There is a buzz in the air for University of Limerick students who are fans of live music, as the highly anticipated final of UL Music Society’s ‘Battle of the Bands’ is to take place Thursday, April 23 in Limerick night life hotspot, Pharmacia.
The final will feature the three bands who won each heat, which previously took place in The Stables Club and Pharmacia between March 5 and April 14, with large crowds attending all gigs.
Out of the nine bands who entered this year’s competition, the three remaining to compete for first place are The Wreck, Sollahead, and Dinorah.
The first two competitive gigs of the competition took place in The Stables Club with free entry for all attendees.
The final heat was due to take place on March 26, but had to be rescheduled due to an overlap with the Ireland Vs. Czech Republic World Cup playoff. The gig instead took place in Pharmacia on April 14 with a ‘pay what you want’ scheme at the door. The final tomorrow night will see the same scheme in place as the bands battle for a €500 prize.
James Burke, lead singer of Sollahead, described the importance of opportunities like this for local bands in Limerick and why the support of music fans matters to musicians. “It highlights the talent that Limerick city has. It’s so hard for artists to get gigs in Limerick these days and it’s a great way to boost a bands stature.”
Sollahead won the 2025 competition and are set to perform first tomorrow night.
Ewan O’Sullivan, bassist of The Wreck, who opened for Cork based jazz band Smithereens in Stables during the University of Limerick’s charity week, is also excited for the final because of the community aspect to that music society brings.
“Music Society is so great for bands and musicians. These opportunities have really helped us get out there more and it’s great to play alongside other bands and form those connections. Obviously it will be great to win but we just have a great time playing live, so we are very excited. It should be good fun.”
The final band, Dinorah, has seen great success recently landing gigs nationwide, most recently in Galway on April 9.
The success and buzz around this years competition reminds Limerick of the talent amongst UL students.