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, with the band playing in different styles from psychedelic to surf music to bluegrass.
In the Take That musical, Never Forget, the show centres on a tribute band working to win the "Battle of the Tribute Bands".
Third World Games have produced a Battle of the Bands card 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 on GameTable Online. There is also a Battle of the Bands video game and TV movie. In the music video game Guitar Hero World Tour and 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 on reality television. Shows such as the Idol series and The X Factor borrow 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. The competition, along with the introduction of the Afrikaans music channel MK, resulted in the resurgence of the Afrikaans music industry, especially the rise of Afrikaans Rock.
The 2002 film Drumline features a band battle with several historically black collegiate marching bands.
In the 2003 film School of Rock, Dewey Finn enters Battle of the Bands with his students. It happens in the musical and TV adaptation of the same name.
In the 2011 Australian film Swerve, a battle of the marching bands serves as background to most of the scenes set in the small country town.
In the 2014 animated film, a trio of banished sirens from Equestria arrive 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 one another.