On Wednesday 26 March, one of the biggest nights in music at the University of York arrived: the final of Band Society’s Battle of the Bands. Across the space of three heats and a semi-final, 30 bands were whittled down to just four for this event, which sold out The Crescent Community Venue. Performances from the four finalists, Free Beers and Pool Tables, Catch!, Section 4 and Substate left crowds wowed.
It would be impossible to write about the finals of Battle of the Bands without commending Band Society on their fantastic events during the last month. It takes real organisation, commitment, and love for music to build a community like Band Soc. This community feels at its strongest during this competition, so we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved in organising, and everyone who competed this year for making it one to remember!
It all came to an end on Wednesday night, and while all bands were incredible there can only be one winner. So, who will join the likes of Suspicious Liquid, Ghostship and Sweet May in being crowned the winners of Battle of the Bands?
Section 4
The evening started strong with Section 4, a group consisting of Vanessa on vocals, Tom on guitar, Anna on bass and Luke on drums. The band name is inspired by Massive Attack’s song ‘Group 4’ from their album Mezzanine. Whenever I hear Vanessa’s vocals, I think back to Heat Two of Battle of the Bands last year, where she first competed with Suspicious Liquid and went on to win the competition. She has an immensely powerful range, hitting high notes with ease,but also containing some grit when needed; they remind me of a mixture between the ethereal and haunting sound of Kate Bush with the punchy angst of Alanis Morrissette.
Section 4’s setlist was wonderfully crafted to allow for several changes in pace, but was also filled with several guitar, bass and drum solos to ensure that all group members had their moments to shine. A highlight from their set has to be a guitar solo from Tom,where he held the guitar behind his head and displayed, with ease, his immense talent in delivering some fantastic riffs. Similarly, later Luke was left alone on the stage for his drum solo, which ramped the audience’s energy up, being met with clapping and cheering. What brought all of this together was Anna’s smooth basslines, which she delivers with such nonchalance that you can’t help but be in awe.
The band even brought a gift for the crowd! Before beginning one of their songs, Vanessa went off stage to collect a bunch of flowers which she distributed to the audience before saying “thank you everyone for coming out tonight. [There are] so many sexy people here tonight.” Throughout their set, Section 4 played five original songs and captivated the crowd with each of them. It seemed as though each member of the band felt at home on the stage, and knew exactly how to deliver these tracks which they clearly love.
Catch!
Next up were Catch!, an indie rock band fronted by Mia on lead vocals alongside Will on guitar, Jack on drums and Matty on bass. Last July, the band released their debut EP The Frequency of Thought which featured four songs, some of which were played during the finals. During the heats, Mia described their sound as “energetic, nostalgic and fun”, which are perfect words to summarise their performance on Wednesday night. Despite a bumpy start, with Mia sharing on stage that her guitar had broken and asked the crowd for another, Catch! began by teasing the audience in a build up to ‘I Didn’t Invite You’, a song they debuted in the semi-finals.
It’s clear that Catch! are a favourite within the Band Soc community, with many people singing along to their well-recognised tracks from the EP, including ‘The Start of a Bad Joke’ which they played later, after Mia had retrieved another guitar! A stand out from their set was the slower ‘Tulip’ which they first played live during a gig at The Fulford Arms in February; after this song Mia expressed a heartfelt moment of gratitude and love for the community of Band Society, with a special mention to ex-President and drummer of Gents & Ginger, Mia Duncan: “I’m not going to name names but a certain drummer from a band who got to the finals a couple of years ago, someone known for her hair and who was the only woman on the stage that year, shared that “women need to do more music” and today there are three women on this stage – that’s a 300% increase!”
Catch! went on to play ‘Pillowcase’, and then carried on the trend of debuting new music with ‘Fajitas for Tea’ which prompted inflatable beach balls to be thrown around the Crescent. Overall, the band displayed that they have a strongly varying sound which definitely went down well with the crowd – they even chanted for an extra performance of ‘Get a Grip’ by the end!
Free Beers and Pool Tables
The third band were unique among the 30 bands who’d competed for their finals spot; their autotuned vocals and electronic sound cemented them as entirely distinct. Their first ever gig together was Heat 3, but there was no indication that they were still finding their feet. In fact, they had complete control over the audience, directing mosh pits and starting chants.
A particularly hilarious moment of audience engagement was the guitarist’s polite request: “May you please make way? I am coming down.” Amidst our laughter at the complete contradiction to the tone of their music (one song repeating ‘You’re a cunt’), he stepped into the audience and began playing ‘Reason’ in the centre of the mosh pit. Everyone was enamoured to see such talent up close.
Their music sounded like something out of Star Wars: futuristic, fresh and relentlessly fun. They didn’t seem restricted by musical tradition, playing around with tempo and key in a way that oozed confidence. Riko, on keyboard, built up this space-age style with samples and inspired settings. Free Beers and Pool Tables were the only band to use a keyboard, and they did in a truly unique way. It was clear that the band loved music just as much as the audience, and each song captured that passion. The energy couldn’t get any higher – until, of course, ‘The Beer Song’.
“You guys might know what this is,” the lead singer told the audience. Every performance so far, the band has played a song while taking sips of beer attached to cables. At the end, two of the band members chugged a can, the audience screaming encouragement. It’s a move that’s just as funny as it is fantastic, being both hilarious and making their performance even more memorable. Their out-of-this-world compositions are enough to keep them stuck in your mind, but ‘The Beer Song’ cements it. It’s clear that Free Beers and Pool Tables know just what they're doing, and do it with style every time.
Substate
Closing the night, Substate kept the energy high and the crowds loud. There were chants before they even got onstage – “Substate! Substate! Substate!” powered on through the ten-minute interval. When it was finally time, they arrived on stage in sunglasses and early 90s attire, windbreakers and all. It’s a fitting costume for a band heavily inspired by Blur and Oasis, and yet they make it seem entirely natural. Their brit pop bangers transport you to another time.
Along with a brand new song called ‘Fall Away’, they performed one of the first songs Matt ever wrote, named ‘Broken Satellite’. I couldn’t help but think of 90s band The Wonder Stuff as they performed their catchy, riffing pop hits. ‘On to London’ was a particular favourite among the crowds, with the band easily swaying audiences to sing along. They played seven songs across their thirty-minute setlist, creating the perfect mix of chat and tunes. Before ‘Scary Sadness’, lead singer and writer Matt shared that he wrote it when he was only 17. The songs Substate performs are the result of many years of musical passion, fine-tuned over time for performances like these.
The band has also performed at venues such as The Fulford Arms, and it’s undeniable that they know how to take control of a crowd . Before one of the last songs, Matt made a mosh pit in the middle of the venue: “I’m going to count down, and when I get to one, you’ve gotta go crazy.” That they did. The buzz building up throughout the night became a roar, all thanks to Substate. Matt surfed across the crowd, boosting the palpable energy he had created.
After a tense 15-minute break, the winners were announced. A huge congratulations to Section 4, the winners of Battle of the Bands 2025 who will be performing on the Main Stage at this year’s Summer Ball! Another congratulations to Free Beers and Pool Tables, who took home the incredible achievement of runner’s up at the event.