Freshman 5: Top Five Artists New to Warped
Warped Tour ’26 is around the corner and while it’s amazing to be able to see so many bands over the weekend, it’s just physically impossible to experience all of them. At least until cloning, time travel, or time-travelling clones are invented. Until then, Vans™ Warped Tour’s DC stop alone has over 100 bands playing across multiple stages, with different bands appearing on different days.
That’s before we even get into the Unplugged stage with a graffiti wall and more personal feeling acts on a smaller stage, the artists alley for band merch, or checking out the return of the Warped Tour half-pipe where pro and amateur extreme sports enthusiasts will be giving the medical tent steady business (wear helmets and pads y’all!).
With only so many hours in the day, and only so many places you can be in at once, here are five Vans Warped Tour newcomers you don’t want to miss!
5. Hoobastank
I remember Hoobastank for having one of the most played to death singles of all time, with “The Reason” not only being on-air for what felt like years; but showing up in movies, tv shows, and AMVs whenever the director needed a sad sounding song and they felt “How to Save a Life” was overplayed.
You, however, might know them more recently as the band that collaborated with Sega to create the high energy “Fistbump” for the Sonic fursona game “Sonic Forces.” Regardless, Hoobastank is a classic band with enjoyable listens beyond “The Reason” like “Out of Control” and “My Turn.”
The past few years have seen a crop of new pop-punk bands enter the scene using a classic sound. In that category, Super Sometimes is one of the most notable bands alongside The Paradox. A San Diego band influenced by punk staples like Blink-182, you might have already heard some of their hits like “Spork” or “Make Up Stories.”
But as good as their music is, that’s not why I’m recommending them. I’m doing it because Super Sometimes is a band that likes to have fun, as evidenced by their music videos. Goofy fun that often feels less like a band trying to make it, and more like a weekend project with friends; you can expect this kind of energy to transfer into a live performance.
3. HUE
As mentioned previously, Warped Tour this year is going to include an Unplugged Stage featuring artists on a more personal set with a graffiti wall behind them that festival goers can tag when a band’s not in the middle of performing. Joining Vans Warped Tour for the first time on this new stage will be HUE.
Blending RnB with Metal, this band has a truly unheard of sound. Others have described them as having similar sounds to bands like Animals as Leaders but to my ears these heavy soulful tracks like “Home” and especially “Come Over” are unlike anything I’ve heard before. And getting to hear that on the Unplugged set will likely be a treat you don’t want to miss.
While I was researching for this article I had to triple-check that Story of the Year hadn’t played a Warped Tour before. They’re elder emo icons, their sound is on brand with previous acts at Warped, the opening guitar for “Until the Day I Die" is almost as triggering to some as My Chemical Romance’s G note.
But despite all that, this year at DC will be elder emos chance to see Story of the Year for the first time at Warped Tour (somehow). While you can likely expect “Until the Day I Die” (at big festivals like these, older bands like to play their hits) keep an ear out for their newer songs like “Gasoline” and “Disconnected.”
1. Vana
When I started writing this list there wasn’t a moment of doubt that Vana would end up as my number one. If someone holds a gun to your head and says you can only see one act at Warped Tour and they have to be a first-timer, then tell your oddly specific assailant that you’re going to see Vana.
A metal artist from New Zealand, Vana specializes in spectacle and fan/audience interaction. Big flashy lights, gorgeous outfits for her and her bandmates, and a presence that separates Vana from other metal musicians of similar quality. Not to say anything about her own quality, with an incredible vocal range.
I actually got to see Vana in person as well, opening for Set It Off on their Self-Titled tour. The atmosphere she held over the audience during the show was awe inspiring, whether it was getting people to sing along or getting all the women in the audience to bark like dogs (don’t ask). Vana could’ve ordered that audience to do anything that night and not only would they have obeyed, they probably would have marched behind her tour bus to the next stop. Obviously though don’t just take my word for it, be sure to catch Vana and as many of these other great newcomers as you can when Vans Warped Tour’s DC festival starts June 13th.