3 Bands You Don’t Want to Miss on VANS WARPED TOUR’s Owly.fm Stage

Summer is here and so is Vans Warped Tour! With this summer bringing the last full cross-country tour to the US, it’s no surprise to see dates selling out early. While trying to beat my personal single day Warped Tour band viewing record and making frequent stops at the Cool Gear Hydration Station tent for free water, I spent the day (June 24) running around the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA scoping out as many sets as possible. Though the owly.fm stage is one of the smaller ones travelling with the tour, it packs in a ton of talent. Here are three bands tearing up the stage this summer that you won’t want to miss!

01. Don Broco (Bedford, England)
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– I checked out this set on a whim after hearing good things about them from a friend. Where did Don Broco come from and how did I miss out on them until now?!? They have a unique sound that is unlike anyone else on this year’s tour. I gave them a listen before catching their set in Mountain View and though it felt slightly strange to experience some of their darker material in bright daylight, their performance far exceeded what I envisioned. They gave 100% for the entire set and didn’t slow down. I for sure won’t be missing the next show they put on in my area. Sure, you can find them on Spotify and iTunes, but there’s nothing like experiencing them live – so do yourself the favor and check them out this summer.

Peep our full gallery of all three bands tearing up the owly.fm stage on June 24th.

02. Makeout (Providence, RI)
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– These guys have a special place in my heart because they come from the East Coast! Having just moved to California from Boston, I was really excited to see a band local to New England on the other side of the country. With Mountain View being one of the California locations to sell out before the day of the show, staff had some issues getting the crowd into the venue first thing in the morning. Makeout dove into their first song as scheduled but were quickly cut off when instructions were delivered noting that all stages were being put on hold in order to give more people an opportunity to make it in the doors.

Though I’m not a musician, I bet it can be hard to bounce between the pumped-up-lets-go performance mode to having to wait around for an undetermined amount of time. But as soon as the go-ahead to continue was given, Makeout didn’t hesitate to jump right back in as if there hadn’t been a hiccup. Props to this crew for not losing any energy! And even with reports of the line to get in running past noon, tons of people showed up to see Makeout as their first set of the day. They are on the full tour for a reason! There was even a T-Rex in the crowd. Take the T-Rex’s lead!

03. Picturesque (Lexington, KY)
Links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

– I’ve been hearing a lot about Picturesque over the last year, but this was the first time I got to see them live. For those who aren’t familiar with them, they are a rock band from Lexington, Kentucky that you’re bound to enjoy if you like Too Close To Touch or Hands Like Houses. Even in the California heat, Kyle Hollis’ vocals were on point and the group delivered a powerful, high energy performance from the first note to the last.

Remaining Warped Tour Dates:

06/30 – Salt Lake City, UT
07/01 – Denver, CO
07/03 – St. Louis, MO
07/05 – Bonner Springs, KS
07/06 – Dallas, TX
07/07 – San Antonio, TX
07/08 – Houston, TX
07/10 – Nashville, TN
07/12 – Virginia Beach, VA
07/13 – Camden, NJ
07/14 – Holmdel, NJ
07/15 – Hartford, CT
07/16 – Pittsburgh, PA
07/17 – Toronto, ON
07/18 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
07/19 – Cincinnati, OH
07/20 – Detroit, MI
07/21 – Chicago, IL
07/22 – Minneapolis, MN
07/23 – Milwaukee, WI
07/24 – Indianapolis, IN
07/25 – Darien Center, NY
07/26 – Scranton, PA
07/27 – Mansfield, MA
07/28 – Wantagh, NY
07/29 – Columbia, MD
07/30 – Charlotte, NC
07/31 – Atlanta, GA
08/02 – Jacksonville, FL
08/03 – Orlando, FL
08/04 – Tampa, FL
08/05 – West Palm Beach, FL