The doors at Pop Music Studios in Northridge greeted members and the Punk Rock community at CSUN. The studio hosted a Battle of the Bands, open to local bands regardless of whether they had played their first show.

Founder and President of the Punk Rock at CSUN, May Dib, created the club in the fall of 2024 and wanted to create a space for others, hoping to create a community she felt she once needed.

“Growing up, my music taste kind of landed me on the sidelines,” Dib said. “Some people could still feel like that in college… it is a safe space for people who maybe don’t feel like they have somewhere where they are fully accepted.”

The founder further explained that after launching the community at the biannual “Meet The Clubs” event, the club had over 100 members. The club wanted a platform for local bands and musicians to perform. Considering its proximity to CSUN’s campus, affordability and opportunity, the Battle of the Bands slowly emerged.

Eight local bands had the opportunity to brave the stage at the studio, each getting two songs to work their way to the top. The lineup included Sting Ray, Dead You, nickattnxte, Physical Education, The Catmen, Impropers, The Reply and Zombie Flowers.

Dib explained that she wanted each band to benefit from this opportunity, even if they didn’t win.

“There is a lot in it for them whether they win or not. For a lot of these bands, it’s their first show ever, so they get this experience and they their first show out of the way. There is a trophy that I also made, I ordered a custom trophy and it says “1st place Battle of The Bands 2025 Punk Rock at CSUN”. I’m planning on doing an end of the year showcase, so they get a spot to perform there, guaranteed.”

Reflecting more on the event, Dib mentioned that she felt these prizes weren’t enough and decided to use her background in film.

“I have a lot of friends in the film program who are really into making music videos. So whoever wins will basically win a free music video made for them, with a whole crew.” Dib said. “Since I produce as well, I would produce for them. It’s all taken care of, just give me your vision and we’ll make it happen.”

The bands were evaluated based on their musical performance, stage presence and crowd engagement. Four students from CSUN judged the bands.

“I was mainly looking out for danceability and good rhythms,” Linn Aquila said, a graphic design major at CSUN and judge for the Battle of the Bands. “Aside from that, stage presence was a big factor in my choices.”

One band that stood out to judges was The Catmen, composed of Edain Samaniego, Logan Postmus and Sol Storace. Based on the band’s musicality and stage presence, this led the band to the top of the judges’ list.

“Catmen has been around for about a year now. We started as a cover band that was needed for a quick show, which then turned into an actual band for fun,” Samaniego said, the guitarist and vocalist of the group. “Our sound currently is very punk and surf rock. We plan to continue to write more songs in this style but also venture into other genres.”

After each band showcased its individuality and artistry, the judges had to select one final winner. The judges emphasized that selecting a single first-place band was difficult, but the chosen jury, The Catmen, took home the prize.

However, the winning band had left by the night’s end, so the trophy went to Zombie Flowers, the runner-up. The members of the punk quartet erupted in celebration and accepted the award.

CSUN Criminology major Ashkan Bagherabadi expressed that though The Catmen technically won, he was happy that his personal choice won on circumstance.

“I consider Zombie Flowers one of the best bands because of their classic style of rock along with their skillful ability and complexity in their own music,” Bagherabadi said.

Zombie Flowers expressed their happiness with their performance and are early anticipating their next opportunity with Punk Rock at CSUN at the end-of-year showcase.

More upcoming Punk Rock projects at CSUN can be found on their Linktree, which links to Discord, Spotify and social media for events and community member spaces.