Summer School Tour 2026: Honey Revenge, Winona Fighter, Games We Play, South Arcade
- Phantom Light Media
- Jul 27
- 5 min read
School was back in session for Seattle this past Wednesday, July 22nd, as Idobi Radio's Summer School Tour hit Showbox Sodo. It was the second to last date of Junior year for the tour and happened to fall on the same exact day they came through Seattle for Sophomore year in 2025. This tour has an extremely special place in my heart as it is where I got to see my favorite band for the first time. I have been lucky enough to catch it every year so far, and usually attend multiple shows because the lineup is always so stacked. Seattle was HOT this week, with temperatures nearing 100 degrees, so I was nervous it was going to be way too hot in the venue. Luckily they had the AC going to keep the busy crowd as cool as possible while they danced, moshed, and crowd surfed.
Something very cool about the tour this year is that they had a different local band from each city opening the shows every night. Our opener was Seattle band Foxcult, a favorite among the local music scene. I have known of these guys for a couple years now and was stoked to finally catch them in person. Right before they took the stage, I was talking with one of my favorite security guards and he said to me "I sure hope they have a good intro!" And right on queue, the lights went dark with flashes of blue and they began with "THE GREAT EXPLORER." The security guard immediately yelled "now that's what I'm talking about, hell yeah!" And I agree, it was a great way to start the night. They sounded great and I love that they added a bit of a heavier element to the bill. I was most excited to hear "THE EMERALD GROVE" as that song has been on repeat lately. They then ended the set with "SILICONE DREAM." I look forward to seeing where their future takes them!
Next up was Chase Petra, a band I hadn't heard of prior to the lineup being announced but have grown to really enjoy. Hunter Leigh Allen opened with "Famous," a song about falling into the trap of believing fame will make you whole and recognizing that as untrue. They then played "405" which is my favorite song of theirs and has a similar theme to the prior song. I love the play on Interstate 405 with the song being about the culture of Los Angeles and having lyrics such as "Take that drive up to LA, up that freeway, 405 anxieties." Even though their set was only 5 songs long, they really made those 25 minutes count and I thoroughly enjoyed the set. About halfway through, Hunter paused the music and called out the crowd for not moving enough. She specifically pointed to one fan who looked like they were having the time of their life and told everyone to "shake their ass" like that fan. That really got the crowd moving!
South Arcade took the stage 3rd and put on one hell of a show. They are an English rock band that I've had the pleasure of seeing once before and they certainly did not disappoint either time. Last time I saw them was at El Corazón, so it was very cool to see them command a stage as large as Showbox Sodo (almost 3x the size)! I was so glad to hear "HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER" first in the photo pit because that song has been stuck in my head for probably a month now, and has remained there since the show too. Their lighting was incredible and definitely my favorite lighting of the night. They are so high energy and fun and really know how to get a crowd moving! Vocalist Harmony Cavelle even came down to the barrier at one point to sing with fans. Harry Winks actually got into the crowd and played his guitar with the audience dancing around him. They also played my favorite song of theirs "Superman" which seemed to be a crowd favorite as well! I highly recommend seeing this band whenever they play near you!
Fourth on the lineup was Games We Play, an American pop punk band formed by vocalist Emmyn Callerio in 2016. I first heard of them back in 2019 or so on YouTube and they have really come a long way since then. They opened for Fall Out Boy in 2023/2024 and signed with DCD2 records, owned by Pete Wentz himself, in 2022. They opened their summer school set with one of their most popular songs, "The End." And we even got to hear a new song "Right Place, Wrong Time" which was released on streaming 2 days after the show. Emmyn did a lot of talking and crowd interactions during the set, even bringing up a fan to help play the keyboard during "Silver Lining." They were definitely a crowd favorite, with tons of fans wearing their merch and singing every word. It was a very high energy and fast paced set, which was a great fit for the tour!
Winona Fighter took the stage next and blew me away. I admit that I had high expectations for their set as I had heard from tons of previous attendees that this band ended up being their unexpected favorite of the night. They managed to exceed those expectations, so I absolutely understand the hype now. They were so high energy and fun, I really enjoyed watching them. Vocalist Coco Kinnon was running and jumping all over the stage interacting with other band members and the crowd the whole time. She also got down on the barricade to sing with fans, which I think is always a fun touch to a set. They opened with "R U FAMOUS" and my personal favorite, "Swear To God That I'm (FINE)." I absolutely will be trying to catch this band whenever they are in town, I see huge potential for their future!
Last but certainly not least we got to see Honey Revenge! Formed by Devin Papadol and Donny Lloyd in 2021, this band has come a very long way in the last few years. They were headlining every show this time around which was very cool to see after watching them open the tour during its first year in 2024. I got to see them 3 times that freshman year, making this year my 4th time getting to see them. They always put on such a phenomenal show and I knew this summer would be no different. They are energetic, bouncy, and always have huge smiles on their faces. It's so clear that they absolutely love what they do. We got to hear a mix of older songs like "Recipe For Disaster" and "Airhead" as well as songs off their new album like "Risk" and "Hot Commodity." Their new album "Loving and Losing" comes out on September 18th and I can't wait to hear it. One of my favorite parts of the set was when they brought a fan up on stage to help sing "Are you Impressed?" I absolutely adore this band and am grateful to have had another chance to see them and happy I got to photograph them for the first time. They definitely earned that headlining spot! I also love that they were a huge part of having all those local bands out on the tour as it's always cool seeing musicians supporting each other like that.
The show concluded with members of each band coming out on stage to do a cover of "Life Is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts. It was an incredibly fun way to commemorate the end of the tour. Overall it was yet another successful year for the tour with a very well rounded lineup. I can now say that I look forward to summer school every year and can't wait to see what they do for senior year in 2027!
Photos & Review By: Hailey Hazen
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