WEST HAVEN–Axes. Licks. Britney Spears. All were parts of the thunderous evening of the MEISA-sponsored 2009 Battle of the Bands.

Held in the German Club on Monday, April 15, many students attended what was to be the three and a half hour-long concert jam-packed with seven bands, each fighting their way toward the number one spot. A panel of four judges scrutinized over the myriad of musical stylings, giving scores for originality, musicianship, showmanship, and success of satisfying the requirement of performing an original cover of a Britney Spears song.

The first group up was The Trails, a minimalist and experimental duo whose originality blurred genres as the members went from performing a flute/acoustic guitar set to a drum kit/electric guitar set.

Next was Goodman Brown, a tight quartet whose dance-pop and classic rock feel was nicely accented with beautiful vocal harmonies.

Third on the bill was The AIDS, a performance-based shock rock group full of obscenities, stage moshing, and costumes meant to entice the audience.

Twin Berlin was the fourth to perform, and brought a comforting local garage band feel to the room.

Afterwards, Shut Up and Deal kicked off their energetic set, which involved spinning bassists, audience sing-a-longs, and a tight mainstream pop/punk sound spiced with sweet guitar riffs.
The penultimate group was 1974, a band who amalgamated classic rock covers into their own blend of classic rock, dance, and pop music.

The night was closed by the (almost) all-female pop-punkers, She Eats Planets. Their energy and stage presence brought the evening to a wonderful end.

So who won? The results were as follows: the Audience Choice Award went to 1974, Third Place went to She Eats Planets, Goodman Brown took Second Place, and Shut Up and Deal went home with the big title of First Place.

Congratulations to all of the winners and be sure to check out the battle next year when new bands compete for the gold.