Mississippi State University held its annual Battle of the Bands Saturday night as five local bands competed for a $1000 prize pool and the chance to open for this year’s Bulldog Bash.

Make it to May was crowned the winner, with Synesthesia coming in second and The Sharp Sisters in third. While only the first place winner gets the chance to open Bulldog Bash, the second place winners received $500 as well as VIP Tickets to Bulldog Bash and the third place winners received $200.

Graham Hughes, a senior music major and lead singer of Make it to May said that he is excited to perform on the Bulldog Bash stage.

“Opening for Bulldog Bash has been an absolute dream of mine ever since my freshman year at Mississippi State,” Hughes said. “It’s the stuff I dreamed about as a kid.”

Battle of the Bands is held in Lee Hall each year and organized by Mississippi State’s Music Maker Productions. The showcase highlights a variety of different artists playing an assortment of music from covers of classics to original songs.

Adisson Capo, a junior animal and dairy science major and the public relations executive member for Music Maker Productions said she was excited about giving such an opportunity to local bands.

“Local artists bring the Starkville community together and give so much back to this city,” Capo said. “It is so exciting getting to see the bands we love take the stage at the biggest free concert in Mississippi and see all of their hard work and dedication pay off.”

The band Highfield kicked off the night with vocalist Bryan Wilkerson performing a cover of “Creep” by Radiohead.

Following them was Synesthesia — a duet of vocalists Emma Woodward and Adonijah Mpinga. The two garnered huge crowd participation through their last set.

In a shift from rock to country and folk, the Sharp Sisters performed as a duet. With both sisters on vocals and each with their own instrument, the judges said the duet achieved a high level of connection that is not normally seen. Judges also compared the Sharp Sisters’ set to driving around on a summer day while listening to country radio.

Moving from duos to trios, indie-rock band The Pinksheets brought a fusion of covers and originals. Bassist Bryce Heatherly opened their act with a rendition of Peach Pit’s “Alrighty Aphrodite,” stunning the crowd with both the bass and vocals. The judges commented on how often trios do not mesh well, yet this group managed to pull it off. One judge specifically drew attention to the group’s drummer, Carter Maharrey, highlighting his talent in keeping the band structured and well-composed.

To end the night, Make it to May performed and truly rocked the audience. Led by frontman Graham Hughes, the band delivered unique vocals amplified by guitarists John Landry, Todd Eubanks and Koby Nicholson. The judges praised their stage presence and agreed that Make it to May exudes extreme talent and energy.

Hughes said that he was nervous before the performance, but that he also enjoyed getting to play for the crowd.

“Before our performance, I was insanely nervous,” Hughes said. “We wanted to do this for years and we finally got our chance. I just did not want to mess it up, but I called my Dad and he cleared my head. All I could think about was having fun and putting on a good show for everyone that showed up.”

Julian Dedeaux, a senior business administration major, and drummer for Make it to May credited the band’s actions leading up to the event for their victory.

“There were definitely nerves, but I think preparing how we did helped to mitigate it,” Dedeaux said. “We practiced every day leading up to it, practicing the set exactly how we wanted to perform, as silly as it felt headbanging in our garage, that’s exactly what we were doing so that we could make sure we would bring the energy when we actually showed up.”

Make it to May has been making themselves known in the Starkville music scene since Fall 2021, and now they will be taking their talents to Bulldog Bash as the opener for Ludacris on Oct. 4.