_{Words By Joe Metro
Photos By Molly McCoy}

As I prepared for Night 3 of the Velour Summer 2026 Battle of the Bands, I was reminded of something my ASL teacher, Mr. Grant, used to say to me. He would say, “Joe, if you ever go to Night 3 of Velour Summer Battle of the Bands in 2026, don’t forget the music.” I’ve tried my very best to live up to that to this day – and always keep it in my heart.

Red Fox Diner

Red Fox Diner opened up the night. And if it’s been said once, then it’s at least been said twice by this point: Opening the night is one of the hardest things to do. That being said, I loved the band’s opening song. It gave a great garage rock feel. The lead singer has this awesome husky voice, and he played an electric acoustic guitar, which is something I love in grungy rock. Throughout their set, the lead guitarist had some good guitar solos. 

After their first song, they played more into the indie/Provocore space. They were still great songs, but a direction that I wish they hadn’t taken. This may be due to the lead singer’s voice, but the songs reminded me a lot of Jack Johnson.

Lunar Spirit

Lunar Spirit is just a fun band to listen to, and there’s really no other way to put it. It’s obvious they enjoy what they’re doing, and the crowd feels it. Despite having six folks on stage, the band was still able to move and groove. I don’t believe there was a single song that didn’t have the crowd dancing along with the band. The harmonies between the three singers were a treat to hear.

Their sound is a great blend of rock, jazz, and indie. They floated through those genres during their set, all while each song sounded connected to their own sound. During one of their songs, I could have sworn the spirit of Regina Spektor could be felt in Velour that night.

Scarlett Letter

Scarlett Letter embodies what it means to be a punk garage band. They came out of the gate strong with punchy beats and a “Fr*ck You” attitude. The frontman of the band had this to say during their set: “When I was 15, I wrote a lot of angry music. Now I’m 20, and I still write angry music. Point is, maybe anger isn’t such a bad thing.” It’s a great sentiment, and you can feel it in their music. 

One hang-up with fast, punchy punk is playing through your planned set too quickly. Scarlett Letter adapted well and added two extra songs without missing a beat. Scarlett Letter has a lot of potential. They’re a young group with a young bunch of guys. I am very excited to see what more they do, and I’m looking forward to seeing them play again. 

Apollo Junior

I can’t say that I was expecting Technorock last night, but it was a welcome surprise. Apollo Junior has a very fun sound, if a bit unusual. This 5-piece band closed out the night. It was fun to hear the synth and see people get hyped to their songs. The singer has a very fast talk-sing style that got even faster during the last song when he started rapping.

While the talk-sing style was very fun, the lyrics from each song started to blend together. It felt repetitive. I would love to see some diversity in the future so that the talk-singing and the rap can be appreciated even more.

Results

As we know, only one band can win each night. Lunar Spirit took home the victory for the Night 2 qualifier round, and it was no surprise. They were comfortable, they locked in, and they gave a great performance. This season’s battle of the bands is shaping up to be quite interesting. I am excited to see how they match up in the finals. Catch them there on Saturday for finals night!

Night 4 of Velour’s Summer 2026 Battle of the Bands is tonight! Come see Hurry Up And Wait, Melody Reid, Staycation, and T Street. Doors open at 7:30 PM.

While you’re waiting for the show to start, check out “Wild Angel” by Lunar Spirit and follow them on Instagram!