A crowd of 200 converged for the final of the Converse Battle of the Bands was held at Re:Fuel on Saturday May 26. 40 bands compete in four heats in the OUSA-organised event. A Distant City emerged the winners, with Astro Children named runners-up and Abstract Survival placing third.
A Distant City, whose members describe the band as “pseudo rock” and “shoegaze”, was awarded $650, music recording time, merchandise and $500 worth of advertising on Radio One.
OUSA events organiser Koren Allpress praised the event, saying "We had a really strong line up of bands with a really diverse range of sounds. There were touches of the classic Dunedin sound along with SKA, pop and heavy metal bands making a name for themselves to our crowds.”
The final round this year included two wild-card entries. According to Allpress, “The competition was so strong that after two bands tied they were both awarded a wildcard entry instead of just the one we'd usually have."
Gabriel Griffin, the drummer of Sewage, who also performed in the final, told Critic that the competition was “a good platform for emerging bands in Dunedin” and exposed students to “the broad range of musical talent within the university”.
OUSA events organisers confirmed that Battle of the Bands will take place again next year, with the number of entries and audience members having grown over the past few years.
A Distant City will represent Dunedin at the national final of Battle of the Bands in Auckland in August.
Children beaten by band of youths
