Battle of the Bands, a competition designed to give student musicians a chance to show off their talent, is hosted annually by the Student Association Programming Board’s Concerts Committee and was held last Thursday in the University Union Undergrounds Cafe. This year, the winner will open for the Spring Fling headliner and star in their own Tiny Desk concert, a collaborative effort between SAPB and WHRW.

Eight groups performed this year: Heavy Weather, LARJ, Dimension Gnomes, Stuck in Place, Dump Bugs, Tequila Mockingbird, Freakish Lizard and Fake Jest.

The opening act was Dimension Gnomes, campus’ newest indie and alternative rock band that set the tone for the night. Heavy on the drums and guitar, the band played beloved modern indie rock songs, including “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers and “Freaking Out the Neighborhood” by Mac DeMarco. Much of the crowd danced throughout the entirety of their set, with one person going so far as to crowd-surf.

“We hope to keep performing throughout the semester and sharing our music with the community — as well as eventually recording some of our songs,” wrote Jack Hirsch, the band’s guitarist and bassist and a senior double-majoring in biology and Spanish. “Participating in Battle of The Bands means everything to us, as it is the essential college band experience.”

Following Dimension Gnomes was Dump Bugs, who had a strong focus on vocals and offered a softer set, with covers of “Cariño” by The Marías and “Black Star” by Radiohead. While the band has been casually playing together for two years, they came up with their group name and online presence only 20 days ago when they decided to participate in Battle of the Bands. They draw inspiration from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Big Thief, The Strokes, Grateful Dead and more, and their sound can be best described as neo-psychedelic rock and twangy folk.

“Battle of the Bands is the perfect place for students and the community in general to connect with one another through a shared love of music,” Ryan Miller, SAPB’s concert chair and senior majoring in English, wrote in an email. “For the performers, BOTB provides the chance to play for new audiences and to meet other musicians, allowing them to form connections with one another as they perform alongside each other.”

Two sets in, the crowd continued to grow in size and were eagerly awaiting the next group.

The third act, LARJ, took the stage and performed several songs, including “Rude” by MAGIC! Known for their indie rock and soul sounds, the band looks up to musicians including Stevie Wonder, Anderson .Paak, Marvin Gaye, Kali Uchis and Daft Punk.

The fourth band of the night, Freakish Lizard, had an electric stage presence that could be felt throughout the space. Two band members were dressed in matching outfits, which included a fedora, a black vest and a white button-down. Their distinctive look added to the group’s image and sound, which could be categorized as psychedelic jam rock. Throughout their set, one member who played the tambourine weaved in and around the crowd, creating an immersive listening experience.

“BOTB is an exciting opportunity to showcase our band’s talent as well as make connections in the Binghamton music community,” wrote Carter McEneany, the group’s guitarist and vocalist and a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. “We like to think our jams create a space for people to freely express themselves through dance.”

Heavy Weather shortly took the stage after and had one of the more diverse sets of the night. They performed three covers, starting with “Don’t Look Back In Anger” by Oasis, followed by “This Love” by Maroon 5 and ending with ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” which had many audience members singing along. The lead singer’s punchy vocals made for a captivating stage presence that left the crowd wanting more.

Stuck in Place continued the high-energy night, as their setlist had an emphasis on heavy rock ‘n’ roll, as seen through the band’s use of hi-hats. Along with rock, the band also uses hip-hop and rap as influences in their sound.

Maddox Thornton, one of the band’s guitarists and vocalists and a sophomore majoring in English, said that he and two of his bandmates grew up in Binghamton and have been playing shows for the better part of three years. It wasn’t until last semester that they added a fourth member, Sawyer Gibson, one of the band’s guitarists and a sophomore majoring in history. Thornton described that after jamming with Gibson a few times, he asked him if he wanted to play guitar for the band and ever since then, they have been playing together.

Thornton explained what it’s like to participate in Battle of the Bands as a group that is local to the area.

“We ourselves have made a name for ourselves in this town,” he said. “But again, to open some of the students who maybe aren’t here year-round up to like our brand of music. But then also, it’s really cool seeing and sharing the stage with a lot of newer bands who are maybe playing for the first couple of times, just getting their chops in. And that’s really cool to see, because the more the merrier, and the more people that are genuinely passionate about music and are in it for the right reasons, is always fun to see.”

Tequila Mockingbird, a band that plays a blend of R&B, pop and rock, was the seventh act to perform. They had an ethereal cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and a hard-hitting rendition of “Whipping Post” by Allman Brothers Band, leaving audience members in amazement.

Ending the night was Fake Jest, whose music was mainly slow and moody guitar playing, accompanied by loud yet angelic vocals. Their setlist included one of their original songs titled “Check This Out.” The band classifies their music as garage pop, which relates to taking the rough essence of garage rock and blending it with the fun energy of dance music and electric pop. They take inspiration from artists like Magdalena Bay, George Clanton and MGMT.

After all eight bands performed, audience members had the chance to cast their vote for their top two favorites through a Google form. After consideration of the votes and much deliberation between SAPB members, the winner was announced: Stuck in Place.

The band was invited on the stage and expressed their gratitude to the audience, as well as their fellow musicians.

“Thanks for coming out tonight,” Thornton said. “Very happy to see all the other bands that played tonight, because there are a lot of people here at this school that are passionate about music, and we hope to maybe be the gateway to a lot of people discovering that there is a scene here and it’s prevalent, and there are a lot of cool local bands, not only here, but just in this town.”