There is nothing better than losing your shit for a skate pop punk band in 2026. At least, that was my experience at Vans Warped Tour from the VIP terrace hanging above the Ghost stage. Bearings has been around for around 10 years, but this was mine, and much of the crowd’s, introduction to these scrappy Ottawa punks. Though they did have some super fans pressed up against the barrier, screaming all of the words. The group remided me of old PUP, and don’t say that lightly. I used to love PUP.
But Bearings has that clean and crisp, perfected stadium pop punk sound that is easy to digest at max volume. Hearing and watching them tear through older tracks and newer ones from last year’s Comfort Company was punky bliss.
It felt like a proper Warped Tour, or at least what I imagined, experience—the band bouncing around the stage with reckless abandon while skate videos played in sepia VHS tint on the backdrop screen. This is what it’s all about. The only thing that would have made it better was having another half-pipe (the only one was in front of the main stage). Honestly, if Warped Tour continues, those old nostalgic bands will fade, but newer-ish groups like Bearings are ready to have their day in the sun.
