This is Tour Diary, where artists give us a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road. At the top of the year, we called South Arcade a band to watch for their intriguing blend of Y2K mallcore, which owes as much to Avril Lavigne as to Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit. (They even named their 2024 debut EP 2005, and their look isn’t unlike Deftones in the pages of AP in the early 2000s.) However, the Oxford up-and-comers don’t just saturate their sound in nostalgia — South Arcade pay homage while guiding their songs into a glitchy, punched-up space with its own message, where they can connect with people discovering this type of music for the first time. It’s led to supporting Magnolia Park, Bilmuri, and 5 Seconds of Summer on tour in recent years — all before releasing a proper album.
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Back in June, South Arcade hopped on the road with Honey Revenge — kindred spirits who ground themselves in vibrant pop rock. The band took us through some of the highlights, from being gifted a fan-made cowboy hat in Texas to backstage hangs with Emmyn Calleiro of Games We Play.
Line check done in Orlando, Florida. / Kelsey Runge
Harry and Emmyn (Games We Play) discussing the intricacies of the England vs. Norway World Cup game. / Kelsey Runge
Cody repping his Affliction x South Arcade collab layered tee in Salt Lake City. / Kelsey Runge
Ollie and Harry lost a bet in Minneapolis and had to wear bikinis onstage (thanks Harmony). / Kelsey Runge
Harry and Emmyn debating their favorite chords (we only know power chords, don’t tell Games We Play). / Kelsey Runge
Harmony broke her ankle two-thirds of the way into the tour (instead of jumping, she had to intensely hop). / Kelsey Runge
Hottest day of the tour in Dallas feat. Harmony living her best life (she loves the heat). / Kelsey Runge
Houston, Texas where Cody was gifted his treasured cowboy hat. / Kelsey Runge
Cody can’t stop showing everybody his hat. / Kelsey Runge
Ollie prepping his LA bass backstage. / Kelsey Runge
The boys getting their mew on before going on. / Kelsey Runge
Harmony in one of her fav Affliction bikini tops (other than our collab one, of course). / Kelsey Runge
