Student band Static Transmission won “Best Band” at the Songwriters Association at Northwestern’s third Battle of the Bands Friday night. The showcase, held at the Technological Institute’s Ryan Family Auditorium, featured performances by eight different bands made up of NU students from various years and majors.
Static Transmission performed a grunge-inspired set reminiscent of the 2014 Tumblr aesthetic. The performance featured four original songs and a cover of Joy Division.
Communication sophomore and Static Transmission vocalist Angelina Randazzo shared how the band persevered despite technical difficulties, recalling how SESP sophomore and drummer Tyler Moyer broke his drumsticks and high hat during the performance.
“No one noticed and we still pulled through,” Randazzo said. “It still sounded awesome.”
Randazzo added that she enjoyed the performance regardless of some of the mishaps the band faced.
Static Transmission’s palpable energy earned the band the majority vote for “Best Band,” winning SWAN’s prize of six hours of studio time at the Grammy award-winning Classick Studios.
Randazzo said that Static Transmission is excited to get into the studio and hopes to use the band’s well-earned session to record their first original shoegaze song, “S T I T C H E S.”
The bands participating included Absolutely No Drinks, Static Transmission, Neptune, Miss Me, Inertia, Maple Ave, A Platypus? and The Transcontinental Slip n’ Slide. They performed a range of genres, including indie, pop, rock and punk.
In addition to the “Best Band” award, audience members also voted for “Best Individual Performer,” “Best Original Song” and “Best Rizz.”
Weinberg junior and SWAN’s external president Elsa Steen Koppell described the event as an opportunity to spotlight all of the talent at NU. According to Steen Koppel, SWAN aims to create an accessible space for songwriters and musicians of all levels, genres and backgrounds.
“(The bands) play a bunch of different styles of music,” Steen Koppell said. “It’s a really good sampler for the diversity on campus, both musical and personal.”
Inertia, an all-girl indie rock band, amped up the crowd with its cover of Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova.” During the performance, SESP freshman and drummer Hailey Kim stood out amongst the band and earned the award for Best Individual Performance.
The Transcontinental Slip n’ Slide, who the crowd voted for “Best Rizz,” closed the show. The audience cheered to the band’s tune, “Tiny Hands,” which won “Best Original Song” and brought the event to a lively end with literal plastic tiny hands thrown into the excited concertgoers.
Attendees got to experience NU musical performances in an environment much different from the typical venues for student bands.
“The (NU) music scene is very good, but a lot of the time it’s house shows and you’re all cramped in a basement,” Steen Koppell said. “That’s great for some people, but others want a more concert-like experience.”
SWAN’s Battle of the Bands wasn’t limited to NU students. Alumni, parents and Evanston residents also came out to support the bands.
Andrea Torelli-Lathulerie, a sophomore at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said she was brought along to the event with some friends from NU and appreciated the displays of creativity.
“I think on my campus you don’t see the art scene like this, or it’s a lot harder to find,” Torelli-Lathulerie said. “It was nice to see everyone showing up to something that’s so part of the school.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Student indie band Inertia performs first concert for friends and fans
— SWAN travels around the world for third annual Kresgepalooza
— SWAN creates a space for developing NU musicians at Battle of the Bands
