The Slam Dunk Festival 2023 lineup is complete and it’s beautiful!
PVRIS, The Maine, Jxdn, Sueco, Escape The Fate, Teenage Bottlerocket, Scene Queen, Emarosa, LANDMVRKS, Higher Power, Youth Fountain, ZAND, LØLØ, Millie Manders and the Shutup AND The Tyne
They join the already announced Enter Shikari, The Offspring, Billy Talent, Creeper, Trash Boat, Kids In Glass Houses, Fireworks, The Academy Is…, Yellowcard, Four Year Strong, We Came As Romans, Movements, Static Dress and loads more.
Anddddd the stage splits have also dropped! There’s going to be some clashes there!
After a whirlwind summer, it’s time to get excited to see who’ll be playing around the UK in 2023.
This brings us to Slam Dunk Festival which today kicked off a holy hell what the actual fu** responses as they have announced an eye watering 22 bands including run-on shows from The Academy Is as well as Kids In Glass Houses alongside sets from Enter Shikari and The Offspring and loads more.
Enter Shikari The Offspring Billy Talent Four Year Strong Trash Boat Bowling For Soup Less Than Jake Zebrahead Creeper Holding Absence Malevolence Fit For A King SeeYouSpaceCowboy Real Friends Grayscale NOAHFINNCE Destroy Boys Maggie Lindemann Charlotte Sands girlfriends Kids In Glass Houses (‘Smart Casual’ 15 years anniversary celebration) The Academy Is…
Slam Dunk Festival will take play May 2023 on 27th at Hatfield Park and Temple Newsam Park, Leeds on the 28th.
Less than a year has passed since the previous iteration of Slam Dunk Festival and here we are for the third time at the Temple Newsam site since switching from the city centre where just about everything is bigger and better! The stages, the food, the acts, the sound etc. It feels truly amazing to be back without the fear of coughs, covid passes and everything else in-between that would stop us from attending!
Having grown up from my teenage years to university on a steady diet of Pop-Punk, Metalcore and tonnes of more music, it almost feels as if this is a dream today and it feels as if the gap between all the shows in the last few months has passed. Also, this has to be the most diverse lineup I’ve witnessed in a long long time!
Pinkshift
Over on their festival debut, the Baltimore based Pinkshift continue to win over some new faces to the band and I’ll say this, their energy levels didn’t drop by one bit at all. They sounded up to that point in the day, the best out of every single band on the day and they continue to win over every person that watched (including myself) especially with their recently released single ‘Nothing (in my head) which has you losing your mind over that soaring guitar.
Cassyette
Kicking off the heavier side of things is the always incredible, Cassyette, an artist who hasn’t gone unnoticed over the last year and has steadily put out a consistent repertoire of banger after banger. Her oozing her anthemic liveability has the early crowd being thoroughly entertained with her glam rock attitude with her added swagger though… she lives up to the hype.. Being a staple as one to watch could lead her to falter a but but with track such as ‘Sad Summer Girl’, it makes her pleasing to watch and hopefully in a few years time, we’ll see this artist head further up the festival bill.
Yours Truly
Rising Aussie favourites take to the Temple Newsam stage for the second time in as many days, previously on You Me At Six’s 10 Years Of Sin (Sinners Never Sleep Anniversary Shows) it’s clear that they’re fan favourites in the scene at the moment the way everyone’s bouncing on the stage to show that this is Yours Truly’s world, we’re just living in it and proof that they have only gotten better with time, refining their sound over the pandemic. Sadly though production monsters have struck during their set which do plague the performance on the occasion but that doesn’t make things unenjoyable, it makes us want to watch even more.
Meet Me At The Altar
Today there’s someone we’ve been wanting to watch for a while now but sadly their set is plagued by some technical difficulties, especially on their guitar early into their set. After some momentum from May The Odds Be In Your Favour, the sounds are a little disappointing in the rhythm of their set but around their ending, they do show some motivation at what they really can do to make them a good presence where hen they do make their UK return, these problems won’t bring them down, they’ll bring the carnage to their set.
