Local Bands Battle at Tommy Doyle’s

Bands from Boston-area colleges faced off in front of a packed crowd Thursday night for a shot at victory in this year’s first intercollegiate Battle of the Bands.

Two Harvard groups competed with acts from Berklee College of Music and Northeastern University to win over the audience that filled the upstairs of Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square.

The Berklee indie group, Fly Upright Kite, came in first place with Harvard’s well-known Major Major tying with Northeastern’s Stolen Records for second. The all-girl Harvard rock band, Plan B for the Type A’s finished third.

Harvard’s own non-profit record label, Veritas Records, sponsored the event in cooperation with Berklee’s Heavy Rotation Records.

Fly Upright Kite won after two judges from Veritas, two from Heavy Rotation, and crowd response determined the winner.

Asad Rahman, lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Fly Upright Kite, was impressed by the crowd’s enthusiasm.

“We’re always looking for new places to play, just because at Berklee, people can be so fixated on what you’re doing musically,” Rahman said. “Tonight everyone was just dancing and having fun.”

Veritas’s CEO and one of the night’s emcees Jonathan M. Siegel ’08, described the Battle of the Bands as a way to get exposure for Harvard groups and to build relationships with those across other campuses.

Veritas Director and former CEO of the label, James M. Rhodes ’06, also saw it as a valuable addition to Harvard’s social scene.

“One of the points we’re trying to make in putting on this event is why doesn’t this happen every week,” Rhodes said.

Another competition will take place tomorrow to decide which two of the four new bands will perform against the Fly Upright Kite, Major Major and Stolen Records. The final showdown will be on Tuesday the 21st. Both shows will start at 9:30 at Tommy Doyle’s.