_{By Michael Luce}

Last night was a reminder to me that no matter what you’re expecting from a Battle of the Bands night, you’re about to be surprised. If attendance numbers at show start were any indication about the show to come, you’d think that we were in for a tepid night of music. Well let me tell you, Tuesday at The Boardwalk was anything but tepid, as we got one of my favorite BotB nights I’ve ever covered. The rest of y’all seriously missed out.

(Also, if this is your first time reading one of our recaps, be sure to check out our recent post about why we cover BotB the way we do!)

One small soapbox before I get too far into the recap: If you’re a band and you aren’t bringing merch to Battle of the Bands, you’re missing a huge opportunity. I know shirts, CDs, stickers, whatever can be expensive, but BotB is where you’re showing off your best side and are bound to gain at least a few new fans. Leaving your spot on the merch table empty means missing out on the opportunity to give a physical reminder of your music to people who may have otherwise never heard of you. Obviously don’t break the bank, but if you have it, bring it!

Calling Card

Calling Card took to the stage in the unenviable position of first of the night on the first night of the week. I’ve said before how opening a BotB can be an extra layer of difficulty for bands to surmount and have seen many night openers lay into a punchy, high-energy number to try and shake up the audience (to various levels of success). However, Calling Card did probably the smartest thing I’ve seen an opener do, which was start with a smooth, mellow indie rock piece, then build song by song into a glorious climactic finale. The energy of the group’s set built layer by layer with each new song, and by the time they were closing up shop, the audience had been boiled frog-style into clearly enjoying the vibes.

Calling Card have a sound that’s hard to describe, but is somewhat reminiscent of The 1975 or Bleachers, especially when they harmonize. The band is built on an incredibly tight rhythm section that pulses a funky indie groove while delicious guitar runs and keys fill out the sound. I was really impressed by the group’s balance and arrangements, as no instrument ever seemed to clash with another or to dominate the sound. However, the real centerpiece of Calling Card last night was the performance from frontman Trent Mac Bain. The way he commanded the stage, just eating up the spotlight and capturing the attention of the entire audience. He wasn’t just good, he looked like he was having fun.

Unfortunately, comparison is the thief of joy, and while Trent was a true lightning rod, it felt like that sort of energy was lacking from the other four. While they were incredibly tight musicians, I kept finding myself hoping for the moment where they too broke out of their shells to carry just a touch of the swagger of their vocalist. If the rest of the band can let themselves look like they’re having half as much fun as their music sounds, they’ll be ones to keep your eyes and ears on in the years to come.

Lucky Steve

Now, in my time going to shows and meeting local bands, I’ve seen my fair share of groups who split vocal duties between multiple members. It’s not the most conventional setup, but in cases like English Budgies or Lighten Up, Francis, it can absolutely serve to deepen the group’s sound and make them stand out. However, I have never seen a group where every single member took a turn at lead vocals until tonight. Lucky Steve impressively cycled duties of guitar, bass, keys, drums, and especially vocals around to each member, making it impossible to refer to any individual as “the _____” of the group.

The band continued the good vibes of Calling Card, delivering a more lounge-y take on indie. The Boardwalk has often been a peek into what’s up and coming in the scene, and if this sort of coziness is what’s around the corner, sign me up! The music was fun, with a smooth vibe provided by simple but solid grooves. It was only at the end that Lucky Steve revealed that the subjects of a few of the tracks were drugs, which both recontextualized and explained the chill vibes throughout.

The instrument swaps certainly showed off their musical talent, but the gimmick did wear thin towards the end of their set, as it began eating into their transitions and slowing down their momentum. I’m not discouraging a band from trying something like this out, but you should be able to swap without affecting your pacing, or you risk doing more damage than benefit. Additionally, it’s bold running four singers for five songs considering how often it takes one vocalist a song to really get warmed up. Doing that times four means each vocalist has to be locked in right away, as they likely won’t have a second chance to get comfortable. Unfortunately, the rotation caused some shaky vocal performances, and it left me confused what the group’s style was too, since there also wasn’t a clear frontman to direct the attention. I can’t lie though, it was one of the more entertaining BotB sets I’ve seen in a while.

