IceHogs Behind the Glass: Battle of the Bands 2

The first two weeks of the Rockford IceHogs LT’s Battle of the Bands brought out some strong competition, especially from the younger bands.

Week 1 Highlights featured two thrash metal bands with distinctively different looks but startlingly similar sounds in Stereotype and Reign of Ruin. Their cacophony of driving beats and angry screaming vocals whipped their crowds into a frenzy. Ultimately the 1980s hair metal sounds of Shuvelhead and the 70s-hard-rock-meets-90s-grunge act of Angus Jackson battled it out for top position. In the end, the enthusiastic crowd reaction pushed Shuvelhead over the top, and Shuvelhead moves on to the final round.

Week 2 featured a strong set of bands, bringing the competition to the next level. Starting strong with the local young punk band The Broken Fall, their Green Day meets the Violent Femmes influences brought their crowd onto the floor in a big way. They were a tough act to follow, but Existent gave it a good run with a novice singer songwriter that showed promise and a sound reminiscent of late 90s alt bands like Letters to Cleo. The surprise came from the Dixon-based band Kirkland whose polished sound wowed the judges and brought around a crowd lacking energy with a great stage presence and excellent harmonies. Indicating they’ve been preparing for a South by Southwest debut this month, Kirkland wove sounds reminiscent of The Fray or The Eagles. Closing the night was a modern metal band Dogs of War who stayed to play even well beyond the final decision. In the end, Kirkland’s polished harmonies edged out The Broken Fall’s fan-powered punk, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of The Broken Fall.

The Battle of the Bands has been so successful that LTs and the Rockford IceHogs have added a date! Come to LT’s see the final two rounds of Battle of the Bands on March 8 and March 15 starting at 8PM. And don’t miss the finals at the Rockford IceHogs game on March 30th featuring Shuvelhead, Kirkland and our two remaining finalists. For tickets to the March 30th IceHogs game and Battle of the Bands finals, call Andrew at 815-986-6465.