Winter League Report – Round 3
Sponsored by Bowe Dental
The Winter League sleigh has rolled through three rounds, and now the stockings are stuffed with anticipation for Round 4. The leaders are jingling proudly at the top of their tables, but challengers are tuning up their guitars, warming their vocal cords, and polishing their drum kits for the next festive showdown. Get ready to roar into 2026 with more of the KBTC Winter League Battle of the Bands Greatest Hits.
Thanks again to Bowe Dental for sponsoring and keeping the Winter League smiling through the season!
🎅 Perfect Performances – 22 Point Sleigh Rides
Six teams scored the maximum 22 points this round:
Rock Section: U2 (Claire O’Brien) finally found what they were looking for, while AC/DC (Fintan Byrne) were “Thunderstruck” with festive cheer.
Pop Section: *NSYNC (Claire Hassett) said “Bye Bye Bye” to their opponents, Westlife (Carol Ann Murray) were “Flying Without Wings” straight to the top, and ABBA (John Geary) danced away as true “Dancing Queens”.
Punk Section: Misfits (Edel Neary) – they screamed “All I Want for Christmas Is Chaos” and delivered.
🎉 Upcoming Round 4 fixtures:
Round 4 promises to kicks off in the new year with some heavy riffs. As we step into the New Year, expect more “Greatest Hits” performances and maybe a few “One-Hit Wonders” trying to steal the spotlight.
🎸 Rock Section – Deck the Halls with Power Chords
U2 (Claire O’Brien) AC/DC (Fintan Byrne) – Will U2 march on with “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” or will AC/DC shake them with “For Those About to Rock”?
Queen (Sinead Mannix) vs. Boston (Karen McCarthy) – “We Will Rock You” collides with “Don’t Look Back.” Operatic flair vs. classic riffs.
Pearl Jam (Brian Fitzgibbon) vs. Nirvana (Mick Collins) – “Jeremy” faces off against “Come As You Are” in a grunge duel for bragging rights.
Coldplay (Aoise Carrol) vs. Heart (Geraldine O’Brien) – “Yellow” meets “Barracuda” in a battle of contrasts; melodic lite vs hard-rock bite.
🎤 Pop Section – Last Christmas Came Early
Wham! (Leo Dufficey) vs. *NSYNC (Claire Hassett)– “Club Tropicana” vs. “It’s Gonna Be Me.” Leaders face chart rivals.
Maroon 5 (Martina McKoegh) vs. ABBA (John Geary) – “Sugar” meets “Take a Chance on Me.” Modern hooks vs. disco gold.
Westlife (Carol Ann Murray) vs. Ace of Base (Neil Williams)– “Uptown Girl” against “All That She Wants.” Ballads vs. Euro‑pop.
No Doubt (Efisio Cocco) vs. Bananarama (Donagh O’Sullivan) – “Just a Girl” vs. “Love in the First Degree.” Ska‑punk edge against pop‑soul harmonies.
🤘 Punk Section – Holiday Havoc
Misfits (Edel Neary) vs. The Clash (Pat Clarke)– “Where Eagles Dare” vs. “Rock the Casbah.” Chaos meets rebellion.
Soundgarden (Mary Murnane) vs. The Ramones (Liam Breen) – “Spoonman” vs. “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Heavy alt vs. stripped‑down punk.
The Cure (Maciej Kanik) vs. The Outcasts (Deirdre Storan)– “Lullaby” vs. “Self‑Conscious Over You.” Moody leaders vs. raw outsiders.
Green Day (Tommy Casey) vs. Husker Du (Vishal Singhal) – “Basket Case” vs. “Makes No Sense at All.” Pop‑punk vs. hardcore grit.
🎶 Metal Section – Silent Night, Heavy Riffs
Def Leppard (Conor O’Reilly) vs. Quiet Riot (Alison Power)– “Photograph” vs. “Metal Health.” Arena rock vs. anthem noise.
Skid Row (Suzanne Noble) vs. Metallica (Graham Ryan) – “18 and Life” vs. “Master of Puppets.” Rebels vs. thrash kings.
KISS (Sinead Spain) vs. Black Sabbath (Dawn Keane) – “Detroit Rock City” vs. “Iron Man.” Glam spectacle vs. heavy doom.
Iron Maiden (Bernie Lynch)– Bye week; “The Trooper” rests before marching on.
🎧 Festive Music Watch-Outs
Here are some seasonal tracks that you can check out to get you in the festive spirit (or just to have a laugh). Remember to send in suggestions for future music selections to [email protected].
Rock –“Run Rudolph Run” by Foo Fighters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fZBxXLQz1w&list=RD4fZBxXLQz1w&start_radio=1
Rock – “Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakershttps://youtu.be/gaPj1GoDpQw?list=RDgaPj1GoDpQw
Pop – “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang https://youtu.be/3GwjfUFyY6M?list=RD3GwjfUFyY6M
Punk – “Happy New Year” by Violent Femmes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T7P16k20Ao&list=RD3T7P16k20Ao&start_radio=1
Punk – “100 Resolutions” by The Lawrence Arms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KJt2WWBDGY
Metal – “Wizards in Winter” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWBjl-jPcVM&list=RDpWBjl-jPcVM&start_radio=1
🥂 Reminder
We’re now on Christmas break until Sunday 04 January 2026. After the holidays, there will be four more rounds before the semi-finals and finals. Rest up, recharge, and get ready to rock into the New Year!
Alan Williamson & Juli Moticka
Competition (and bad pun) Organisers