With less than three months to go until the UK’s independent alternative celebration, Slam Dunk Festival 2020 have revealed 14 new names for the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Stand Atlantic, With Confidence, ROAM, Wargasm, Static Dress, I Am The Avalanche, Vukovi, Sleep On It, The Bottom Line, 30H!3, DJ Jacky P plus names for the acoustic stage Elder Brother, Vinnie Caruna and Derek Sanders are set to join summer bill, boasting the very best names from the world of rock, punk and metal. In addition to these new names and following closely on from Jägermeister’s stage announcement, Slam Dunk Festival have revealed this year’s full stage splits.
Breaking new ground in a fresh decade, Brit rock titans Don Broco are set to make both festival and career history with their first-ever festival headline performance on Slam Dunk Festival’s new Rock Scene powered by Amazon Music stage. Rock Scene is the global Amazon Music playlist showcasing the most exciting new rock music from around the world. Playing host to a storming set by Pure Noise Records’ State Champs, standout singalongs with Mayday Parade and the highly-anticipated reunion of We Are The In Crowd,the freshly-made over stage has an undeniable line-up mixing up contemporary rock’s frontrunners. Also joining the bill are genre-melding Issues, new additions Stand Atlantic and Aussie rockers The Faim.
Returning to the festival, Stand Atlantic’s Bonnie Fraser said:
“We are so damn excited to be playing our favourite festival in the world. We can’t wait to bring some new songs baby – we’re gonna give ya everything we’ve got UK!”
Sum 41 are set to spark a punk-fuelled performance on this year’s Fireball Stage, with their debut Slam Dunk Festival headliner set, ahead of exhilarations from Canadian icons Billy Talent, melodically-infectious The Story So Far, Brit grungers Basement. Returning to the festival after a short break, Zebrahead will be in attendance with Trash Boat, following an opener by Dream State. The Fireball stage will not clash with the Punk In Drublic.
After their raucous party-starting debut last year, NOFX will return with Punk In Drublicfor the second year. Californian punk kings Pennywise, punk supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Returning for another year Reel Big Fish will return for another year gracing the Slam Dunk stages while Face To Face, The Vandals and Suicide Machines make long-anticipated debut.
Announcing completion earlier this week, the Jägermeister stage will welcome a headline performance from Sheffield’s favourite sons While She Sleeps, a true masterclass in punk from Refused and give way to the visceral Stray From The Path. Canadian brothers Counterparts and Comeback Kid will return to the festival, as will Your Demise on the 10 year anniversary of their prolific album The Kids We Used To Be. Deez Nuts promise an unmissable set of brutality following an opening performance from the critically acclaimed Blood Youth.
Setting the bar with a headline set from British metalcore masters Bury Tomorrow, the Impericon stage is set to deliver the heavy-hitters once again. Soon to reveal their fourth studio album Underneath, Code Orange will bring a cutthroat performance alongside We Came As Romans, the thrilling Ice Nine Kills and the persevering Dance Gavin Dance. ’The Death Of Me’ noisemakers Polaris and Fit For A King are sure to warm up the stage with their commanding performances. With an arsenal of unmissable heavy-hitting mixes and the promise of special guests, Scarlxrd’s DJ, DJ Jacky P, will play out the night on the Impericon stage.
Headlined by The Wonder Years, the Dickies stage will play host to the philadelphia natives playthrough of their classic album The Upsidesas well as some of the most exciting names in emo. American stalwarts Motion City Soundtrack and Four Year Strong make their return alongside energetic youngers Knuckle Puck and ROAM. They will be joined by With Confidence, Bayside, I Am The Avalanche, Greyscale and Dollskin. Closing the party in Slam Dunk Festival style, crunk-core wizards 3OH!3 will round off the night with a special set packed with their anthemic hits.
Alex Adam from ROAM says:
“Slam Dunk is by far one of our favourite festivals to play. Come and watch us again or we’ll never come back and then everyone will cry. ROAM doesn’t suck anymore”
Jayden Seeley of With Confidence says:
“We’ve been busy working on our new sound in the past few months. We are super excited to play Slam Dunk this year and bring in the next era of With Confidence!”
Pushing the boundaries with two stages in one, The Key Club stage, paying homage to the Leeds club, will see incredible alternative names on the line-up. Topping the bill and celebrating the 10th anniversary of their critically acclaimed album ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’ will be UK rock legends Young Guns. Joining them will be Aussie melody makers Hands Like Houses, post-rock troupe Movements, Swedish favourites Normandie and Parisian mob Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! will meet Free Throw on the notorious stage ahead of ska showdown between Spunge and Popes Of Chillitown. Yours Truly and Days and Daze complete the line-up alongside new additions Vukovi, Static Dress, Wargasm, Sleep On It and The Bottom Line.
Vukovi says:
“It’s been a while Slam Dunk…the Slam Dunk crowd is always bursting with energy. We are so ready for our sets”
Hosting must-see sets from Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders, I Am The Avalanche’s Vinnie Carauna and Elder Brother, the Acoustic stage has teased a few more names heading to Leeds and Hatfield, dropping the calm and coveted spot. Vinnie Caruna will play a set featuring classics from The Movielife as well as solo material while Derek puts an acoustic twist to Mayday Parade’s singalong anthems. Set to join Bedouin Soundclash and This Wild Life, the acoustic stage is the go-to destination for stripped back singalongs with beloved Slam Dunk Festival names.
ARTISTS ANNOUNCED TO DATE
A, Basement, Bayside, Bedouin Soundclash, Billy Talent, Blood Youth, Bury Tomorrow, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Code Orange, Comeback Kid, Counterparts, Dance Gavin Dance, Days and Daze, Deez Nuts, Doll Skin, Don Broco, Dream State, Elder Brother, Face To Face, Fit For a King, Four Year Strong, Free Throw, Grayscale, Hands Like Houses, I Am The Avalanche, Ice Nine Kills, Issues, Knuckle Puck, Mayday Parade, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Motion City Soundtrack, Movements, NOFX, Normandie, Pennywise, Polaris, Popes of Chillitown, Reel Big Fish, Refused, Roam, Sleep On It, Spunge, Stand Atlantic, State Champs, Static Dress, Stray From the Path, Sum 41,The Bottom Line, The Faim, The Story So Far, The Suicide Machines ,The Vandals, The Wonder Years, Trash Boat, Vinnie Carauna, Vukovi, Wargasm, We Are The In Crowd, We Came As Romans, While She Sleeps, With Confidence, Young Guns, Your Demise, Yours Truly, 3OH!3
OPENING PARTY & FESTIVAL TICKET INFORMATION
General Admission tickets to Slam Dunk Festival are £75.90 (including booking fee). VIP tickets to both Slam Dunk North and South are now sold out.
Tickets to the Slam Dunk Festival Opening Party are £12 + booking fee. The event will take place at Leeds O2 Academy on Friday 22nd May from 10pm until 2am.
For more information or to purchase both opening party and festival tickets, please visit www.slamdunkfestival.com.
Big Green Coach Company are the official travel partners for Slam Dunk Festival UK 2020.
Travel packages can be found here.