Indie band lovers united for two days of concerts on Oct. 15 and Oct. 16. The two-day concert was a battle of the bands involving 24 of the Bay Area and greater California Indie bands. Put on by the BoDog Music label, this particular battle of the bands takes place nationwide, looking for the best, unsigned group, awarding them one million dollars.

Slim’s was packed to the rafters Sunday night. I was pleasantly surprised to hear such talent coming from virtual garage-band-like-groups.

Fortunately, the money wasn’t the main reason why most of these bands came out to play. It seemed as if each band was ever grateful for even having one adoring fan in the crowd. Throughout the night, the audience’s uproarious shouts for the previous band to play cut off the two MCs, be it “Vext Intent” or “Martian Puppits,” two bands that seemed to be crowd favorites.

What really surprised me was the fact that there were so many styles presented at the show. There truly was something for everyone. The most popular style of music played on Sunday was screamo and punk rock.

I really enjoyed watching “Definition Unknown,” a duo-electric-bass-wielding-metal-band who plays with a double-bass-pedal-drum. As well as “Portrait of You,” a band with a similar sound to “Taking Back Sunday” and “Thursday” because of their strong stage presence. Unlike a lot of screamo bands in the mainstream music world, the screamers actually had some sort of musical talent to compliment their aggressively fast-paced music.

If you don’t like screamo-punk rock, there were other bands with a softer style of music, or even a more metal-based style. “Mirror Image,” the only band on Sunday night with a female lead singer, had a style that was much like a mix between Blondie, The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, and Yellowcard. They played many different instruments, including a violin and saxophone, while keeping to a more traditional alternative rock style of music, which was invigorating between screamo sets.

The Look, another breath of fresh air between metal and screamo sets, used a fast paced guitar combo with a keyboard and balanced vocals which seemed to harken to new British revival bands like Bloc Party and The Bravery. They also reminded me of “OK Go!” walking on stage with their suit and tie ensemble and keeping the crowd engaged similar to an “Ok Go!” performance.

The enjoyment didn’t end when the bands left the stage. Once they were done, the bands didn’t go off to their separate trailers and dressing rooms; they put their instruments away and watched the other sets with the rest of the crowd. This enabled them to rub elbows with their fans and allowed the fans to give them praise, and when necessary their suggestions and criticism. On top of the cozy atmosphere that Slim’s has to offer, the fact that the bands joined the crowd made the show all the more enjoyable.

At the end of the night, concertgoers placed votes for their three favorite bands of the night. I found myself voting for “The Look,” “Martian Puppits,” and “Definition Unknown.” Three completely different bands with regards to style, but three bands that all had the same intent: play amazing music and maybe win some cash doing it.

These are the bands of the future. It was nice to see all the bands get respect and support, by both the other bands and the music industry; one of the hardest industries to get established in.