The performances at Battle of the Bands brought students together and allowed their peers to showcase their talents through live music, letting students take off their headphones and be present.
Music groups Alex Guthrie and the Uplands Band, Denko, Heat Transfer, Los del Centro, Lucky Sisu, My Upside Down, The Chandeliers and Vertigo took the stage to battle against one another in hopes of moving to the final round and headline for Devilpalooza in March.
With over 400 students registered for the event, the bands had a large audience to perform for.
"Everyone's together having a great time with everyone, engaging with everyone, talking with people you don't know," Alexis Jacobs, a sophomore studying medical studies, said. "These are very great events; meeting new people and making new friends."
Many students gathered on the grass in front of the stage with blankets, chairs and towels, while others walked around with their tacos, ice cream or coffee. The rest were at the main stage singing, dancing and headbanging to the bands.
Each band brought energy and got the crowd hyped up.
"When the actual Battle of the Bands started, the energy was immaculate," James Lee, a senior studying medical studies, said."All of the bands were freaking on top of it; their energy, their frontmen, their music,"
READ MORE: Rocking out at ASU: A peek into the Sun Devil music scene
The music had a huge range of genres from indie, violent pop, J-rock, Sierreño, mathcore, metal, jazz and shoegaze.
The range of genres provided a more diverse lineup compared to last year, Alegria Martinez-Granillo, a sophomore studying social justice and human rights, said.
"There's way more diversity in the bands," Martinez-Granillo said. "Last year, there was a lot of rock, alternative, which was wonderful. But, we're literally listening to Spanish rock and music from the Mexican culture."
READ MORE: Bands on campus: Inside the world of the budding artists next door
Each band had 10 minutes to put on their best show in the hopes of getting chosen to move to the final round of the competition.
Alongside the judges, students were also able to be a part of the voting process for who got to move forward and many of them stated that the quality that mattered most to them was how interactive the artist was with the crowd.
"Some artists, they're just kind of there," Michelle Huerta Santos, a junior studying social justice and human rights, said. "But I like when the artist is interacting with the audience and is also just so excited to hear them be excited about the music."
Between each band's performance were transition events, which included guessing songs, interactions with the crowd and giveaways by Desert Financial Credit Union, giving the upcoming band time to set up.
At the end of the night, four bands were voted on to advance to the final round, where a final competition will take place, and the opener for Devilpalooza will be chosen.
The four bands that were chosen to advance to the final competition were Alex Guthrie and the Uplands Band, Los del Centro, The Chandeliers and My Upside Down.
"(Live music) brings you a sense of euphoria, it just makes you feel so happy, and it makes it feel so much more intimate," Huerta Santos said. "I love listening to music with my headphones, but hearing it out loud, it's like you're sharing it with the world."
Edited by Kasturi Tale, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at jhamil33@asu.edu and follow @jhamilton_media on X.
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Jen Hamilton is a freshman studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Political Science. This is their first semester with The State Press.
