Honey Revenge (Los Angeles, CA), Winona Fighter (Nashville, TN), Games We Play, South Arcade (Oxford, UK), Chase Petra (Long Beach, CA), Lake Drive (Milwaukee, WI)
July 17th, 2026
Uptown Theater in Minneapolis, MN
Harkening back to the days of Sad Summer Fest, a day festival that I didn’t get to attend but always wished I could have, Idobi Radio put together a tour called Summer School, making it’s stop here in Minneapolis last Friday night at Uptown Theater.
Band included on the billing were Chase Petra, South Arcade, Games We Play, Winona Fighter, and Honey Revenge as headliners. Those last two bands excited me most as I’ve been waiting years to be able to see Honey Revenge in a proper in venue setting, and Winona Fighter well, at all. My first and only other time seeing Honey Revenge was last year at Riot Fest, where I made it a point to get up to barricade for them. It was earlier in the day so we didn’t get that long of a set from them, but what I did see then solidified my wanting to see them at a proper headlining show.
Winona Fighter is a band that my wife initiated myself into. She has a knack of finding bands that I will take to as well, and in this case, I loved their style of pop punk because it reminds me of old Offspring. Pop punk that was very catchy and poppy in it’s melodies, but it has that bite to it that you get with more straight punk or heavier songs or bands. It’s been a couple years since first getting into Winona Fighter, but they quickly earned a top spot of my bands-I-want-to-see list.
There was a little part of me that was agitated by the billing having six bands on it. Maybe I’m showing my age some; normally I would think that’s way too many, but this was one show that I arrived early enough to catch all the bands. Surprisingly enough, too, the show passed my personal checkmark of the night flying by and would have been happy watching pretty much every band play for longer.Props to the touring groups and hands that helped the night go by fast and swimmingly.
There was the littlest feeling of Warped Tour nostalgia throughout this day for me. It had a similar feeling of going in and not knowing what you were going to hear or see, giving them all a good chance and maybe walking away with new interest in a band you never heard of before. Chase Petra and South Arcade were that for me. I was impressed by the response of the crowd for them, they clearly had a good following up here. South Arcade were fun and more my style, reminding me quite a bit of a early Sum 41 style of pop punk, but I did wish that the autotune wasn’t as prominent.
Winona Fighter easily took the night. I had heard many things about how crazy their crowds can get for their shows, and this one was not an exception. I was standing next to the circle pits and mosh pits that would ebb and flow all set, and it was cool to get a first hand experience of how energetic people got for the band. Winona Fighter is the top band that I could have watched another hour of easily. Nine songs were not nearly enough, but I am very happy that I got to see songs like “R U FAMOUS,” “Subaru,” and “Swear to God That I’m (FINE)” live. The former just hits so well in person.
Honey Revenge killed it of course. They did what they were set out to do and closed out the night on a real good high. Crowd was slightly more mellow but that’s okay and to be expected as they aren’t quite as punkish as Winona Fighter. But there was definite pit moments and people going hard in the middle of the crowd. I remember seeing “Habitual” at Riot Fest and the crowd interaction that goes along with that song was a great barometer of how much bigger the band seems to have gotten in the last 9 months or so, with so many yelling out to the parts. Highlight of their set was towards the end, where they played a newer song “Sunday Scaries” and ended with “Are You Impressed?” and “Airhead,” two of the band’s biggest songs. They’re a couple of my favorites and it was a great was to end the night on a high note.
One last thing of quick note, but just as important, one of the things I loved about this night and this tour, is how represented women were. At it’s core, punk music’s ethos is all about inclusion and anti establishment for the betterment of everybody, and every single one of these groups were wonderful stalwarts embodying those values. They’re all newer bands too, having started all this decade, and it makes me proud to have this newer generation of rock bands carry on.
I’m so excited to see where all these bands go, and just see them perform again.
