11 bands you gotta see at Warped Tour this summer

'Tis the season — for the annual Vans Warped Tour to hit a town near you, of course. The beauty of the largest-traveling music festival in the United States is its diversity: The lineup is always a well-balanced blend of veteran bands who use it as an opportunity to go on a very familiar vacation, and fresh, up-and-coming rookies that see this as the perfect networking opportunity to kickstart their careers. We put together a list of our favorite bands to see at this year's Vans Warped Tour. 

READ MORE: 12 musicians share their biggest Warped Tour disasters

BAD COP/BAD COP
FACEBOOK: badcopbadcopband
TWITTER: @bcbcmusic
CHECK OUT: Warriors (FAT WRECK)

These SoCal grrlz put the “harm” in harmony and rock so hard, they will pummel you senseless right before slitting your pants under the pockets to get to your wallets and spare change faster. Wise up, suckers; you’ve got no place better to be when Bad Cop/Bad Cop turn up and throw down. —Jason Pettigrew

BOSTON MANOR
FACEBOOK: bostonmanoruk
TWITTER: @BSTNMNR
CHECK OUT: Be Nothing (PURE NOISE)

Originally from Blackpool, U.K., these emo rockers have already toured with your faves in Moose Blood, Like Pacific and Four Year Strong. With a dynamic stage show and a new album of moody, in-your-face tunes, you have no excuse to miss these guys. —Mackenzie Hall

CKY
FACEBOOK: ckyalliance
TWITTER: @ckymusic
CHECK OUT: The Phoenix (EONE)

If this is your first year attending Warped, chances are you've never heard of CKY—all the more reason to check them out! Combining elements of metal, skate-punk and a slew of other genres, CKY never fail to give a dangerously wild live performance (watch the various episodes of MTV's Viva La Bam that the group starred in for proof). Look, if you like any of the musical genres that Warped spans and can handle a rowdy pit, CKY will be a staple for your day at Warped 2017. —Anthony Lauletta

WILLIAM CONTROL
FACEBOOK: williamcontrolofficial
TWITTER: @williamcontrol
CHECK OUT: Revelations (The Black EP) (CONTROL RECORDS)

William Control logged plenty of Warped road miles during his years fronting punk/metal hellions Aiden. These days, he’s traded the mosh pit for the dance floor, having reinvented himself as an electronics-laden goth-pop bard and bringing his compelling works to create Warped’s first-ever “goth summer.” Pack your SPF 500 sunblock and get back to black. —Jason Pettigrew

COUNTERPARTS
FACEBOOK: counterpartsband
TWITTER: @counterparts905
CHECK OUT: Tragedy Will Find Us (PURE NOISE)

With a (semi-) fresh lineup, Counterparts have a new, ramped-up, never-before-seen energy. Rev up those fidget spinners and jam their most recent release, Tragedy Will Find Us, to get ready for some serious pitting for these Warped newbies. —Tyler McFadden

FUTURISTIC
FACEBOOK: FuturisticIHadToDoIt
TWITTER: @OnlyFuturistic
CHECK OUT: Happy Dance (WE’RE THE FUTURE)

High energy hip-hop artist Futuristic’s ’lectric performances are a must-see this year. His breakout song “The Greatest” has over 20 million YouTube views, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. And if you’re trying to keep count on how many words he can rap in a minute, we counted, and it’s a lot. Trust us. —Amber Funk

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THE GOSPEL YOUTH
FACEBOOK: thegospelyouth
TWITTER: @TheGospelYouth
CHECK OUT: The Miles We Are Apart (VELOCITY/RISE)

The most exciting thing about the Gospel Youth’s stint on this summer’s tour is that it will be the first time us Yankees can see them perform live! These emerging Brighton pop-rockers have a DIY mentality as well as soulful tunes that should find them feeling right at home on Warped Tour. —Rabab Al-Sharif

GWAR
FACEBOOK: GWAR
TWITTER: @GWARofficial
CHECK OUT: Battle Maximus (METAL BLADE)

Purportedly thawed in the late ’80s from a glacier in Antarctica, GWAR have mixed heavy-metal thunder and mutant neanderthalism in a theatrical spectacle of blood and rock like no other. Wear white clothes and get as close as possible to the front of their Warped stage. —Stevie James

SILVERSTEIN
FACEBOOK: silversteinmusic
TWITTER: @silverstein
CHECK OUT: Dead Reflection (RISE)

Come on, it’s Silverstein. You’d be remiss to pass up this post-hardcore/emo five-some. And if you grew up listening to them in the early ’00s, even better—because who doesn’t love getting hit with a major wave of nostalgia in the dead heat of summer? Here’s hoping they play “My Heroine.” —Kristine Cannon

TROPHY EYES
FACEBOOK: trophyeyesmusic
TWITTER: @trophyeyesmusic
CHECK OUT: Chemical Miracle (HOPELESS)

Equipped with a sound debut album, Hopeless Records darlings Trophy Eyes are five Australians ready to acquaint their melodic, emo-infused punk with an eager new audience on their first Warped Tour jaunt. —Caitlyn Ralph

BLESSTHEFALL
FACEBOOK: blessthefall
TWITTER: @blessthefall
CHECK OUT: To Those Left Behind (Fearless)

With several Warped Tours under their belt, the blessthefall guys have come a long way since their first one in 2007, when they only had a handful of songs. Now, working on their sixth album, these veterans know the ropes of this punk rock summer camp. They’re currently defending their Warped Tour bowling championship belt. —Piotr Brozyna

Jam out to these bands with us at a Warped Tour near you! Get tickets here. 

7/6 – Charlotte, NC
7/7 – Philadelphia, PA
7/8 – Long Island, NY
7/9 – Hartford, CT
7/10 – Scranton, PA
7/11 – Virginia Beach, VA
7/12 – Boston, MA
7/13 – Buffalo, NY
7/14 – Pittsburgh, PA
7/15 – Holmdel, NJ
7/16 – Washington, DC
7/18 – Cleveland, OH
7/19 – Cincinnati, OH
7/20 – Indianapolis, IN
7/21 – Detroit, MI
7/22 – Chicago, IL
7/23 – Minneapolis, MN
7/24 – Milwaukee, WI
7/26 – St. Louis, MO
7/28 – Dallas, TX
7/29 – San Antonia, TX
7/30 – Houston, TX
8/4 – San Francisco, CA
8/5 – San Diego, CA
8/6 – Los Angeles, CA