Long before the first band took to the stage, the upper Horn was already full, with lines of students waiting outside in an attempt to grab pizza and posters. On Saturday night, Kenyon’s third annual Battle of the Bands, co-sponsored by Social Board and the Horn Gallery, took place at 8:30 p.m. 

Out of nine competing bands, the one with the most votes would be the winner and there would also be two runners-up, with all three of them set to perform at one of the most anticipated events of the year: Summer Sendoff. Audience members were given paper slips to vote for their favorite act immediately after the show ended. The three winning bands were announced shortly thereafter.

The first-place winner of the night was Morganized Crime, which performed Paramore’s classic song “Ain’t It Fun.” The group’s stage presence was magnetic, making the crowd feel like they were living in the perfect college movie moment. The audience joined lead singers Conor Kennealy ’27 and Maddy Revzon ’27 each time they sang the chorus; “Ain’t it fun? / Living in the real world / Ain’t it good? / Being all alone.” The highlight of the performance came when the beat of the chorus dropped, urging the audience members to lose themselves completely in the rhythm.

The first runner-up, Holy F*ck Holy F*cking F*ck That Body of Yours Is Absurd, captivated the audience with Maroon 5’s “This Love.” The band’s performance was a fiery mix of dynamic riffs, sultry vocals and an irresistible beat that kept the crowd moving. With unstoppable energy, Holy F*ck’s act was a groove-filled, sing-along moment.

The second runner-up and final band that will be opening for Summer Sendoff is All Goof No Ball, which also performed at last year’s Sendoff. Its rendition of Paramore’s “Decode” was electrifying, bringing a rock ’n’ roll feel into a mostly indie and pop event. Megan Lydon ’25 effortlessly showcased her vocals, reminding the audience that one can deliver flawless vibrato and pitch in style. Although she considers herself a newer member of the band, Lydon was eager to start practicing the song, after continuously receiving texts with a Spotify link to it from her fellow band members. Lydon told the Collegian that performing at the Horn was an unforgettable experience. “It was incredible to see so many faces in the audience that I knew, but also so many new faces! Also, I’m super stoked — we got a lot of videos for my mom.”

Unfortunately, trouble arose while the event was well underway. According to some dissatisfied attendees, the event organizers ran out of paper ballots, unintentionally excluding several students from the voting procedure. “There were more attendees than expected and we did run out of ballots. We had record attendance this year with over 250 people voting,” the Social Board executive team wrote in a message to the Collegian. 

Additionally, Tomorrow at Four, one of the bands slated to perform, had a scheduling conflict and was unable to perform. The ninth band concluded its set at approximately 9:40 p.m., while a performance of The Moors was still occurring. When Tomorrow at Four lead singer Benjamin Priestland ’27, who was acting in the play, arrived at the Horn, he found an empty stage and that the band would not be able to perform.

“We were aware that there was a scheduling conflict, and we tried to be as accommodating as possible. The set list for Battle of the Bands is randomized, Tomorrow at Four was assigned the second-to-last slot and we were hopeful that that would be accommodating enough. However, as the event reached the end, we were able to move their time slot to the last one in the hopes that they would be able to perform,” the Social Board executive team said. “Unfortunately, when it came time for them to perform, the band was not at the side door prepared to go on stage… Due to the timing of the event and the number of present event attendees, we had to proceed.” Priestland did not respond to the Collegian’s requestion for comment.

 However, it is important to keep in mind that while the Battle of the Bands is a competition, the event’s primary goal is to bring the Kenyon community together and exhibit the talent of passionate students. “[I understand that] there’s some emotional tension in facilitating a space where people can be vulnerable and expressive while also needing to pick winners,” John Kibler ’25, a member of the competing band Lacking Light, wrote in an email to the Collegian. “The opportunity to express yourself, and for people to really listen, and then to be able to watch your peers play their hearts out [is special]. There is so much passion in [the Horn].” This was reflected in the audience’s dancing and nodding along to each act, screaming their hearts out to songs like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and Radiohead’s “Creep.” 

This year’s Summer Sendoff headliner has not been announced yet, but the members of all featured bands are excited for whoever it may be. “I definitely want an artist I can dance to,’” Lydon said. 

Until next year, Battle of the Bands!