Amidst colored lights, a dance floor and plenty of drink specials, University City musicians duked it out at The Blockley on Saturday.
The “Battle of the Bands” — hosted by Penn and Drexel’s Relay for Life commitees — pitted Penn and Drexel student bands against each other for the chance to win a paid opening spot for an upcoming Blockley show.
Penn bands Slow Dance Chubby, Fat Panther and Jung and the Rubbers joined Drexel’s Bleeding Fractals and KILL3R WHALE to perform for a crowd of about 250 students.
Wharton sophomore Riley McCluskey, a member of Slow Dance Chubby, said that the concert was an opportunity to play for an audience “outside of the usual Penn crowd.”
At the end of the evening, the audience picked Jung and the Rubbers as the winners.
Attendees voted for their favorite performance by putting money into a box which had the chosen band’s name on it. This voting system — combined with ticket sales and coat checks — raised approximately $2,000, according to Relay for Life at Penn co-chairwoman Jessica Bell, a former Daily Pennsylvanian reporter. The money raised will go toward both Penn and Drexel’s donations to the American Cancer Society at the close of their Relay for Life capstone events, she said.
Though audience members had various reasons for attending the event, most agreed it was a success. “I’ve come to support Relay for Life,” College senior Jayme Van Oot said. “The bands are playing really well and there’s a great turnout.”
Chris Gordon, a Drexel junior, added that the acoustics worked well for the venue.
John Stine, a lecturer at the Wharton School who attended the event to watch his son play in Jung and the Rubbers, said that “the kids were having a lot of fun.”
Bell explained that although the main aim of the concert was to raise money, another aim was to encourage people to participate in Penn’s Relay for Life in April. So far, about 500 people have signed up to be part of the event out of around 2,000 expected participants, Bell said.
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