Slam Dunk Festival is back again with a seriously heavyweight line-up! Our writers Hannah Calver and Alex Goose report back from the Hatfield leg...
It’s that time of the year again, and Slam Dunk Festival’s pact with the weather gods is holding up like never before, as Hatfield is bathed in glorious sunshine for the entirety of the day! As well as the bands, crew and organisers, we’d like to give a huge shout out to the crowd; we don’t know if it’s the glorious weather, or the free energy drinks handed out near the entrance, but this is one of the most enthusiastic and up-for-it audiences we’ve seen in quite some time.
Hannah’s report
WOW, what an incredible festival this was! And on their 20 year anniversary too! I am extremely grateful I was able to review this again. I’ve been to Slam Dunk 3 times altogether, but this was my second time reviewing it. The lineup was amazing this year, so many awesome bands to choose from. These are the ones I managed to watch this year:
The first band I started my day off with was Cancer Bats on the Main Stage East, but Alex will be writing up the review for them, go check out his review. I will say, this band were sick and I’d happily see them again!
The next band I saw and first one to review was Set Your Goals on the Monster Energy Stage. This was my first time seeing this band and I have to say, they did not disappoint! It’s been 10 years since they were last in the UK, I think they should come back more often. They played their song ‘Summer Jam’, which was very appropriate for the day as the weather was extremely hot! Full of energy and catchy crowd-pleasing tunes, this band were worth watching. Circle/mosh pits, lots of dancing and headbanging, confetti cannons, bubbles, and beach balls. What more could you ask for?
I headed to the Main Stage West to see Goldfinger. Another band I saw for the first time, and what a great band to see live! This was their first time on the main stage, they definitely deserved it! They played some classics like, ‘Superman’ and ‘99 Red Balloons’, which got myself and the rest of the crowd singing along to. This band are absolutely hilarious and full of banter, getting the crowd to shout “One nut Nick” a few times. They created many circle/mosh pits and got everyone jumping around and singing along a lot. I would love to see them live again!
I made my way back to the Main Stage East to catch Comeback Kid, another band which Alex will be reviewing, go check the review out. This band is another one I’d happily go see again!
I had about an hour break before heading back to the Main Stage East to watch a band I have seen once before and really enjoy – Bury Tomorrow. I love this band a lot! They were still as amazing as they were when I first saw them a few years ago. Lots of energy, pyro, guttural screams, and heaviness. This band sure knows how to keep you awake after such a long day already! They played some classics, including one of my absolute favourites ‘Black Flame’. As soon as that song came on, I sang and screamed so much!
I stayed at the Main Stage East to catch Malevolence. Another really heavy band with what looked like the largest wall of death and circle/mosh pits of the day, they were brutal! There was even a lot of crowd surfing during their set too, including someone dressed as the cookie monster. So much headbanging and jumping around was had, and a lot of sick guitar riffs filled the area! They ended their set with ‘If It’s All The Same To You’, which was the perfect song to end on in my opinion.
Lastly, I headed back to Main Stage West to catch the men of the hour – Good Charlotte. I have been wanting to see this band for a long time. I grew up listening to this band. There was so much pyro and flashing lights throughout their set. Entertaining, harmonising, catchy, and just the perfect band to end on. I felt like a kid again listening to them! They of course played their classics, ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Keep Your Hands Off My Girl’, and ‘Riot Girl’, which I sang along and danced to instantly!
Unfortunately I had to leave early and missed the last 30 minutes of their set. However, while heading to the car park, I could still hear them and they eventually played another classic which everyone knows – ‘The Anthem’. Their set ended with fireworks, which I was able to see through the car window while leaving the car park.
This whole day was absolutely amazing and I honestly didn’t want to leave! I cannot wait to see the lineup for next year and I hope I am able to review it again! Happy 20 Years Slam Dunk!
Alex’s report
If Leeds crossover thrashers Pest Control are at all fazed by having to open the Main Stage East before lunchtime, they certainly don’t show it. On the contrary, they grab the opportunity with both hands, demanding (and getting) some serious side-to-side pit action for the likes of ‘Year Of The Pest’ and ‘P.M.C.’ Careful, folks; those riffs are so sharp, you’ll have someone’s eye out. How have we not seen them before? They give it their all throughout their all-too-brief set, and any new fans recruited to their cause are well-deserved.
