Seven Hills Music Festival 2026 - The Palladium Outdoors - Worcester, MA. July 11, 2026

Four Year Strong, Silverstein, A Loss for Words, Haywire, One Step Closer, Knuckle Puck, Spaced, Origami Angel, Hard Target, and Worry Club all put on a phenomenal day of sets at the Seven Hills Music Festival at the Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA on July 11, 2026!

Once again, our own, Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto) caught all the action for all of us who couldn’t be there in person!

It’s festival season baby! I wish I wasn’t so busy with my modern life, so I could do them all, but the inaugural Seven Hills Fest in Worcester, Massachusetts on July 11th was a beautiful 1 of 1 (for now) start. Hosted at the iconic Palladium Outdoors, right in downtown Worcester. I love going to shows at the Outdoors; as a 10k cap venue, every show I’ve been to has been a banger with an amazing crowds: x2 Sad Summer Fests, Parkway Drive, the Dropkick Murphys, The Ghost Inside, New Found Glory and others. This was on the second time I’ve ever actually taken photos outside, the first being Sum 41, Simple Plan, and Set it Off (a fucking dream). Bonus was my buddy Nick and his son Paxton joined in for the fun!

Worry CLub

Genre: Indie Pop, Midwest Emo

Worry Club 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

The day was split into two stages, the main stage, and a smaller side stage. It was perfect for the flow of the day, as each band was ready to go once the last note hit from the other stage. Leading the charge for the day was Worry Club, from Chicago. It was 3pm and the sun was bearing down on everyone, but the band started the strong vibes early.

Hard Target

Genre: Hardcore

Hard Target 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Up next was Worcester’s Hard Target. I had taken photos for them once before on the inside of the Palladium, and they gave me a free hat, which was nice. It was cool to see them on another strong bill, and they brought the intensity. Providing their hardcore/metalcore prowess, the really got the crowd moving and initiated the first mosh pits of the day.

Origami angel

Genre: Pop Punk, Midwest Emo, Mathcore

Origami Angel 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Back to the main stage, it was Origami Angel’s turn. Hailing from DC, I believe I’ve taken photos for the Gami Gang before as well, also inside the Palladium. The two-piece, consisting of singer/guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty, they brought banger after banger. The crowd started to fill up at this point in the day, about 2 hours after doors, and you could tell they liked it.

Spaced

Genre: Hardcore

Spaced 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Jumping over to the side stage were Buffalo’s Spaced. I had seen them a few years ago at the Palladium Outdoors during the New Found Glory festival and I remember them absolutely ripping. I was lucky enough to work with vocalist Lexi Reyngoudt last year for one of the New Noise Magazine print issues, so it was really cool to officially meet each other in person. Their stage presence was phenomenal between Reyngoudt’s jumping around and kicking and one of the guitarists constantly jumping.

Knuckle Puck

Genre: Pop Punk, Emo

Knuckle Puck 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Back to the main stage, it was Knuckle Puck’s turn. They are one of my favorite bands and I’ve been lucky enough to take photos I think only once before, but also interview them in the past from one of the outlets I worked for at the time. I knew almost every song and watching vocalist Joe Taylor and his iconic energy bounce around the stage was a dream.

One Step Closer

Genre: Melodic Hardcore, Emo, Shoegaze, Grunge

One Step Closer 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Again to the side stage was One Step Closer, who I’ve also worked with in the past, but at the Webster in Hartford, CT. I remember them being very punchy and fun to watch and that was exactly what happened. Vocalist Ryan Savitski’s intense body movements and kicking and jumping while the mosh pit went absolutely off was just great.

Haywire

Genre: Hardcore Punk

Haywire 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

One of the most anticipated sets of the day was Boston’s Haywire on the main stage. I had heard of them, but never really listened to them but I could tell instantly it was a special set. Not only were the band, especially frontman Austin Sparkman, extremely photogenic, but boy did they put a charge into the crowd. During the first three songs where I’m allowed in the photo pit, he spent most of the time at the barricade, handling all the people surging to him to scream into the mic. It was amazing. Sadly, they said this is their last ever show in the area, but we will see if that’s actually true.

A Loss for Words

Genre: Pop Punk

A Loss For Words 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

The last band on the side stage was the one I was most excited to see, A Loss for Words. Iconic in the scene and one of my favorites since around 2010, it was a dream to be able to take photos for them. I’ve seen them so many times over the years, and met and talked with vocalist Matty Arsenault here and there. He came out wearing a strikingly blue Dennis Rodman Pistons jersey, and just brought the house absolutely down.

Silverstein

Genre: Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, Emo

Silverstein 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Silverstein 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Down to the last two bands of the night, and the reminder on the main stage, Silverstein made their mark. I’ve worked with them twice before, and they do not disappoint. Between watching Shane Told showcase why he is the best in the game, and guitarist Josh Bradford just shredding like there’s no tomorrow, made the entire day worth it.

Four year Strong

Genre: Pop Punk

Four Year Strong 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Four Year Strong 2026 @ The Palladium Outdoors in Worcester, MA. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

Last, but certainly not least, was the reason for everyone being there, hometown heroes Four Year Strong. Undoubtedly the legends of the scene, hit the stage, playing their iconic album Rise of Die Trying, in full, and peppering in other fan favorites from their phenomenal career. Alan Day and Dan O’Connor have built something insanely special with this band and every single person in the crowd lost their minds during the entire set, including myself, who just so happened to get on top of the crowd twice before the end of the night.

A sincere thank you from Dear Untitled to:

The Palladium (Worcester, MA)

Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)

DU On the Road: Seven Hills Music Festival (July 11, 2026)