We Pay Tribute to the Judges on 'Clash of the Cover Bands,' the Newest Music Show on E!

Jennifer Tisdale - Author
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PUBLISHED Oct. 13 2021, 6:19 p.m. ET

'Clash of the Cover Bands'
Source: E!

Being in a band is not easy, but being in a band that already exists is even harder. Clash of the Cover Bands on E! is the newest music show to come down the pipesline (see what we did there?). Hosted by Stephen "tWitch" Boss, who you know as Ellen's co-host / sidekick / DJ on The Ellen Degeneres Show, it pulls from all the best cover bands around the country for the ultimate competition. Who is the best at being someone else?

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Each episode will feature two bands from the same genre going mic-to-mic over the course of two rounds for the chance to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. That makes sense, since Jimmy loves to sing! And he is also the show's executive producer. Of course, what's a competition without an accomplished panel of judges? Someone has to make the tough calls, so who are the judges on Clash of the Cover Bands?

Will Smith and Jimmy Fallon singing
Source: NBC
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Who are the judges on 'Clash of the Cover Bands'?

First up, we have Ester Dean, who we predict will be a (pitch) perfect judge. That's right — you may recognize Ester from her role as Cynthia-Rose Adams in all three Pitch Perfect films. This is also not her first time at the judges' rodeo. She was previously a judge on Songland, NBC's songwriting competition series. Ester has also co-written and produced songs for some of the biggest names in music today. Perhaps you've heard of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé, to name a few?

Ester Dean
Source: Getty Images
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Another Queen in the judge's court is Adam Lambert, who we first met during Season 8 of American Idol. After getting runner-up, he recorded four studio albums as a solo artist and one album as the frontman for Queen. Adam has been a guest judge on Project Runway, RuPaul's Drag Race, and American Idol. In an interview with People, he said, "We've all seen our reality competition singing shows before, but this one really just feels different. It's really kind of a party."

And last but not least, we are all about that Meghan Trainor. We can hardly believe it's been seven years since she dropped "All About That Bass." Since then, she has released three studio albums and won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2016. Meghan is no judge newbie, judging The Four: Battle for Stardom for two seasons. When asked by E! News why people should be excited about the show, Meghan joyfully said, "Because finally, we have a platform to show off cover bands ... the unsung heroes!"

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Meghan Trainor
Source: Getty Images

Who will be performing on 'Clash of the Cover Bands'?

The bands will be judged on vocal impression, physical embodiment, and overall performance. Obviously, the full lineup is a secret, but we've already heard about a couple of acts. One of them is a Coldplay tribute band accurately titled Fix You. The song they chose to perform during their episode is "Clocks," and they are going up against a U2 cover band called Unforgettable Fire, who we assume will move in mysterious ways.

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Katie Murdock as Britney Spears in 'Clash of the Cover Bands'
Source: E!

Another act who is very much in the zeitgeist right now is a Britney Spears impersonator who has been performing as Britney for 16 years. This is how Utah native Katie Murdock makes her living, and she does it in Las Vegas of all places. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Katie isn't trying to fool anyone. “I usually tell them I’m not Britney, but sometimes I do go along with it because I don’t want to break it to them — because they’re so excited." We hope she can fool the judges!

Clash of the Cover Bands premieres Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 9:30 p.m. EST only on E!

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