Angel Du$t keep the momentum going, whipping up a two-song-long circle pit for ‘The Knife’ and ‘The Beat’. Often compared to Turnstile, they have the same unorthodox approach to hardcore, and today a wonderfully groovesome ‘Brand New Soul’ proves one of the highlights of their set. Giving shout-outs to other bands on the bill, vocalist Justice Tripp is clearly stoked to be here, and as he and bassist Zechariah Ghostribe bounce around the stage (and somehow not crash into each other), that Slam Dunk sense of occasion really starts to sink in.
It’s been twenty years since Cancer Bats unleashed their debut album ‘Birthing The Giant’, and played some explosive UK dates to back it up. Can they still cut it? The utterly thunderous opener ‘Golden Tanks’ makes us feel foolish for ever having doubted them, and what follows is quite possibly the most electrifying set of the day. “You’re never gonna sleep again!” yells livewire frontman Liam Cormier during the Sabbath-gone-hardcore ‘Butterscotch’, and indeed, the Canadian quartet prove the perfect band to blast away any sleep-induced cobwebs that remain in our heads. The sonic wrecking ball that is ‘Hail Destroyer’ brings things to a close, and they depart surely knowing that they’ve seriously raised the bar.
We’re going through something of a mid-afternoon slump (must be the heat) when Comeback Kid hit the stage, but full credit to the hardcore quintet – they give it 100% as ever, with vocalist Andrew Neufeld venturing into the crowd for a turbocharged ‘G.M. Vincent And I’ and demanding that we “smash this motherfucker to the ground” for ‘Heavy Steps‘ (why, of course, sir – we would be delighted to oblige). There’s a sense that they’ve been itching to play live after spending the last month in a New Jersey recording studio, and the closing brace of ‘Talk Is Cheap’ and the evergreen ‘Wake The Dead’ is no less enjoyable for being predictable.
We’re now in the mood for some honest blue-collar punk rock, so it’s pretty handy that The Menzingers are here to provide exactly that. They’ve long since perfected the art of writing tunes that sound anthemic but not overblown, and as they open with ‘I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore’, it’s clear that devoted Menzingers fans are here in spades. The Pennsylvania quartet could probably just go through the motions and still sound great, but as guitarist Tom May happily bounces away throughout their set, it’s clear that they’re enjoying themselves as much as we are. It all feels less like another gig, and more like the kind of sweaty basement-show sing-along from the days of old – except now that basement has grown into a large field. Essential.
The Suicide Machines play punk and ska-punk as it ought to be – i.e. fast, furious, and unashamedly political – and the band take the time to quite rightly denounce Donald Trump and the troubled times we’re living in before their set in the Scott’s Key Club Stage tent. They whip up a small but frenzied pit with the likes of ‘No Face’ and ‘New Girl’, and although the tent isn’t quite full, you can’t fault either the band or the crowd for enthusiasm. Like so many of today’s bands, their set seems to fly by in minutes, but it’s all great stuff.
And so to the Main Stage East for Sublime, who take the prize for Grooviest Set Of Slam Dunk 2026 by a country mile. There’s a poignant moment when, towards the end of their set, frontman Jakob Nowell dedicates a song to his sadly-departed father (and former Sublime vocalist/guitarist) Bradley and “to all those who are no longer with us”. Today he does his dad’s legacy proud, and the vocal resemblance on the likes of ‘Wrong Way’ and ‘Badfish’ is, at time, uncanny.
They’re clearly not ready to rest on their laurels just yet, though; the couple of new songs played today slot in perfectly among those old favourites. There’s also no end of goodwill from the crowd, especially as bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh continue to keep those seductive beats and basslines coming, and the cheers (and loud sing-along) that greet old favourite ‘Santeria’ say it all. A wonderful reminder of what has been, and a great taste of what’s to come – from the same band, no less.
Thanks to Slam Dunk Festival for having us! Keep an eye on www.slamdunkfestival.com for info on 2027’s edition.
Main Photo Credit: @PHOTOSBYLORNA
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