Hot Milk
‘Lets show them how we do it in the north’. says Hannah Mee, leading the charge with Hot Milk as they reach some amazing heights with their Rock Scene stage performance. The band blast through some high octane tracks, the recently released ‘Bad Influence’ as well as their previous title track off EP, ‘I Just Wanna Know What Happens When I’m Dead’with every single piece of energy just dripping from the band, it’s very impressive to say the least. Hot Milk continue to go from strength to strength in the dynamic flow of their back catalogue of tracks and the atmosphere just raises things up ten times of what any band has accomplished so far today.
Magnolia Park
Another international debut, were the social media sensations, Magnolia Park. ’10 for 10′ became this full circle moment for everyone in the crowd because it was one of those songs that when you hear for the first time which has a poignant meaning and the standout on the day of the festival but made them all the more crushing and pleasing to watch. In all honesty they are ballsy to be covering ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’ (as is anyone who chooses to) and they nail it perfectly because of their modern electro-pop blend which fans have become accustomed to. The more I listen to Magnolia Park, the more interesting they become to me not only because they seem to be the future of what the genre has to offer but because when they inevitably make their Slam Dunk return, a bigger stage will be required.
Mod Sun
It’s been a while since the record ‘internet Killed The Rockstar’ dropped and he brought about a new age of Rock to our ears and when the tracks ‘Karma’, ‘Annoying’ and more hit, all you hear is the entire crowd chanting back and screaming the lyrics. What’s more is the amount of time Mod Sun interacts with the crowd, expressing how loved he feels to be there and the entire time, that love is reciprocated. Dedicating the set to his fiancé Avril Lavigne (and even a few rumours of the queen herself being there) the 2021 breakout single ‘Flames’ is one that possibly can be heard across the pond for what is a fantastic set for the first time appearance
Set It Off
It’s been three years since Set IT Off last played in the UK. Postponement after postponement meant that their latest upcoming tour has now been on the back burner for the last few years (thanks to COVID) and this is just the opening salvo of what is to expect when things come about in a few months time. Starting off with ‘Skeleton’ and ‘Projector’ it’s obvious that they’re clear fan favourites already and will continue to stay in their setlist for a good while but that doesn’t mean they won’t bust out their old hits such as ‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’ as well as ‘Why Worry’, there’s more than enough charm to go around, especially with the bands colour coded outfits as well as a You’re Next style bunny mask for their touring guitar player.
As December Falls
Making their return to Slam Dunk Festival (with their previous appearance back in 2018) and after an impressive SOLD OUT headlining run of the UK, British Pop-Punk protégées As December Falls continued to impress with their lovely catalogue of tracks, especially their latest release of ‘Go Away’, we just want more and we will on their upcoming Autumn UK Tour later this year. With the entire set of crowd pleasing tunes fizzing with some personality, the sass manages to cook up more to get the crowd really going and hopefully they’re going to be firm favourites sooner rather than later.
Nova Twins
Now I Feel for Nova Twins, I really do. They’re at the end of the day just about to go on before main headliners Sum 41 but the more you watch from them, the more you’re just in their trance. With the crowd rather drained, the duo powerhouse get the crowd moving again and again to have them reignited to remind them just who the hell they’re watching. The annihilating Riffs and furious tracks make the most of their message and believe me when I say, nexttime they tour, get your butts to a show.
Sum 41
The final band to take to the stage, the kings of the festival today are sounding the absolute best from left to right all over the place, especially with a massive Red Devil looking ominously out into the crowd.
It feels so weird to be listening to tracks such as ‘The Hell Song’, ‘In Too Deep’ and ‘Fat Lip’ but I suppose that’s always the case of people you’ve been listening to for years. They’re always welcome with the favourites in their setlist where you hear the crowd collectively chanting back and a realisation comes to you, this is the community of the entire festival singing back. The setlist is culled from more nostalgia feels of the last 20+ years but they hold up time and time again.
Picking up in between the set, covers of riffs from The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ and Queens ‘We Will Rock You’ feel effortless from my standpoint. The band have always been capable of more, and the set provides it time and time again to bring Slam Dunk Festival 2022 to a triumphant end but if I may say, this is a crowd that wants more and they oozed up every last ounce of what was put out there today.
After the amazing additions to this years Slam Dunk Festival, the lineup has been split into the stages!
Caskets as well as Between You & Me have been added to the lineup as well!
