Slam Dunk Festival

Slam Dunk South was a festival that I’d been looking forward to for some time, and as the festival hit Hertfordshire it certainly didn’t disappoint. There were some serious congestion issues in the main foyer for the latter half of the day, if you weren’t stuck queuing however then there were certainly some fun times to be had.

Every Avenue was the first band we got to see once we’d made our way to the Glamour Kills Stage, and whilst the vocals seemed to be drowned out in the mix; the band still managed to put on a pretty decent performance as it launched through its half hour set. