This year had a line-up that was understandably heavenly to a wide mass of alternative music enjoyers and our day at Slam Dunk South provided an experience that, for the most part, lived up to the high expectations set. Not to say that there weren’t issues that arose; the most notable issues of course, being the Key Club Stage running an entire set behind towards the latter half of the day due to technical complications and some unfortunate incidents of crowd surfers being left to land on their heads. Whilst all being very valid issues that may have left attendees feeling a bit frustrated, they still easily made up for a lot of this with the well thought out festival layout, some particular favourites being the centrally placed and spacious VIP/guest area (this year with a free bag drop off), the variety of food stalls available across both ends of the site that could be easily perused via the app before venturing over and the simply stellar line-up of acts that day. Another hugely positive feature of Slam Dunk is the community that attends, being such a relaxed and accepting one. It was not a festival experience where you’d find yourself raising fists to be close to the stage, nor was it any less of a fun time to be watching from near the back, as people were still putting on their best dance moves. It was overall a day of fostering community with one another to your favourite bands, while getting to have a laugh about crowd surfing mimes and cookie monsters and shedding a few tears whilst sharing meaningful moments with the bands. It was a day of wholesome heaviness for all.
Sweet Pill:
Opening up the day at Main Stage East was a personal favourite, Sweet Pill. Adorned in crimson with darting movements, guitar swings and the flicking red lead of the microphone pumping Yousseff’s rich voice out to the crowd, like blood to the heart. Their immense sound pounded throughout the park and had people waving in throughout their set to catch a moment of their bright melodic strings and hard-hitting vocal performance. They could have been playing to a crowd of 2 or 2000, and their energy would have remained the same because their focus was on delivering each syllable with every ounce of power and passion they had in them- proving to anyone watching that they’re not a band to underestimate. If you missed them, I can attest to the fact that you sorely missed out. However, if you are one of those people who did miss out, lucky for you, they are soon going to be embarking on the last two dates of their UK tour with the outstanding Love Rarely on support, and it’s not too late to grab a ticket if you are nearby.
Keep your eyes on this band.
Kid Bookie:
First on the Key Stage, with a very delayed start due to technical issues, which would unfortunately persist throughout the day, was Kid Bookie. But the second he got on that stage, he had the crowd cheering, with his first words, “let me speak to my people” booming into the tent. Bookie carried an honesty that was inspiring to witness, as he incited a few good laughs with his unfiltered nature and some very meaningful moments with the crowd throughout his set. Such as the moment where he used his time on stage to speak for up trans rights, a free Palestine and about the atrocities happening in the Congo, exclaiming “I don’t say things just to get people to like me” but he says these things for the people out there with a heart beat who deserve to be alive. His seamless transitions between rap and nu-metal headbangers were an interesting genre blend that worked so well for each song. But, with Bookie, he took the genre-bending even further than that, guiding us through slow, clean vocals into complete vocal fries- he is an artist who knows how to make the most of his range, and you could see how exciting this was for many to witness live. He seamlessly made his way through these transitions, even while being unable to hear anything during the performance. We got a fun mix of fan favourites and a song from an upcoming project, to get fans buzzing for new material. You could feel that his only priority was ensuring his fans were getting the best experience possible, as Bookie shouted, “I can’t hear nothing, but as long as this translates to you guys, that’s all that matters”. The three of them on stage had amazing chemistry throughout, making the most of the stage, and from the crowd, it was truly impressive that they didn’t falter once, managing to still sound absolutely seamless. Kid Bookie has certainly come out of that set with some new fans and a lot of respect from his audience.
Dream State:
First of all, a resounding wow here for their ability to get a crowd going. No matter whether you are into their music or not, it can be said with confidence that you would still leave one of their shows smiling and catching your breath. The power they hold over their audience is awe-inspiring, and lead singer Jessie’s ability to run from clean vocals to pure gutturals is something to behold. They proved themselves as a group of genuine people with bucket loads of passion behind their music, and this was reflected seamlessly throughout their set. Dream State had people two-stepping, crowd surfing, on shoulders and jumping around almost immediately. There was a real warmth and overwhelming sense of community radiating from everyone present, with such a variety of people getting in on the fun- even spotting a few families with kids up on their shoulders to help immerse them into the show. We were offered up plenty of head bangers, but the moment that stood out particularly was during their most influential track “White Lies” with the ripping line “I think I’ve lost half my mind fighting my addiction” where Jessie managed to emulate the devastation of that line so perfectly with her powerful and intense vocal performance. It was a moment that rippled with emotion across the crowd. This was followed by a heartfelt speech where vocalist Jessie expressed how she “had dreamed of this day” since she first came here nearly 10 years ago, which led into the perfect end to the set. With a crowd of adoring people swaying their arms from side to side, they were brought back to the beginning with their concluding song “Primrose” for everyone’s “last chance to dance”, which erupted into a circle pit and lots of jumping.
Movements:
For those who missed out on their recent EU run with Sweet Pill, this weekend was the patiently awaited make-up for it. Following later on from Sweet Pill’s killer set as the first band of the day, Movements came bounding in with spades of enthusiasm to be playing the main stage at Slam Dunk, having been mentioned as a long-time bucket list festival for them. They had a set ahead full of grateful reflections, rousing the crowd for all they could, and Patrick Miranda accidentally unplugging his own microphone in a very funny split moment, bounding across the stage. Movements is a band that has such a solid discography that it truly is hard to complain about any setlist they could curate for a show. Their new songs are beloved and their older songs even more, so their setlist, being one of a well-weaved variety, reeled people’s attention in. Easing us in with the energetic and bouncy song “Afraid To Die”, Miranda was able to lead the crowd with ease and spend the rest of the set building everyone up with gorgeous vocals and so much encouragement to let loose and jump along to the tracks with them- “when I bounce you bounce!”. The audience was simply catapulted into a frenzy of excited emotions, being taken through their classic adored tracks such as “Full Circle” and “Colorblind”. As well as being surprised with an appearance from their brand new track “Where I Lay” and ending with their most widely impactful song “Daylily”. Or so that’s what they thought, since the band traditionally like to end the night on this track; however, that day they hit fans with a curveball, deciding to close on the rager “I Hope You Choke!” and requesting one final pit for a proper send off in true Slam Dunk style. Click here for the full set review.
Rain City Drive:
Hitting the Kerrang! stage next was Rain City Drive, who were met with a very happy crowd and what, for them, felt like surprisingly lovely British weather. As vocalist Matt McAndrew noted, they are only ever normally in the UK during the dead of winter, so this was quite a warm change of pace. They settled us in with the track “Lose My Composure” from their latest album “Things Are Better Now” and carried us through this album for the first six songs, which felt like a fitting introduction for new fans who would be wanting to get to hear their current sound, but also a fun overall exhibition of who the band is now for everyone. You could feel their enthusiasm while getting to play these tracks to such a reciprocating sea of fans going crazy at the front of the crowd. A marking moment of this was watching them all dance around the stage in unison while the crowd bustled, singing along, as McAndrew pulled out his phone to capture that moment forever. There was immense interaction between all of the band members throughout, with them making the most out of the stage size and never leaving a member out. It was quite refreshing to see the drummer of a band being so actively part of the entire performance and not tucked away at the back. Overall, it was nice to see the entire band smiling and dancing around in some way throughout the whole show and having a genuinely fun time performing. A particular highlight of this was from their rhythm guitarist Felipe Sanchez, who had a huge smile on throughout the entire performance, pulling out some groovy dance moves and making sure to interact with the audience as much as possible. It was like a party on the stage, and you couldn’t help but want to be up there with them. They then brought the set to a close with their most recognisable song, “Talk To Your Friend”, which was a fantastic send-off as almost everyone in the crowd was able to join in singing in this final moment with them.
Mouth Culture:
With absolutely no need to prove themselves on that stage and leaving it with a promising feeling for their future, Mouth Culture were truly on best form for their first-ever Slam Dunk set, of what we can only imagine will be many to come. Despite also falling victim to technical issues that caused a delay on their set, they wasted absolutely no time once they were able to get up on the Key Club stage. The excitement flowing between the band and the crowd ran through the air like a tangible, tingling buzz, jumping straight in with an infectious joy to be performing to such a packed room. The reception was nothing short of eclectic from their first song, as they smashed through with one of their most popular tracks, ‘Sharkbait’. With a single chorus line, an entire room’s pent-up passion was released in unison with an echoing ‘Mr make ya move on me’. The band took the room by storm with their charismatic presence and vocalist Jack Voss’ impressive vocal abilities, later bounding into the crowd for a moment of trust to commit to a very successful crowd surf. They were also able to share a very heart-warming moment with the crowd as they went into their slower track “Everyday”, which they described as a song that was written when they were dreaming about stuff like this happening. So getting to share the moment they had been dreaming of with them was quite special for everyone. They are clearly much bigger than any online numbers can translate because, and mind the cliché, they had the entire room wrapped around their fingers. Vocals on point, with an enthralling stage presence, there’s no doubt they’ll be taking over the scene very soon.