Alexisonfire Beartooth The Used The Amity Affliction Electric Callboy Cancer Bats Silverstein Counterparts Cassyette
Neck Deep The Story So Far The Wonder Years Motion City Soundtrack Knuckle Puck KennyHoopla Hot Milk Meet Me @ The Altar Beauty School
Sum 41 Dropkick Murphys The Interrupters Pennywise Streetlight Manifesto The Vandals Hot Water Music The Bronx The Suicide Machines
Deaf Havana 3OH!3 Stand Atlantic Mod Sun The Summer Set With Confidence Punk Rock Factory Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! Yours Truly Between You & Me
Nova Twins Mom Jeans Spanish Love Songs The Flatliners Hot Mulligan Point North Magnolia Park Lil Lotus As December Falls Pinkshift Bears In Trees MC Lars In Her Own Words SMRTDEATH DeathbyRomy Caskets
Slam Dunk Festival will take place on June 3rd and 4th at Temple Newsam Leeds and Hatfield House respectively.
Slam Dunk Festival has announced more bands to its 2022 lineup! And there’s some big and amazing names on there.
First up are Beartooth! They’re making their return to the Slam Dunk Festival lineup for the first time in five years.
On the announcement, the band says:
“We’re beyond excited to return to Slam Dunk. It’s a killer festival with killer bands and it’s an honor to be a part of the lineup. Like a lot of bands, it’s been years since we’ve been able to play in the UK. I promise we’re gonna do everything in our power to kick major ass. See ya there!”
And also set to play the festival wit Counterparts, 3OH!3, Set It Off, Nova Twins, With Confidence, Magnolia Park and Lil Lotus.
So there’s been a little news on Slam Dunk Festival 2022 concerning one band in particular: The Wonder Years.
Don’t worry they haven’t cancelled or anything they have only announced that they will be playing in full their record, ‘The Upsides’ and ‘Suburbia I’ve given You All And Now I’m Nothing’.
One record will be played in full on each day so ‘The Upsides’ is going to be played on the north day and ‘Suburbia’ on the South date.
Slam Dunk Festival have announced their first bands for the upcoming 2022 festival.
With their first acts announced for next year, there’s plenty to get excited about.
Alexisonfire as well as Rancid have been announced as the first two headliners and joining them are The Used, The Wonder Years, Motion City Soundtrack, Meet Me @ The Altar and Hot Milk.
Slam Dunk Festival will take place on 3rd and 4th June 2022 at Temple Newsam Leeds and Hatfield House respectively.
Super Early Bird tickets are available now until next Thursday September 30th.
Early Bird Tickets will go on sale next Friday 1st October at 9am until December 31st.
General Admission tickets will be on sale from January 1st 2022.
Wow. Slam Dunk Festival is done and dusted for the first time in two years after a few pushbacks but it finally happened! We’ll get to the actual review of things in another post because there was just so much emotion on the day, I’m still finding the words for it all.
But now, there’s a question of what’s next for the bands that played the festival less than a week ago? That’s what this series of posts is for! We’re going band by band to see where and when in the UK they’re going to play next as well as any music they’ve released recently.
The Bottom Line.
Slaying the Main Stage for the first time ever at the festival and with the latest tracks ‘Long Time Coming’ as well as ‘Broke’, the bands stock is at an all time high and will continue to rise!
In the last few days the quartet released the details of what will be the bands only headlining show for 2021 which will take play on October 10th at The Camden Assembly in London.
Roam
The Eastbourne quartet had a hell of a time with all the crowd surfers as the second band to take centre stage this year. Let’s just say they know how to put on a show!
At the time of writing, currently there’s been no announcements of any upcoming tours or music but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an announcement soon and if there’s any new music going, it’ll be pretty good to say the least!
HelloGoodbye
After setting off the Main Stage to some well received applause, the festival faves are set to tour the US up until the second half of October. In addition there’s been no word of new music but the latest release came in the form of the 2020 single, ‘God Only Knows’.
As It Is
Wherever you turn, As It Is seem to be up to something, whether it’s a show, Music Video or a new music release.
Just in time for Slam Dunk this year, they managed to do two of those things playing warm up shows in Brighton and Swansea which I heard were absolute carnage! Also, they dropped the double headed ‘ILY, How Are You? / IDC, I Can’t Take It”.
