_{By Jeremy Thacker}

As I sat down at the judges booth for the final night of The Boardwalk’s Fall 2023 Battle of the Bands, I was impressed by the hum of energy in the air. Listening in throughout the crowd proved that each of the four bands competing had a good share of supporters. It was clearly going to be a tight contest as Comply or Evict, Man May Be, Afternoon All Night, and Ignatious took the stage.

Comply or Evict

Comply or Evict started the night with a bang. Their music had a lot of 90s grunge influence, but they really made it their own. The back half of their set really stood out to me as unique as they played a couple new songs which really allowed more emotion to come through. Be on the lookout for these new tracks as they release in the near future, because those songs were fantastic. 

All band members had their moments to shine, but in my opinion the bassist really stole the spotlight. He split vocals with the lead vocalist, and his deep, raspy tones were a great contrast to the lead’s cleaner voice. What impressed me the most about their performance was the ways they engaged with the crowd, with methods ranging from starting a mosh pit pretty early in the set – which both the lead vocalist and the bassist left the stage to join at different points – and beatboxing or showing off their fun socks while the guitarist tuned up between songs.

Man May Be

If I could sum up Man May Be’s set in one word, it would be mesmerizing. Normally during a set I like to take notes whenever I see something I like, but during the last song of their set I looked down and realized I had been so invested that the only thing I had written down was “prog metal.” 

Man May Be were easily the most musically complex group of the night. The problem with prog, though, is that when there are mistimed notes or pitchy vocals those moments tend to stick out more. Those moments were few and far between (overall the set was smooth as h*ck) but when they did have a mistake it was a little jarring. This is extremely nit-picky though. None of the mistakes took me out of the set or detracted from their performance in any meaningful way, but they set the bar so high by having such complex music that we’re forced to get nit-picky to find any constructive feedback.

Afternoon All Night

Afternoon All Night was the only band competing tonight that I had seen earlier in the week, and I was eager to see what kind of energy they’d bring to finals night. I’m happy to report that the set tonight was even better than their set on night #3. The music was tighter, the energy was higher, and the audience was even more into it. During the third song of their set audience members even started to sing along, which was such a cool moment to experience. 

If I were to offer any criticism, it’s that I wanted even more from Afternoon All Night. If their set on night #3 was an 8, tonight’s set would be a 9. But to take it to a 10 I was hoping for even more crowd interaction, more energy, and more willingness to take a risk. These guys have the musical ability, and I want to see them bet on themselves even more.

Ignatious

It’s hard to come up with an accurate description for Ignatious. When talking with the band after the show, we decided that their music was “grundie” – that is, a mix of grunge and indie. I don’t know if that’s the most accurate description though, as there were also elements of art rock, punk, hardcore and countless other genres. Ignatious likes to call out “I’m just like everyone else,” but I think they’ve definitively proved that wrong.

The only description I know is accurate is to say that Ignatious is a vibe that everyone should experience. I’ve never seen a frontman simultaneously look angry and inviting in the way this guy did. In fact, all four members of the band oozed charisma. The crowd screamed at them and not only was that received, but the band screamed right back, creating a weirdly intimate atmosphere like I’ve never experienced in a set so grungy before. They did have a few moments that needed to be tightened up, especially in the third song in which they all switched instruments, but overall Ignatious really know how to work a crowd and put on a show. Oh, and did I mention that they’re so young that some of these guys are still in high school? The future is bright for these dudes.

I want to underline how well all of these groups did. Every group that performed tonight put in the work to earn their spot in the finals. The Boardwalk deserves special praise as well. They’re putting in a lot of work to create a great addition to the community, and it’s really something special.

After some careful deliberation in the back, it was time to announce the winners. Venue owner Brian Cabello took the stage to let everybody know that we’d been ignated, crowning Ignatious the winners of the Fall 2023 Battle of the Bands.

The band also won a new Rickville PA system (courtesy of Aesthetico Apparel) and some studio time. The Boardwalk’s Battle of the Bands will return in the Spring of 2024.

Until then, make sure to follow Ignatious on Instagram, and check out their song “It’s A Routine” on Spotify below!