On the 19th of February, the Dublin University Alternative Music Society (DUAMS) held their annual Battle of the Bands at the Grand Social. The Battle of the Bands was in collaboration with the alternative music societies of DCU and IADT, DCU Alt & Indie Music Society (DCUAIMS) and IADT Jam Society respectively and the money raised from the sale of tickets went to the charity Belongto which works in service of queer youth.
The Battle of the Bands brought together a series of student musicians and provided a platform to survey the up and coming talents of the Dublin music scene. The artists were able to showcase not only their skill through covers but establish themselves as musicians through original material. The event showcased the length and breadth of artistic talent amongst three universities.
The show kicked off at around 7pm and the first band was Kora, a trio and the first band to represent DCU. Kora performed a mix of originals and covers. While maintaining a consistent stylistic tone throughout their set, they performed a mix of interpretative covers such as that of ‘Dreams’ by the Cranberries as well as originals such as Oxytocin. The frontman, Ben, maintained a notable stage presence and the drummer, Rory, performed a solo to showcase their technical ability. While they may have had a limited range, it remained coherent and consistent throughout their twenty-five minute set.
The next band is a five-man group from Trinity. They too performed a balance of originals and covers written by Senan on vocals and Sean on guitars. Compared to Kora, their overall palette was more true to the original songs they were covering with ‘Bug’ by Fontaines D.C. being particularly well-received. The other members of the group were Rowan on the bass, Jack on the keyboards, and Shane on the drums.
Bagpuss, a trio comprising of Charlie, Cathy, and Fintan, representing IADT’s Jam Soc set themselves apart being the only band of the evening to feature a female member which also informed their raw, loud, and fast energy reminiscent of riotgrrrl. Although they too covered ‘Just Like Heaven’ like their predecessors, Mondegreen, the song that embodied their musical identity the most effectively was ‘Black Sheep’ by Metric.
DCUAIMS’ second band was Winslow. Their performance leaned more strongly towards indie than any of the other acts with discernable influences from folk and jazz music. Their set was composed of mostly original songs that were ambitionous and technically adept. Vocalist, James demonstrated an expressive range that conveyed emotion through not only his delivery as well as physical performance. Winslow emerged as the most promising act of the evening, which is evident given that all three members of the band, James along with Alex on the bass and Tom on the drums are all members of other Dublin acts Lego Indiana Jones and Plum Texes who were on Whelan’s Ones to Watch lineup in 2026.
Following Winslow, Sealspit was next to perform for Trinity and DUAMS. The trio demonstrated notable versatility across their set, alternating between higher-intensity rock passages alongside slower indie segments leading to a varied listening experience. They were particularly engaging with the audience and creating an atmosphere of participation.
Finally, to close out the evening, was IADT’s Paraneu. The most notable part of their set was their visual coordination, with matching fedoras reinforcing their group identity. Musically, they embodied an archetypal local live band, promising a collective atmosphere. So much so that they also walked away winning the Battle of the Bands.
