Photo Review: No Coast takes home the win at Battle of the Belmont Bands 2018

Student and alumni bands lit up Belmont’s outdoor stage Saturday night with an eclectic mix of genres for the sixth annual Battle of the Belmont Bands.

The evening featured performances from six Belmont bands and was headlined by the alumni band Dynamo.

No Coast kicked off the night with a high-energy performance that earned the band the victory at the end of the night. The indie-pop band delivered a strong stage presence that enticed fans to gather around the stage singing and dancing along.

The band’s style — similar to Fitz and the Tantrums or Walk the Moon — highlighted the four members’ strong group dynamics and ability to make audience members smile.

Next to grace the stage was the dynamic duo McCall and Katareen. The two women got the crowd swaying and humming along with their beautiful guitar playing and harmonies. Though their style was completely different from No Coast’s more animated performance, they excelled with their calming folk music.

As the sun set over the stage, Grace Gonzales started her performance. Gonzales’ set truly embodied the indie-folk genre — with a lot of guitar, harmonies and relaxing lyrics. Even with a backup band, Gonzales’ angelic voice lulled the crowd.

Truly opposite of the last two performances, Slurp stormed the stage next. The two boys started their electric guitar heavy performance out strong and easily captivated the attention of a growing crowd around the stage. Slurp’s members looked like they were having the time of their lives and delivered a performance filled with enthusiasm, seeming like they were just jamming out for fun rather than performing for an audience.

The true highlight of the band’s performance was a cover of The Weeknd’s “The Hills” that had a dark, electro-pop feel different from any music that came before it that evening. This cover really grabbed the crowd’s attention and ended the performance with a bang.

Next up, Patrick Murphy took his place on the stage. Though he stayed behind his keyboard, Murphy delivered a hypnotic country-pop performance with vocal power that made his set just as electrifying as the bands that ran and jumped around the entire stage. It was unmistakable how much energy and dedication Murphy put into his set, and this really made his performance a standout.

Andrew Douglas delivered what can only be described as the most vibey performance of the night. His three-piece band bopped around to an eclectic, indie-pop set. Along with great technical skill, the band had a charismatic presence that made audience members want to smile and jump around right alongside them.

The band rounded out its performance by covering “Young Dumb & Broke” by Khalid. The pop-rock interpretation of the contemporary rhythm and blues song was a stand out moment of the set, inspiring the audience to sway and sing along.

Finishing off the night of good music, food and fun, Dynamo took the stage for their hour and a half long set. The Nashville-based jazz, rock and funk fusion band delivered an unsurprisingly amazing performance.

With an incredible stage presence and infectious sound, the alumni band gave a fun, unique performance unlike anything else heard throughout the night.

Although No Coast took home the win, everyone gave outstanding performances that made for a great night of music on the lawn.

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Photos by Carina Eudy