So I guess that could possibly mean a new record is on the way? I’ll let everyone know if and when that information becomes available but there is a new music video coming later today at 3:45PM!
As for touring news, there is none announced in the near future but if their activity is anything to go by, I’d assume maybe something soon? I’ve got my fingers crossed for that one!
Creeper
Another British band with a lot on their plate is the ever fantastic Creeper. With their latest record ‘American Noir’ which dropped earlier in the year providing a fair bit of new material, they’re keen to get everything out in the live show format with their upcoming December 2021 run of shows set to go off in amazing fashion which will act as a sort of Slam Dunk Festival 2021 reunion with Holding Absence, Wargasm and Static Dress all set for support slots on the tour.
Here’s the dates.
December 2021
15th – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
16th – Concorde 2, Brighton – SOLD OUT
17th – O2 Institute, Birmingham – SOLD OUT
19th – Garage, Glasgow – SOLD OUT
20th – O2 Ritz, Manchester – SOLD OUT
21st – Stylus, Leeds
We Are The In Crowd
After six years since their last UK show, it was emotional to say the least to be watching We Are The In Crowd once again. With that being said will we ever see them again? The short answer is we’re not sure.
As far as anyone knows, this is the last time we’ll see the band as they are because there’s no new music, tour dates or announcements posted and their socials are a little bleak. However they did post a message to their Instagram account which you can view below.
Another band who absolutely got the crowd going were the ever impressive Mayday Parade.
With the band releasing ‘Bad At Love’ last month in time for the festival shenanigans, there was plenty to be buzzed about for this bands set.
At the moment, they’re on tour with Microwave until the end of the month with some other dates sprinkled
State Champs
just announced uk tour
Right so these US faves have been all over the place at the moment! They’ve released two new tracks, ‘Just Sound’ & ‘Outta My Head’ to rave reviews from fans where they did perform both tracks at the festival!
Just after the festival wrapped, literally less than twenty four hours after the conclusion of the Hatfield date, they announced they’re coming back in 2022!
Here are the dates below!
May 2022
8th – Marble Factory, Bristol
9th – Engine Rooms, Southampton
11th – Electric Ballroom, London
12th – Electric Ballroom, London
14th – SWG3 Galvenisers, Glasgow
15th – Ritz, Manchester
17th -Beckett Students Union, Leeds
18th – Institute, Birmingham
Waterparks
Hitting up the UK because we just love them so much, Waterparks had to come across to cover Leeds and Reading after a few of the bands had to drop out due to Covid-19 restrictions. That meant they had plenty of warm ups (including a SOLD OUT Key Club show in Leeds) before being the penultimate band to play at this years SDF.
Now the trio have got a lot of shows before they make their way back to the UK for their rescheduled dates for 2022 in June of next year and there’s a lot!
But nevertheless, here’s their rescheduled dates you’ll be waiting for.
June 2022
17th – O2 Academy, Leeds
18th – O2 Academy, Manchester
19th – O2 Academy, Glasgow
21st – Rock City, Nottingham
22nd – O2 Brixton Academy, London
23rd – O2 Academy, Bristol
25th – O2 Academy, Birmingham
uk 2022
Don Broco
Main Stage headliners Don Broco put on a huge display at the closing of both dates of this years festival and currently have a new record on its way!
Sadly their upcoming record, ‘Amazing Things’ got pushed back to October 22nd but it’s going to happen!
Now this means the in-store signings have been pushed back and will be rescheduled but the dates haven’t been confirmed as of yet.
The bands full statement can be read below.
“Hey guys, we’ve got some important news to share with you regarding the upcoming release of our album ‘Amazing Things’. We’ve been told this week that due to Covid related vinyl delays, we have no choice but to delay the release date to 22 October.
We want everyone to be able to experience ‘Amazing Things’ all at the same time and are gutted we have to wait a little longer, but promise it’s going to be worth it. Thank you so much to everyone who’s pre-ordered the album so far.
Unfortunately, this means our in-store signings at HMV won’t go ahead. We understand that HMV will be in contact directly with any fans who were planning to come. Our Banquet Records show at Pryzm in Kingston will be rescheduled, news to follow.
