Velour Summer 2026 Battle of the Bands – Finals

Lunar Spirit

If it’s been said once, then it’s definitely been said every night this week: being the opening band at this competition is one of the hardest things to do.

But not for Lunar Spirit. Ho. Lee. Smokes. They made it look easy.

They came out the gate with a SOLID performance of “Wild Angel.” I’m a huge fan of this recording, and their live performance of this thing blew my socks off. Absolutely phenomenal 3-part harmony over one of the catchiest melodic hooks I’ve heard from the scene recently. The bass and drums were locked, and the energy was so infectious everyone was spontaneously cheering during climactic moments of the piece.

They followed this up with a soulful retro ballad, which was a bold choice so early in the set. It didn’t quite carry the momentum forward, but the harmonies were so good nobody cared. They then followed this up with some good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll. Lunar Spirit really feels like a modern revival of female-fronted 70s rock, and they do it so, so well. They’re a little folky, a little groovy, a little edgy, a little witchy, and they’re really good at mouth trumpet for some reason. It’s such a vibe.

You have to come to a Lunar Spirit show. I mean it. You have to. I’m sorry. I don’t make the rules.

The Midnite Judges

I don’t care where you slot The Midnite Judges in a show – they will always cause genre whiplash. It was really, really funny to see eyebrows raise and jaws drop from older members of the audience when they kicked off their set. These guys are punk to the core, and they offend sensibilities in the best way.

One thing I really appreciated about their set tonight is that everything was more polished and dialed in than their preliminaries night. The high end frequencies were tamed quite a bit, which made their distortion a lot more pleasant and palatable (though they still poked out on a song or two). The antics were even more theatrical, and the gavel smack when they announced that court was in session was SO satisfying. Their keyboard player also adopted these spooky, jerky movements – like a malfunctioning wind up doll – and it really elevated things.

Very few – and I mean VERY few – musicians in Utah right now can match the absolutely bonkers theatrics of The Midnite Judges. It has to be seen to be understood. Every time they play, I grin from ear to ear from the sheer audacity. Their last number was my favorite – easily them at their most melodic, dancy, and hooky.

Again, my only note (not even a criticism) is that they are divisive. You’re either going to really, really love them, or really, really hate them. And there’s nothing more punk than that.

JakDel

Michael Luce wasn’t kidding in his review of JakDel’s preliminary performance. “You know that feeling of watching someone way better than you at something you’re kinda good at and instead of being mad or jealous, you’re just in awe? That’s kind of what watching JakDel play is like,” he wrote.

I echo that 100%. I’ve been following JakDel since his earliest single releases, and I’ve gotta say, he’s really coming into his own. Whereas the first releases were kind of meandering singer songwriter releases, his new sound is REALLY dialed in. It pulls on musical threads from LANY, John Mayer, Shawn Mendes, and more. It’s PHENOMENAL pop rock. All the tones, all the moments, all the vocals – it was all expertly delivered. There was still plenty of variety between the songs, but each song was distinct and inhabited its own lane.

I have no notes. I liked it. A lot.

Mortal American Body

The post rock vibes are strong with these guys. If you look up “Tone Wizards” in the dictionary, I’m sure you will find gorgeous band photos of Mortal American Body. Sound in the form of fresh watercolor poured from every inch of these dudes, inducing one of the most peaceful and emotional spontaneous crowdsurfing moments I’ve ever watched.

Their vocalist has a really passionate, brassy baritone delivery – reminiscent of The National, stellastarr*, and Editors, three of my favorites. He’s also got a wickedly impressive dirty vocal. Dude knows how to scream. It’s unlike anything that came from the stage tonight, and he really knows how to work a crowd and command the stage. He’s up there with The Midnite Judges for most charismatic performer of the night.

Process and duration are the bread and butter of Mortal American Body. They’re really good at letting the tones swirl and hang and build tension before suddenly dropping into and doubling down on a groove. The bassist and drummer both play with remarkable restraint, and really shine in these moments when it’s time to rock.

Mortal American Body deserves literally any and all praise that’s sure to come their way in the future.

T Street

These guys present as straightforward rock, but really do a lot to subvert expectations. For example, they executed one of the coolest tempo shifts I’ve heard all week. The moment was the focal point of their second song, and was seriously so unique. You never know what’s about to happen with T Street. Just when you think you do, they introduce a sick new riff, an unexpected build, or a wild guitar solo.

They’re also a perfect example of what earlier writers/judges have been asking for when it comes to innovating on the Provocore sound. I wouldn’t classify these guys as Provocore, but several times during their set they pulled from the rhythmic soli hits the local genre is known for and made it their own. In the organized chaos that is T Street, they co-opted the best elements of what’s hot in the scene right now and made it just one page in their expansive playbook.

Another fun play they ran was everyone on the stage crouching while their guitarist put his guitar in his lap and picked it in an unorthodox manner. Everyone in the crowd spontaneously crouched. The fact that they didn’t tell everyone to “get low” and then use it as a pep rally trick to get everyone to jump made me very, very happy. Instead, they got everyone low to really focus on how the guitar was being played, and then the song just… ended. Classic T Street subversion. It was really refreshing. I’ve never seen that done before.

These guys are a lot of fun. My only criticism is that they weren’t the tightest group of the night. Every now and then the groove got a little loose, and there were a few noticeable instrumental flubs. Tough to see in a night when every point matters. That being said, they’re really, really good. I had so much fun during their set.

Results

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from tonight. The bands were all so sonically disparate and genuinely new to me. I was largely going in blind, and I’m glad it all came together the way it did. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this rejuvenated and excited for the future of the scene. There’s some great stuff cooking.

And the judges agreed. I know we run the risk of sounding like ABC’s The Bachelor when we say, “This was the wildest season yet!” – but seriously, this was the wildest Battle of the Bands yet. It was explained that the judges tied in their scoring. And then the crowd vote tied. And then Velour instituted their third failsafe, and that tied. So, in the end one judge had to choose.

Mortal American Body after winning Velour’s Summer 2026 Battle of the Bands.

And that judge chose Mortal American Body. In honor of how close this competition was, for the first time ever the second place winner was announced, and that went to JakDel.

Velour’s Summer 2026 Battle of the Bands was a wild time, showcasing both dominant musical trends during preliminaries, as well as a finals night that really leaned into the many new sonic directions the scene is going. Now, more than ever, it’s important to support real humans making real art. Make sure to follow each of these bands on Instagram, and check out “Tried My Best” by Mortal American Body below!