BandSoc’s Battle of the Bands 2024 took place in The Fulford Arms, one of the most popular venues for grassroots musicians in York.
This year, the finale boasted one of the biggest turnouts in the event’s history, with general advance tickets for the finale selling out in less than 24 hours!
This year’s Battle of the Bands oversaw an incredible celebration of student talent where no fewer than 33 teams entered the competition. Going into the finale, only four teams were left in the running: Tom Sheldon; Trent & The Crickets; JW Blake + The Renegades of Funk and Suspicious Liquid.
The judges made it clear that all teams performed exceptionally well, but in the end it was Suspicious Liquid, the last band of the night, who came out on top with Trent & the Crickets as their runner-up.
Consisting of Danny Durie (guitar); Stephan Shirley (drums); Jack Oatway (bass) and Vanessa Toyn (vocals), this four-person band started their set by inviting an audience member to take a ceremonial drink of an actual ‘suspicious liquid’.
After these theatrics, they started with their first song which was a dark yet upbeat tune called Sasha. All their songs were originals but that didn’t seem to stop the audience from singing along.
Their song, Horoscope Holly, was another real crowd-favourite, and Vanessa introduced it as “the first song we ever created as a band. We hope you think it’s as special as we do.”
Their lyrics were often loaded with philosophical and literary references, giving their songs a strong poetic vibe. One of their songs was even based on a short horror novella called The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which we particularly enjoyed.
All in all, the night was not one to be missed, with all of the talented acts being appreciated by a lively audience who were certainly not shy about showing their support. Surrounded by the names of previous performers signed on the venue walls, it was spectacular to see another year’s worth of amazing musicians join those before them in this incredible annual student tradition!
Some more photos from the evening…
With thanks to Luke Snell and Band Soc for the images!