Slam Dunk Festival proved why it’s one of the best events in the world of rock as the festival finished off the three days at a sold out Hatfield Forum on Monday (29th May). Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness kicked of the main Jägermeister Stage played some of his new songs from his latest album Zombies on Broadway, it was a great way to start a jam packed day. The Monster Energy Stage saw the likes of Like Pacific and Trophy Eyes before Liverpool pop punks WSTR took to the stage. Lead singer Sammy Clifford and the band played songs from their debut album Red, Green or Inbetween and totally killed their set in front of packed of crowd. WSTR even went back to their debut EP SKWRD that included a an awesome performance of Graveyard Shift.
Boston Manor were then playing at The Key Club Stage which they absolutely owned with songs from their latest album Be Nothing and a few classics rolled in their set. I managed to catch some of Goldfinger’s set on the Fireball Stage which was great and their cover of 99 Red Balloons really went down a treat with fans and like many of the stages throughout the day, it was packed out.
It was a great opportunity for all band’s to showcase their music to neutrals as well as fans and Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake certainly had a big fan base behind them. Reel Big Fish played their hit song Sell Out as Less Than Jake played some of their old stuff. The band tried to bring someone up on stage despite security initially not allowing it. Vocalist Chris Demakes however had another idea and managed to get the fan alongside the band for one of their songs. They played songs such as Last One Out of Liberty City and even invited their friends Reel Big Fish on stage.
I managed to catch I Prevail in-between Reel Big Fish’s set and Less Than Jake despite the room at the Impericon Stage being full to it’s capacity meaning some fans couldn’t watch them. The exciting American metalcore band played their massive hit Blank Space, that was a cover of Taylor Swift’s single, as well as songs from their latest album Lifelines and their debut EP Heart Vs. Mind.The likes of Scars and Stuck in Your Head got all the fans in the sweaty and hot room to mosh and go crazy for one of I Prevail’s first sets in the UK.
With UK giants Don Broco and Deaf Havana playing on the main stage, the day was in full swing and the atmosphere was just absolutely buzzing with not a moment without heavy music being played. With Welsh Pop Punks Neck Deep and Enter Shikari both clashing, I managed to catch half of both sets. Neck Deep played their latest singles Happy Judgement Day and Where Do We Go When We Go. The band came on to My Chemical Romance’s Welcome To The Black Parade which was a great was a great sight to see. Having played their new songs, Neck Deep also played the likes of Lime St. from their album Life’s Not Out to Get You as well as the beautiful A Part of Me. This is a band that is taking over the pop punk scene and they will only get bigger with their album The Peace and The Panic coming out this year.
Enter Shikari was playing on the Jägermeister Stage started off with their track Stand Your Ground; This Is Ancient Land. Lead singer Rou Reynolds really put everything in to this performance and the band put their political views perfectly in to some of the best sounding music I have heard in a long time. It was also the 10th anniversary of their album Take To The Skies which made this set even more special for fans. They played songs such as Enter Shikari and Mothership from this album which really rolled back the years for fans. What was interesting is that the band did not play their new single Supercharge instead lead singer Rou made a special tribute to the Manchester Terrorist Attack victims. They played Half the World Away which is a cover from Manchester band Oasis and this literally sent the majority of the crowd to tears. Overall the festival was a real treat for all alternative fans and it provided just about everything.