This has even us the opportunity to restock some of the sold out and low stock vinyl variants, including the Manchester Super Reds special edition back on our store now. Thanks so much for your understanding & super watch out for the Uber video coming this week x”
The band are set to tour their upcoming record this October / November as well for a run of headlining shows plus they will be taking tot he stage at Esquires in Before on November 23rd with all the proceeds going straight to the venue to help with their support.
Here are the tour dates for Don Broco:
October 2021
O2 Academy, Newcastle
27th – Barrowlands, Glasgow
28th – Academy, Manchester
29th – Academy, Manchester
31st – Guildhall, Portsmouth
November 2021
1st – Rock City, Nottingham
2nd – Rock City, Nottingham
4th – UEA, Norwich
5th – O2 Academy Brixton, London
6th – O2 Academy, Brixton
23rd – Esquires, Bedford
Until next time Slam Dunk Festival which is set to take play in June of 2022.
So Slam Dunk Festival got moved around a handful of times and nearly didn’t happen but our prayers were answered and everything got to happen as scheduled!
They came out on top but they ultimately had to lose a number of bands due to covid restrictions but…. do we really need to complain? The show went on at both dates in Leeds and Hatfield as scheduled!
The day was in a nutshell, inspiring, exhilarating and emotional to say the least where in fact for some bands for the first time since the pandemic began to a fully live audience!
Okay so firstly just getting there, everything ran without a hitch. With the coach service to the festival running more smoothly everything was off to a good start.
When the floodgates opened shall we say…. there was just an absolute collective rush of energy which had been building for the last eighteen months. People running off to get their spot for their favourite bands, such. sight!
So after the little work of figuring out who to go see, first up on the day was The Key Club stage with For You The Moon. The newcomers to the scene did get people going, even if they were on the softer side of things for the day but it made me all the more hungry to want more from them. Speeding over to the Jägermeister stage for the the end of Blood Youth, you could feel the energy in the pits as well as the emotion for what was would be what was frontman Kaya Tarsus’s last show with the band. Who can blame them for a YOKRSHIRE chant? What I was quite surprised by was how full that crowd was because I don’t think the tent was less than half full for a single band on the day! Way to show your support people!
Shifting across back to The Key Club Stage for the The Hara, this was a band full of energy and genuine craziness.They’re one band on the day which just gave me everything I wanted and more which fed in well over to Doll Skin, with some powerful tracks at their disposal and one performance that is simple but it works so well, with a few acrobatics on it as well. Leading into the special guests which were… (drumroll please) MCFLY! Quite a few people were surprised to say the least but I found myself quite shocked at how heavy they sounded considering they’re quite a more pop orientated band. But realistically, they have to book McBusted for next year right?? It’s the only logical option.
After a little food and watching As It Is from the grass on the Rock Scene Stage I did manage to catch Creeper where they prove just how far they’ve come over the years. Last time they set the festival alight and they’re carrying on that trajectory and I give it maybe five years or so and they could be potential headliners to the whole thing.
Moving back over for The Key Club stage in Static Dress, I do have to say they were a little disappointing not really hitting the mark because of technical difficulties plaguing their set where they compensated with the amount of energy from frontman Olli Appleyard.
It was from this point, I ran into a few problems. The first was being for Funeral For A Friend as well as Trash Boat because I honestly couldn’t get into the Jägermeister Stage! Now it’s amazing to see that there was so many people off to watch them but I don’t think the festival organisers were anticipated the crowd. Nevertheless, I managed to hear a few tracks while I was talking to one or two people and honestly, it was exquisite.
Heading across for the highlight of the festival over to the Rock Scene Stage (even though they were plagued by twenty minutes of technical difficulties) and making their first appearance of a band for six years were We Are The In Crowd. Now I’m not going to lie, thirty seconds into their set, I was nearly in tears, mainly because it felt so good to have this band back, and also because they opened with The Best Thing (That Never Happened) and that song is just so great to listen to.
Now, moving back quickly for the last of Wargasm as well as Lizzy Farrall over on The Key Club stage, there was plenty of energy about again where the terrible twosome of vocals for Wargasm were nothing short of amusing yet amazing. There’s something always so atmospherically charged when they take to the stage and oh so amazing to watch where I’m pretty sure there was a music-gasm during their set but we’ll let the audience decide on that one..