Hot Mulligan:
The moment you walked over to the stage for their set, the first noticeable thing was the huge colourful beach ball being bounced between people throughout the crowd. This whole show, even in the dreary British weather, felt like an American Emo beach party. What was initially a fairly gloomy day outside suddenly felt transformed into a world of colour and bright lights by the reflectively bright guitar lines, deep punching bass and kick drums. The drums were particularly memorable, sounding beautifully balanced as one collective symphony of powerful hits; there was not one portion of the kit that overpowered the other. Hot Mulligan is especially known for their unique, incredibly gritty vocal highs peppered with richly timbred full vocals from their lead singer, Nathan Sanville, and overall experimental pop-punk/Midwest emo sound-brought together by every instrumental line that marries into the vocal style so well. This was all perfectly showcased on the Main Stage West and translated brilliantly through a complimentary live mix and huge sound system that was able to propel them sonically from front to back of the park. A highlight, completely unrelated to the music, were two powerful quotes they delivered to us before swinging into their apparent “certified ass shaker” track “SPS” (I suppose that could be considered a third): “steal from your job” and “I hope you like boys kissing”. In fact, the band left the crowd with many similarly philosophical quotes to reflect on, but instead of listing them all off, we will leave you with some mystery. The band took a moment later to reflect on the fact that this was their second time playing Slam Dunk; the last time they were here, they were performing on the Key Club Stage, and now they were back again, but instead with a prime main stage spot. So this was clearly a very meaningful performance for them to take in and an undeniable reflection of their lasting impact on the Midwest emo/pop-punk scene over the last few years. This sentiment was carried throughout to the very last line of their final song, “BCKYRD”, which was led solely by the crowd as the bright spotlights shone back on us all.
The Used:
The Used were playing a set that everyone knew already would be one of the most special of the day. As they are amidst celebrating their 25th Anniversary as a band, they had embarked on a tour across America, the UK and Australia, where they had planned to play the entirety of 3 albums across 3 nights. The Dome in London saw their self-titled album “The Used” and Slam Dunk were to experience “In Love And Death” exclusively at the South date- to be followed by ‘Lies For The Liars’ in North. Their performance was nothing short of nostalgic, unadulterated fun, pulling a huge crowd of die-hard fans, as well as a mix of people newer to the band. A humorous highlight of this show was a moment where a fan singing up on someone’s shoulders was panned over to by the camera; realising this he became absolutely elated, but passion overtook him and as the camera began to pan off he instantaneously dropped his drink, which erupted a wave of laughter from many. The comedic timing of it was so perfect that it almost felt planned. But nonetheless, the night continued with more mime crowd surfers and huge moments with the whole crowd jumping at once to the beat. With lead man Bert McCracken adorned with the classic fingerless glove, he led the crowds hands up to form a sea of middle fingers several times throughout the night, as well as having them boo instead of cheer during a song and encouraging a mosh-pit during their more solemn track “Hard To Say”- which was affirmed by McCracken after as “the best slow motion mosh-pit” he had ever seen.
They really proved themselves as a group who doesn’t take themselves too seriously, but will still work hard to deliver a seriously good performance that’s engaging from start to finish. To conclude the evening, was the last song on the album, “I’m a fake”, which is a song largely about self-doubt but on this day felt like a victory chant. The line “look at me now” took on a whole new meaning and was more of a brilliant reflection on the huge success that these songs had brought them. The fact that these lyrics were written far before they could have known what was to come, and yet now felt entirely relevant in such a positively juxtaposing way, created such an air of gratitude and made the night a true testament to their 25 years together.
Scowl:
Even with having to fight for a crowd between the headline acts, Scowl pulled through with a packed performance and left everyone with a real admiration for their unwavering showmanship. Starting off the performance, clearly feeling a little deflated by the turnout after the success during their recent UK/EU headline tour, the crowd there made sure they knew they were pumped for the set. Whooping and screaming before they had even started and throughout each song, it was hard not to move along to Kat Moss’s enchanting movements across the stage. But finally, after a few songs, the hardcore crowd pulled up and opened the pit with some sharp spin kicks and stomping. A release of energy flickered through the room and back onto the stage, giving the band the affirmation that Slam Dunk needed them there. A whole lot of two-stepping, pushing and dancing later, the entire room was bustling with the catharsis of a big appetite finally being satisfied. Although Scowl undoubtedly deserved a bigger turnout, they did everything they could for those of us who were there and did return the energy in every way possible. We had them showing us their “Psychic Dance Routine”, playing through fresh tracks from their brand new album “Are We All Angels” such as “Fantasy” and old favourites like “Fuck Around” from their 2021 album “How Flowers Grow”- there was something for everyone. We even had Moss down at the barrier singing with the crowd for a few songs. All the room needed was that jolt of the pit to get everyone relaxed, and Scowl was able to create a truly memorable end to the night at the Key Stage. All I can do is commend them for sticking it out when being faced with so many issues and still giving us everything they could.
Overall, in spite of the issues they faced, Scowl still pulled through with a great show that certainly left people craving more from them. Don’t underestimate this band, they’re coming for the main stage.
To summarise, Slam Dunk South was a day of chaos, love and music with an absolutely astounding collection of bands that offered something for everyone, leaving fans and artists alike feeling very reflective on their own personal journeys with the music and joyful to have shared so many new core memories with those around them. If you want a festival that is welcoming, packed with a huge choice of stages and acts, but is also not too physically intensive compared to a full weekend, Slam Dunk has got you covered, and we hope to catch you there next year. But if attending festivals isn’t for you, we’ve got you covered here at Metal Junk Box with coverage of everything you might be curious about from the festival. So keep your eyes on the lookout for our Slam Dunk North review and some more detailed articles reviewing many exciting acts across both days.