Spencer Sanders

As if taking inspiration from the same source as Calling Card and Lucky Steve, Spencer Sanders & Co. began not with a bang, but with a song that felt like the opening of a storybook. The lush tones of cello, violin, flute, and more filled The Boardwalk with a far different texture to the previous groups, bringing with it a change in energy. I’ve never seen the stage at The Boardwalk so full, as the complete ensemble included no fewer than eight (8!) people. (And I thought it was packed when Lunar Spirit brought six!) The collective produced a massive wall of folksy indie sound, yet remained dialed in on dynamic and momentum shifts.

Each of the tracks from Spencer Sanders carried their own mini emotional arcs, with the sum of the parts being a set with an incredibly satisfying pace and conclusion. The transitions between songs were taken without too much urgency, which would normally hinder a band but felt like they added to the story in this case. The catalyst for all this powerful emotion was Spencer himself, delivering the kind of emotional performance on vocals and keys that demanded attention. If nothing else, this show convinced me that a non-BotB Spencer Sanders show is likely an immaculately organized set and is well worth your time.

With so many musicians on stage at once though, there comes a point where cohesion can start to suffer a bit. The group is built out of clearly talented musicians, but they weren’t always the tightest. Sure, some of that comes down to the nature of folk as a sometimes more fluid genre, but it meant the group missed out on a few really powerful opportunities to stun the audience. You know those special performances where a wave sweeps through the crowd and goosebumps run over your back and arms? Spencer Sanders had multiple moments that were almost that but fell just a bit short because the tightness just wasn’t there. I’d love to see these guys really nail that emotional climax because the potential is definitely there. I’d also love to see more audience interaction from the group. There are eight people, surely at least one or two can make a face or wink at the crowd here and there.

The Filibusters

The Filibusters took to the stage with a bluesy hard rock riff that was (despite the genre shift of the previous band) the hardest left turn sonically all night. Sonically, the group has a varied style, but Olivia Rodrigo isn’t too far a comparison in a lot of ways. Whoever you compare them to, lead singer Hanna Eyre is one part aspect of their sound that eschews comparison. I know I’ve complemented the vocals and frontmen a lot in this article, so to avoid any misunderstanding, I’ll say this as frankly as I can: Hanna’s vocal prowess is one of the best in the scene, up there with the likes of Marie Hopoate of HASHA. Hanna’s voice is INCREDIBLE, and you owe it to yourself to hear her live.

The group were clearly having fun, and their audience interaction was unrivaled. I told the band afterwards that I’ve never seen a band attempt to get the crowd to clap along to quarter-note triplets, let alone succeed at doing so, but they pulled it off and made it seem fun in the process. At one point, they tossed oranges out to the audiences during their song “Oranges,” which was certainly a novel experience (or should I say a navel experience *ba-dum tisss*) as I’ve seen bands toss shirts, picks, glow sticks, and even goodie bags, but never citrus. It’s a weird world we live in where the performers are throwing fruit at the audience instead of the other way around. Jokes aside, while this was certainly a memorable moment of the night, it also unfortunately had the unintended consequence of stirring up some chatter during the group’s most intimate and quiet song. I’m not sure how to avoid this as it was a cute quirk of The Filibusters’ set, and I’d hate to see it cut.

The group put on a fun performance, though I couldn’t help but feel like the disparate styles left me wondering what the core sound of the group is. I think if they were to tighten their sound a bit and forge their own sonic identity, they’d find a lot of momentum. No matter the style they land on, you can rest assured The Filibusters will deliver on the good times.

Results

All four groups last night put on incredible performances, and this meant judging between them wasn’t easy. All four definitely had things to be proud of, though in the end, only one could advance to finals. After a period of deliberation, the judges delivered the verdict to Mr. Boardwalk himself — Brian Cabello — who announced the winner of Night 1 to be Calling Card!

You can catch Calling Card at finals this Saturday, May 10. Be sure to follow them on Instagram too!

The Boardwalk’s Spring 2025 Battle of the Bands continues tonight with Cansisco, Lighthouse Logic, Kamko, and Coastal City. Doors open at 6:30 PM. In the meantime, check out “Oranges” from The Filibusters!