Now onto Lizzy Farrall, one of the festival veterans having played multiple times where previously the artist has only played acoustically here but with her full band debut it’s always so utterly fantastic to watch her play. It feels as if the release of her record ‘Bruise’ really stepped up her game where her sass and banter just come out in full force.
Moving across back to the Rock Scene Stage for State Champs, I wasn’t sure what to expect really but for them the performance was just effortless. They got into the swing of things so quickly and had people up and down as if it was too easy for them. with he added tracks to their catalogue of ‘Just Sound’ and ‘Outta My Head’, these only helped strengthen the emotion of their set just in time for some crowdsurfing.
Rushing back across to The Key Club Stage for the last few tracks in Normandie’s set, the Sweedish band show you they show you why they deserve your attention. Fans will know their music is a lot of build and not just rise and fall where the vocals of Phillip Strand just add to the experience of what you’re witnessing.
Last up on The Key Club Stage were Holding Absence, the Welsh protégées who’ve refined their sound into what Post-hardcore is and when ‘Celebration Song’ hit all I heard was people going absolutely crazy for them and possibly a few pits, I’m fifty-fifty on what I saw there. Nevertheless, their performance showcased the melodic genius of their latest record, ‘The Greatest Mistake Of My Life’ which is uplifted byhow much love they’re getting from the crowd that’s come to watch.
Don Broco were the last band of mine to watch on the day and honestly, one I was looking forward to the most where it’s safe to say that I didn’t leave disappointed with the band putting out some variety across their now lengthy catalogue of tracks. With the production of their set, no expense was too little with laser displays as well as pyro sparking up, and even the inclusion of Waterparks’ Awsten Knight and While She Sleeps’ Loz Taylor joining the band on stage for the UK live debut of Action. Some tracks you just wish you could see live again because as you hear it in another way it stays with you and that’s exactly what the band did with Automatic, Technology and more.
Despite the technical difficulties through the day, it felt so good to be back at Temple Newsman and now next year, hopefully some of the bands which had to pull out can make it back and we can watch in full force with more madness!
Don’t forget check out the pics I took from the crowds below!
Hello everyone! How are you all enjoying festival season? We’ve got it back in our grasp now within the UK. We’ve had the Download Pilot, Bloodstock as well as Reading & Leeds but now, we have Slam Dunk Festival!
Taking place first at Temple Newsam in Leeds then at Hatfield Park, there’s some fantastic bands set to play the two day event!
With all the changes that have happened due to international restriction, I bet you’re wondering who there is to check out! We’ll here’s Almost Anythings top four picks for the lineup!
The Bottom Line – Rock Scene Stage
Okay, this band have been nothing short of amazing this year. With their sound solidified with their huge new tracks, ‘Long Time Coming’ as well as ‘Reasons’, the band feel they’ve brought something amazing to just what the UK scene needs right now and they’ll be sure to have as much crowdsurfing as possible as they’re one of the first bands to play on the day.
Static Dress – The Key Club Stage
With their visual style quite unlike anything I’ve scene over the last few years, the noise grunge outfit is one I’ve been dying to watch live for a while now. If you haven’t been able to check out their support slots on their recent run with Boston Manor, it’s as if you’ve got quite the pairing there.
We Are The In Crowd – Rock Scene Stage
We may be a little bit biased here but it’s safe to say the UK has missed these Pop-Rock mainstays in the last few years since the announcement of their hiatus (if you don’t count the shows from 2019 where vocalist Tay Jardine brought her solo project SAINTE over for a few shows) but nevertheless, this will be one to watch even if it is just for the nostalgia.
Loathe – Jagermeister Stage
I thought I’d save the best for last on this list. Loathe have been making quite the name for themselves from their 2020 record, ‘I Let It It In And It Took Everything’, to their latest release, ‘In Awe’ but from my perspective, they always seem to be one of the more underrated bands on people’s radar when they’re a crushing and powerful force to be reckoned with. Be sure to catch them because they will be blowing up soon.
Slam Dunk Festival 202 is taking place on September 4th & 5th 2021 at Temple Newsam Leeds and Hatfield Park.
Tickets are still available for the days via the following link.
Almost Anything Music 