On Feb. 26, bands from around the city had the chance to show off their talents in the Battle of the Bands at the Heritage Park Community Center. The winner of the event was the band Retrograde from Irvine high school.

Hosted by the Irvine Youth Action Team, Battle of the Bands allowed new and local bands to play for a small crowd of audience members who had a great time watching their favorite local bands.

Westpark, formerly known as Wirebox, and Counterparts, both Woodbridge student bands, performed at the event. Neither band won, but both received great feedback from the crowd. Unfortunately, Westpark was disqualified for stage diving.  

“I thought it was really entertaining and exciting to see how good the other bands were. The crowd was very pumped up and just wanted to see a good show,” junior and Counterparts bassist Dilian Menjivar said.

Battle of the Bands allotted 25-minute sets for each band. Using this time, each of the bands had to charm the audience through their musical talents by doing actions such as playing fan-favorite songs. Each band had a niche following in the crowd which ensured that they would be cheered on by their friends.

“The minute we got there, I had never been more excited to play. The performance itself was simply amazing! The set we had planned was definitely a crowd pleaser,” said junior Chris Benitez, who sings and plays guitar for Counterparts.  

The event was a great experience not only for the bands playing, but also for the students who came to support the local bands. The students were able to watch and cheer on their friends and the bands were able to do what they love in front of an audience of peers.

“People really came up to the stage and really enjoyed themselves to the music we played… It was definitely an unforgettable experience,” Benitez said.