_{By Alessandro Improta}

Tonight was night 4 of The Boardwalk Fall 2023 Battle of the Bands – and the last night of preliminaries before finals. It featured four bands, each with a distinct sound. While all of the bands put on a great show, only one could move on to Saturday night’s show.

Lighten Up, Francis

These guys are just so fun. Lighten Up, Francis was a great way to start off the show. They had really smart time shifts, and found good moments to be dynamic. They even had guitarmony in one song, so that won me over real quick. Most of the time, the band’s transitions from song to song were smart and helped the set flow really smoothly. When their transitions weren’t thought out, though, it was a bit jarring. The music is so high energy that for it to just stop and be quiet even for 30 seconds on stage felt like too much of a juxtaposition. In the future, if Lighten Up, Francis is intentional about every choice they make while moving from song to song, their live show will be tough to beat.

Ignatious

The dream of the ’90s is alive in Ignatious. They were equal parts silly and angry. Everything was on brand all the way down to the bassist’s braids and Sublime T-shirt. As soon as they started playing, it was clear they had no concerns about how we felt about what they were doing. That kind of confidence was infectious and really fun. Half their band won the award for best performers. They were so good that, for the first time this week, the award was given to two people. They were loud and in your face, but didn’t just rely on that to get them through. They had smart arrangements that found ways to leave space for each other to shine.

Slick Daddies

4 BYU-caliber white guys playing reggae shouldn’t work so well, but it does. They are the spiritual successors of Skook, and the natural evolution of the 3rd wave ska scene of the 1990s. At one point they mentioned it smelled like tacos and invited everyone to join them at Beto’s. They called their music “reggae rock,” but my favorite songs were when they leaned into something closer to hardcore reggae. That sound was much more unique and felt like something you could only get from Slick Daddies. While I’m probably too old for late night Beto’s most nights, all I could think about was how fun it would be to play bass for them.

Runaway Fire

One thing is for sure: Mike Wilson is a star. What a phenomenal vocalist and showman. He would have been my pick for performer of the night. Runaway Fire did just about everything right on paper – great dynamics, bold songwriting, they treated the set like a whole show instead of a bunch of individual songs. But, for some reason, it just fell short for me. There was something about the whole package that just felt a little stiff, and a little insincere. It was a stark contrast to how organic and carefree Ignatious felt.

Talking with others after the show, it was interesting that there was a clear distinction in how they felt about Runaway Fire depending on whether they watched them or not. Those who only listened thought they were the best band of the night. Those that watched them didn’t. I absolutely hate giving feedback like this, because there aren’t any clear action items, and I’m trying to describe some mystical, intangible missing x factor. But I think it’s an important note for Runaway Fire to see so they can figure it out and reach their massive potential. They’re very good.

At the end of the night, the voting was SUPER CLOSE. Slick Daddies and Ignatious were essentially tied, but Ignatious ended up with 3 extra points from the crowd “vote” (where the crowd cheered their loudness was read by a decibel reader). They also got an extra point from having the biggest crowd in attendance. Slick Daddies only got 1 extra point from the decibel reader. In a close competition like this, getting your friends there is important, and Ignatious came through. They’ll compete in the finals.

The Boardwalk Fall 2023 Battle of the Bands Finals are tonight and will feature Comply Or Evict, Man May Be, Afternoon All Night, and Ignatious. Food Trucks are a staple of The Boardwalk’s Finals, so Yoyo’s Tacos and Seki Island Taste will be there. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now.

In the mean time, make sure to follow Ignatious on Instagram and check out their song “It’s a Routine” below!