Live Review: Slam Dunk Festival South 2018

Whether it’s pop-punk, metal or just plain rock you’re into, Slam Dunk Festival provided just about everything over the bank holiday weekend. We managed to catch the South date at the new venue Hatfield Park which was conveniently placed opposite the train station.

We caught a little bit of Scottish pop-punk band Woes at the Signature Brew Stage as they played Real World and their latest single HLB2.

After Knuckle Puck entertained a packed crowd at the Jagermeister Main Stage, Four Year Strong followed up as they played the likes of Go Down In History and Wasting Time (Eternal Sunshine) as there were plenty of crowd surfing and moshpits. The band also played a lovely acoustic set later in the day which was great to see.

Southampton’s Creeper then packed out the Jagermeister Main Stage as they started with Black Rain and carried on with the likes of Winnona Forever and Down Below.

Creeper’s Hannah Greenwood then sang Crickets which was a really lovely moment before Hannah sang once again alongside lead singer Will Gould for the start of Hiding with the Boys. BBC Radio One’s Daniel P Carter was watching on in the crowd the band finished on the brilliant Misery as Creeper once again proved why they’re one of the best British bands live.

After this we managed to catch Scottish band Twin Atlantic over at the Monster Energy Stage. They played their classics Hold On, Free, Make A Beast of Myself and Heart and Soul but it was also great to see the likes of No Sleep from their latest album. Twin Atlantic once again put on one hell of a show and are touring in the UK right now so make sure you catch them live!

I then stayed at the Monster Energy Stage to watch another two British bands which were Moose Blood and Lower Than Atlantis. Moose Blood really mixed their set up with the likes of Honey from their second to last album and Bukowski from their debut album. Their new music also got a good reception with Have I Told You Enough going down really well with fans. So as Moose Blood totally chilled the festival crowd out with their music, Lower Than Atlantis looked to kick-start the party once again as it began to get darker.

Lower Than Atlantis started with Had Enough and played the likes of Emily and Get Over It which just totally got the crowd pumped. With Emily, the crowd sang the chorus which just gave you goosebumps as lead singer Mike Duce told the crowd that everyone gets a free beer when he works on the bar. The band carried on playing real hits such as Word’s Don’t Come That Easily and English Kids In America and they even sang a cover by Electric Six to finish which was Gay Bar. It was a great set and certainly not the last you’re going to hear of Lower Than Atlantis in 2018!

Roam really got their small crowd jumping at The Signature Brew Stage as they brought a pop-punk party with them. Their bright colours and balloons really put a smile on people’s faces. The band played the likes of Alive, Left For Dead and finished on Playing Fiction. This was a good solid set by Roam and I am sure they will be playing a bigger stage next year!

We managed to catch The Skints and Goldfinger at Fireball Stage after that as it was pure Ska Rock from them. Lots of fans were dancing around and chilling in and around the music tent. Both bands provided a great feel-good atmosphere. PVRIS meanwhile was on the main stage as they finished on No Mercy and My House and you could hear the beautiful vocals from Lynn Gunn a mile off. So after a great day, Good Charlotte finished at the Jagermeister Stage in front of thousands as Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds was amongst the fans in the crowd. Holly Loveland reviewed the set which you can check out below!

With Jimmy Eat World, and Good Charlotte headlining this UK famous festival, a hearty mix of pop punk, metal, and Ska, it was one to never be forgotten!

I experienced a full festival in Press/Guest, and it was an experience I was not fully prepared for. I went to Slam Dunk South, Sunday 27th May, Hatfield in Hertfordshire. I saw a lot of bands, met a few of them, got to talk about the weather, other festivals, and other albums and dates they may be performing at, but the band and their set I’m going to share my thoughts on was the headliner for the Main Stage, the Jagermeister stage, Good Charlotte. A band I grew up listening to and was fond of for years. Seeing them lead Slam Dunk out was like a child’s dream come true. There was an interval just before their long-awaited arrival to the stage, the DJ table next to the stage was playing out all the older pop-punk songs, such as Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, even Panic! At The Disco, and everyone was singing and dancing along, it really helped with the mood and the atmosphere at the festival, in preparation for the biggest headliner Hatfield had seen for a long time!

The lights went down, although the night sky was already starting to get darker by the minute, and they started their set with their song, The Anthem from the 2003 album The Young And The Hopeless, which got the crowd singing and dancing, excitedly joining in with the famous lines. An amazing start to their set, full of a hearty mix from The Young And The Hopeless, Good Morning, Revival, The Chronicles Of Life and Death, and also testing out their newest release, Actual Pain off their new record, Generation X. For a little over an hour, their set included a speech on how they’ve progressed as a band, that Slam Dunk was their biggest headliner in the UK to date, and announcing their UK tour in February of next year, at Alexandra Palace in London. There was confetti, pyro, and cheering fans, from start to finish, I was massively impressed!

Good Charlotte (photo by Holly Loveland)

They stayed fully energised, and kept the crowd going throughout. I had heard some negative responses from people who witnessed them at Download Festival the previous year, but they definitely proved them wrong this time! As an old school Good Charlotte fan, it was definitely a tick on the bucket list! Their setlist was picked to satisfy the fans who are more aware of their previous albums, as only two are newer songs. I would give their performance a 10/10, with sound quality, song choice, even the aesthetic. The lights, confetti, and pyro seemed to excite the crowd and make their set the most memorable. They were well deserving of this headliner slot, and I look forward to the release of their new album and their upcoming Tour. They are worth a watch, I fully recommend.