It was an exciting and lively evening at the Erasmus Paviljoen last Thursday, where the first of two preliminaries of the Battle of the Bands took place. Two out of five bands made it to the final.
In honor of the University’s centennial, the Erasmus School of Economics, Xplo Music & Events and SG Erasmus organized The Battle of the Bands . This quest for the best Dutch student cover band was kicked off by Mainline 55: four men that covered fifties artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Hank Williams. During their performance, the half-filled Erasmus Paviljoen got busier and busier. The crowd grew to around hundred people.
Next up was Three/Third XL, a band that started out with three singing sisters and is grown now to become a funky cover band of seven. Despite some technical difficulties, their performance of several soul and funk classics – such as Aretha Franklin and The Pointer Sisters – was very inspiring.
Thee/Third XL
There was also an ‘outsider’ at the Battle of the Bands. As the name suggests, Angie and the Billie Jeans from Utrecht played a mix of rock and soul music, which was greatly appreciated by the small fan group they brought along.
They were followed up by a group of five cheeky and energetic girls with the exciting name: The Brazilian Wax Effect. This band got so caught up in the moment that they lost track of time. But after a tiny warning from Fedde van der Spoel, one of the organizers from SG Erasmus, they ended their show with great success by performing The Beatles’ Twist and Shout.
The Mad Show was the final band of the evening. This group, formed by several members of the Rotterdam fraternity Laurentius, played an interesting and surprising mix of medleys.
The Brazilian Wax Effect
Afterwards the jury (three EUR alumni) and the audience had the difficult task to select two winners out of these five talented bands. While the jury picked the diverse group Three/Third XL, the audience favored the punk girls of The Brazilian Wax Effect.
These two hard-fought winners made it through to the final at October 31st. There they will face the winners of the second preliminary round, which will be hosted by the Erasmus Paviljoen this Thursday (start at 19.30).
Tickets for the second qualifying round and the final cost €3,50 and can be purchased here. MvS
