Students rocked a downtown nightclub. Here’s what Battle of the Bands looked like up close.

Long Beach high school and middle school students sang, screamed and shredded during the fourth annual Battle of the Bands in the At The Top nightclub on Pine Avenue Sunday afternoon. Organizers gave the Long Beach Post all-access to take photos during the competition, where Bloody America, a metal band with students from Renaissance and Millikan, took first place. Check out the best photos from their set and others’ below.

As the judge’s top pick, Bloody America won $1,000 plus and another $500 as the audience favorite; they plan to put $800 of their winnings into a band fund and distribute the rest to their members. Jezebel, a sludge metal band from Renaissance, came in second, and Social Hour finished third. If you missed Sunday, don’t worry, all three top bands will perform at DiPiazza’s on May 31.

The competition, a fundraiser for Renaissance High School for the Arts, gives students a peek into what it’s like to perform professionally. What started as a humble event for Renaissance students has grown into an event attracting hundreds of audience members who stood shoulder to shoulder to watch the city’s best young talent.

For the first year, all area students were invited to participate. This year’s event featured musicians from Renaissance, Wilson, Millikan, Cabrillo and Browning high schools — as well as Marshall Middle School and homeschool. The ten performance groups represented a wide range of music genres, from hardcore metal to a solo ukulelist, from a DJ to a punk band that inspired a mosh pit.

Through ticket sales, auctions and sponsorships, event organizers hoped this year’s event would raise $30,000 for Renaissance students, which can be used to purchase equipment, bring in guest speakers and send students on field trips to Warner Bros. and a performing arts road show, said Jeremy Dodgen, a Renaissance parent and one of the organizers.

In addition to the cash prizes, student winners take home a share of the ticket sales as well as shared studio time, a chance to record the music they’ve honed for months.

Bloody America, the winning band, praised the crowd’s support. “We could feel the energy that had been building from all the other bands and let it all spill out when we performed,” they said, calling their show “probably the best we’ve ever sounded.”