By Dixon Herzog
After a successful first night of The Boardwalk’s Fall 2023 Battle of the Bands, it was nice to see that night #2 was also filled from start to finish with great talent. Tonight saw Lazy Loners, Red Tide, Vybbe, and Man May Be take the stage in Orem, Utah.
Lazy Loners
Lazy Loners opened with loads of energy and clean hooks that rival any indie band in Utah. They’re a very good, young band with a ton of potential. The band’s songwriting was superb, and their musicianship and instrumentation were a massive plus. These guys are definitely worth looking up. Check out their future shows.
Red Tide
Red Tide went all in on coordinated wardrobe: a tasteful blazer-no-shirt combo. At one point, the frontman semi-successfully crowd-surfed on a twin sized air mattress. That took guts. Individually, they are obviously good musicians. I wanted to make sure I emphasized how good the bassist was, who held down the rhythm section like a seasoned pro. They are a unique blend of rock, grunge, and…beatboxing. Once they settle into a firm band identity I think they will do well.
Vybbe
Vybbe was the third act, and are at the top of my list of bands to keep tabs on. They had a six-piece funk lineup: organ, keys, guitar, bass, drums, and a female lead who I really wanted to hear more of. The vocal duties were shared by the lead guitarist, organist, and lead singer. The split duties in the BOTB format left me wishing for a stronger vocal commitment from any one of them. However, that desire for a dedicated vocalist was entirely made up for by the air tight timing of the entire band. There were only one or two missed beats in the entire set, including an accidental drumstick toss that left the drummer holding it down for a minute with just his right hand. Pro level performance.
Man May Be
If you’ve never ventured down the road of Prog Rock, 4-piece band Man May Be is a great trailhead to your journey. Air tight from beginning to end, they had strong female vocals and unique arrangements. The entire set was dynamic and very easy to love, even for those unfamiliar with the genre. Instrumentation was complex and seemingly flawless. All players were in lock-step and never wavered, despite some technical difficulties that sidelined the lead vocal mic for a couple minutes.
All four bands were only separated by 4 points at the end of the night, including a tie for first place thanks to crowd bonuses. After discussion, the judges ruled Man May Be the winner of night #2
The Boardwalk Fall 2023 Battle of the Bands returns tonight and features Dahbose, HASHA, bella grace, and Afternoon All Night. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now.
In the mean time, make sure to follow Man May Be on Instagram and check out their song “March for the Enemy” below!