Heading to Slam Dunk this weekend? Of course you are! Here are our top picks of who to see to make the most out of your bank holiday bonanza...
Slam Dunk hurtles round the corner faster every year, but that’s not such a bad thing when the line-ups remain so exciting. The twin-site festival is having a celebration as loud and joyful as it deserves for its 20th anniversary this weekend, uniting the best and brightest of punk, emo, metal and hardcore.
What’s especially interesting about this year’s bill is that Slam Dunk is devoting a pair of stages to some of the heaviest acts it’s ever hosted. Main Stage East Left and Main Stage East Right offer a great day in themselves, kicking off with a thunderous one-two of Pest Control and Heriot and ending with uproarious sets from Malevolence and Knocked Loose.
For those after something cheerier and bouncier, there’s a lot to get you salivating. Good Charlotte are returning to headline for the first time since 2018, blasting through their greatest hits and newer cuts from last year’s new album Motel Du Cap. Taking Back Sunday are celebrating 20 years of Louder Now, Sublime are playing in the UK for the first time ever, and Tonight Alive are making a glorious return to Slam Dunk for the first time in almost a decade.
Struggling to piece together your timetable? Let us help…
Last time Knocked Loose pulled up to Slam Dunk in 2019, they were halfway down the poster. Since then, they’ve grown into mainstream-baiting titans while keeping close ties to their roots, and pulling their peers up with them (look at all the guests they brought out at Outbreak last year). Get ready for a victorious, skull-crushing homecoming that might just be the most violent ending to Slam Dunk you ever have.
Wrapped in enigma and philosophical intrigue, PRESIDENT have soared since their Download debut last summer. Their campaign trail has since brought them to stages as huge as O2 Forum Kentish Town and a headline slot at Takedown Festival, and with their new, big glowing cross in tow, Slam Dunk is poised to be plunged deeper into their mysterious world. Dive in and take in the spectacle for yourself.
The devil works hard but unpeople’s booking agent works even harder. The London-based quartet have planted flags at seemingly every UK festival there is and now it’s Slam Dunk’s turn. There’s a reason they’ve been everywhere though, when their chunky anthems laced with everyman angst have such immense feelgood power – especially out in the sun.
When Static Dress last played Slam Dunk, their ex-bassist Conor Reilly was strung up on a cross behind them, shaking his chains. With new album Injury Episode just around the corner, it begs the question, how much bigger could their theatre get? Whatever happens, expect big mosh moments and mascara-stained singalongs.
This year’s Slam Dunk is an absolute feast for moshers and Malevolence are bound to put on a mighty showing as the sky blackens overhead. They’re here to throw down with malicious intent (see what we did there) and flex their new songs from last year’s Where Only The Truth Is Spoken. These guys straight into Knocked Loose could get very silly, but hey – maybe Bryan Garris could run over and warm his voice up with a run-through of Keep Your Distance?
It’s been a minute since Stand Atlantic were last here, and even longer since they last did Slam Dunk, and we’ve rather missed them. As well as all the usual sun-soaked bangers, expect the Aussies’ showing to be big, goofy and full of brilliant wisecracks. Stand Atlantic really are some of the most fun people to have around at a festival.
Would you like possibly the heaviest start to Slam Dunk ever? Pest Control’s Slam Dunk debut will make you want to run through walls before the clock’s even struck noon. Crossover thrash is a new venture for Slam Dunk, but Pest Control’s rapid-fire riffing and party spirit makes them ideal to pop the cork on this year’s event. It’s time to test the pest…
Dead Pony’s songs land like a glitter bomb of colour live. Bringing sass, fun and slicing riffs to the stage, the festival stage is where they shine. With some huge new songs from their fresh EP Eat My Dust! under their belts, they’re guaranteed to go off brilliantly.
Throwing your arms round your mates and belting out Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous is the stuff that fond festival memories are made of. It’s no wonder that Good Charlotte are back to headline Slam Dunk after making their debut eight years ago, promising summery energy, an injection of nostalgia and huge grins across the board.
Siege lords or mosh lords? Heriot are both. They broke new ground for Slam Dunk in terms of sheer heaviness when they were first booked to play in 2023, and three years on, Swindon-via-Birmingham bruisers are leaner, meaner and with a bigger arsenal of songs to their name. Running from Pest Control to this lot straight after is a surefire way to get your blood pumping all day.
Manchester wrecking crew Guilt Trip are revving the engine on a huge year ahead of new album Armour Of Angels dropping in early June. Slam Dunk is where it all starts, with the quintet getting to break in some inevitably monstrous new tunes. Bring your mosh shorts…
It’s no wonder Taking Back Sunday are Slam Dunk veterans when the festival and their seminal album Louder Now share an anniversary. They’re jumping back to 2006 for what will be a shirt-tugging celebration of the big hitters and beloved deep cuts that brought them two decades’ worth of success. MakeDamnSure to be there...
Bury Tomorrow can certainly put fire in your veins with their scorching metalcore anthems, but they also create moments for collectivity, hope and connection. At Slam Dunk, they’re back not just to keep the party’s motor running but to assert themselves as both a dominant force and people’s heroes.
The UK’s starting to fall in love with Dying Wish. Between their jaw-dropping turn on Malevolence’s tour last year and a coveted slot on Bring Me The Horizon’s Count Your Blessings shows in July, their immense power live is getting the applause it deserves. At Slam Dunk, they’re swinging hard with emotion, devastation and beautiful brutality. Don’t miss it.
God, it’s been a long time since Tonight Alive graced our shores. In fact, they’ve not been here since 2018. The Aussies’ live comeback will inevitably be a massive draw this year, as Jenna McDougall and co. roll it back to the mid-2010s with their soul-searching emo. Somewhere along the way, they’ll bring a splash of spiritual enlightenment. This one’s going to be special.
Slam Dunk takes place May 23 and 24 in Hatfield and Leeds. Get your tickets now.
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