Harwick members engage with the crowd during its set at the Battle of the Bands concert on Wednesday in the Pegasus Ballroom.
Courtesy of Vincent Smith
Ten local student bands rocked the UCF Pegasus Ballroom during the Battle of the Bands showdown on Wednesday.
Battle of the Bands, an annual competition hosted by CAB and Knight-Thon, provides student bands the chance to earn a performance slot at future UCF music events.
Winners are awarded opportunities to perform at Knight-Chella, CAB’s Coachella-inspired event and biggest festivity of the spring semester, and Knight-Thon’s Main Event at the Addition Financial Arena.
Tortuga Music Festival winners were also announced at the concert. The online ticket contest, hosted by CAB in collaboration with Tortuga, began Jan. 30 and ended Feb. 3.
The event brought students together for a night of live music, competition and discovery, allowing local student musicians to perform before a large audience and a panel of professional judges, each with extensive experience in the music industry.
The judges evaluated each performance and selected one winner based on skill and performance quality. In addition to the judges’ selection, concertgoers could also cast a vote for the crowd favorite winner.
Aubrey Hunter, CAB’s concert director, said that planning for an event of this magnitude started in November. Auditions were held in early January, and she said it remains one of CAB’s most anticipated events of the year.
“It’s just a tradition that we like to do,” Hunter said. “I wanted to keep that tradition going and support UCF local bands and the live community at UCF because there’s not a lot of performances at UCF.”
Not long after the event began, students quickly abandoned their seats and crowded around the stage, head-banging and singing along as the bands performed. While many bands played original pieces, covers like Foo Fighters’ “Everlong,” Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” and Deftones’ “Engine No. 9” had the crowd raving.
Flatline’s lead guitarist and vocalist Brandon Rossel plays the bands cover of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” on Wednesday in the Pegasus Ballroom.
Courtesy of Jose Aponte
Harwick, a jazz and indie-inspired art rock group and one of the 2026 contestants, first formed in March 2025 over a Snapchat story post. The band warmed up with its pre-performance rituals, including vocal warm-ups and back massages for each member from lead guitarist Mars Rodriguez, who prefers to go by Mars.
Last-minute time constraints left many bands, including Harwick, scrambling to adjust their setlists. Despite the changes, Mars felt confident in his group’s ability to deliver for the crowd.
“I definitely trust everyone in this band to be an excellent musician and just put on the best performance they can tonight,” Mars said.
After much deliberation, the judges crowned the alternative-rock band Urban Sprawl as the winner.
Urban Sprawl accepts the Judges Choice award on Wednesday in the Pegasus Ballroom standing between CAB’s Artist Ambassador Jack Leventhal (left) and Concert Director Aubrey Hunter (right).
Courtesy of Jose Aponte
Urban Sprawl began as a Jimmy Buffett cover group called Joshua Buffett’s High Flying Birds before regrouping over the summer and rebranding.
The band’s vocalist, Brayden Royall, explained that much of their rehearsal time leading up to the event was focused on being more engaging, improving stage presence and achieving “max hype,” along with a lot of practice.
After hours of performances and much anticipation, concertgoers cast their voting tickets into large bins labeled with the names of their favorite performing bands, selecting Harwick as the people’s choice winner.
Harwick bassist Joe Protko described the outcome as a “culmination of months and months of hard work” — securing Harwick a performance slot at Knight-Thon’s main event.
Bands like Harwick and Urban Sprawl attribute much of their success to UCF-sponsored events like Battle of the Bands.
“The event is a good way for bands to gain traction,” Royall said.
Harwick drummer Blake Barnes explained how the university has created the space for musicians to put themselves out there through events like Battle of the Bands.
“It’s pretty difficult as a band just starting out finding somewhere where you can share your art with the world,” Barnes said. “I feel like there are not many safe spaces for art left to perform and showcase. This gives us a way to broadcast our music in an environment that is willing, able and ready to hear us.”
Junior civil engineer major and Urban Sprawl vocalist Brayden Royall performs during the group’s Battle of the Bands set on Wednesday in the Pegasus Ballroom.
Courtesy of Jose Aponte
Urban Sprawl credits the 2025 Battle of the Bands for playing a major role in jump-starting the group’s career.
“Without Battle of the Bands, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Aiden Gornall, lead guitarist of Urban Sprawl, said.
CAB aims to further help university student bands through a new Artist Ambassador role, which will be responsible for hosting two to three gigs per semester for UCF’s local bands to perform.
“[Battle of the Bands] is one of my favorite events because it really highlights community and getting people in the same place for music,” Hunter said. “I just love music so much and I feel like it’s one of the best ways to unify people, especially in times like these.”
Close
Counterpart of the duet band TeeBeeDee belts his solo at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
TeeBeeDee performs its last song from its set, closing off the first half of Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Singer from TeeBeeDee performs a song from Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak’s album “An Evening With Silk Sonic” at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
A mix of UCF students and faculty watch as pop-band TeeBeeDee performs its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Shepherd leads the audience into a mosh pit at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Shepherd’s lead guitarist jams on a Hello Kitty guitar at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Bassist of punk band Shepherd plays along to the drummer’s beat at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The punk band Shepherd placed a sheep prop on stage as it prepares for its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Wadeview’s guitarist holds his guitar in the air as the audience cheers during its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Flatline’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist looks into the camera at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The four-piece rock band Flatline plays its own music at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The crowd huddles around the stage as Flatline plays at Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Quarter Life Crisis plays a double-guitar melody in its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Quarter Life Crisis’ drummer looks into the audience while the band plays its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The audience rises from their seats as Quarter Life Crisis beckons them to get closer to the stage at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Counterpart of the duet band TeeBeeDee belts his solo at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
TeeBeeDee performs its last song from its set, closing off the first half of Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Singer from TeeBeeDee performs a song from Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak’s album “An Evening With Silk Sonic” at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
A mix of UCF students and faculty watch as pop-band TeeBeeDee performs its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Shepherd leads the audience into a mosh pit at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Shepherd’s lead guitarist jams on a Hello Kitty guitar at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Bassist of punk band Shepherd plays along to the drummer’s beat at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The punk band Shepherd placed a sheep prop on stage as it prepares for its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Wadeview’s guitarist holds his guitar in the air as the audience cheers during its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Flatline’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist looks into the camera at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The four-piece rock band Flatline plays its own music at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The crowd huddles around the stage as Flatline plays at Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Quarter Life Crisis plays a double-guitar melody in its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
Quarter Life Crisis’ drummer looks into the audience while the band plays its set at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.
The audience rises from their seats as Quarter Life Crisis beckons them to get closer to the stage at the Battle of the Bands in the Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday.