UIC Battle of The Bands '26: Guttural Takeover

April 22nd was when our very own battle of the bands was hosted by the lovely people of UIC Radio. It was so amazing; I don't even know where to begin—let's talk about the fun tables they had!

Upon my arrival, I spotted the swagtastic Kevin G (@desertislandrecordsradio) all blinged out. He had glitter everywhere, and I too wanted to be a disco ball. He then led me and some of my other friends to the body glitter booth. Just as i was about to get glitterized, I noticed there was hair chalk available as well,,,so i ended up getting both! the girl running the booth was super sweet and did amazing on my hair, and a crowd began to form around us to see the result. I also got to check out the temporary tattoo table and got a jellyfish tattoo, which was super cute and fun.

Taken by @ibondieu on Insta!

After some networking with other attendees of Battle of the Bands, the awaited time was finally here! The crowd was hyped, and so were we. Jocklaw was the first to go up, and they definitely set the tone. Everyone was vibing, and although I don't indulge too much into their genre of music i loved their performance! I'll definitely be going to their future shows. I'd say the most memorable song they played was "My Name is Jason." It was quite catchy! Unfortunately, Jocklaw doesn't have Spotify, so now it's like they left their glass slipper and i will search everywhere till I find the other one :( Overall though, their set was amazing!

Hearth was up next, and they brought this super chill stoner rock vibe. the guitars produced a hazy melody, and it kind of just filled the lawn with a different mood! The crowd wasn’t going crazy this time, but everyone was swaying along and it felt really nostalgic and homey... it felt more laid back but in a good way, like you could just sink into the music for a bit. i didn’t really know what to expect at first because I hadn't listened to stoner rock before going in but I actually really liked their set!

Now it was time for Antillion !! Omg.. me and my friend Jaden were actually really excited to see what they’d dish out because the first two performances were already so good. “This may be the most anticipated one yet, it’s like their edging us”—Jaden. once they started playing the energy picked up FAST and we were geeked as heck. we were moshing, doing jump style (yes, I practiced just for this moment), and literally screaming our heads off. Their post-hardcore sound just hit so hard live, and it made everything feel way more intense. Their set was really tight too, and you could tell they were just as hyped as us. Overall, it was just really fun and definitely one of the more hype sets of the night!

CHIARA went on after and I LOVED their indie alt rock vibe. they opened with “Black Sheep" by Metric, and literally everyone including me started screaming and singing along. “IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS???” my friend and I looked at each other and just went crazy. I was jumping up and down and it felt like the whole lawn was just going berserk omg. it was so easy to get into, and you could tell they were really connecting with the crowd. they also played some of their own songs and some of them were actually really heartfelt and emotional, like one of them she wrote when she was 14 which made it hit way harder because we were all once an angsty 14-year-old. During this set I actually found out one of my mutuals is the manager for CHIARA so that was super cool (shoutout to @skumachi)!! i just really liked their set and I'm definitely gonna be checking out more of their music.

Pleasure Dome came on and their sound was actually really cool and different from the rest. it was like this mix of shoegaze and screamo, so it felt kind of dreamy at times but then also really loud and emotional. the crowd was locked in, moshing and dancing around in groups and just taking it all in. It was one of those sets where you just get lost in it. definitely stood out to me.

Guttural was honestly the set I was waiting for the entire night and they did NOT disappoint. the second they got on stage everything just went insane. their death metal sound hit so hard and a huge mosh pit broke out almost instantly. people were flying everywhere, screaming, and at one point I literally got dragged into the pit which was kinda crazy but also really fun (my first circle pit ever). I even got my Aggretsuko Funko Pop signed by them AND a picture, which I was nearly in tears about! all the members were so nice. at one point someone stage dived and unplugged the amp when they jumped into the crowd which should’ve stopped everything, but it didn’t even matter; it just made it more chaotic. it got so rowdy that a supervisor had to stop them halfway through their set which is actually pretty saddening and the crowd literally started booing, but I was happy to at least have experienced the set! It was insane. easily my favorite performance of the night.

photo with @guttural_band

To cap it all off, I was entered into an outfit competition for the night, and I was so nervous because I’m not used to being in front of so many people! I actually almost chickened out. I decided to go up though and I’m so glad I did because it was super fun and I loved being up there with all my friends! My friend Nihmah ended up winning, and we all celebrated and cheered her on! It was so cool and fun, and everyone was supportive.

Needless to say, this year's BOTB was awesome! As my first year attending, I’ll definitely be back. I made so many good memories and met amazing people, all on the connection of music. I’ll look back on this day and remember a time was definitely had. Who knows, maybe I’ll perform next time. After all, this is Subject to Change, right?

xx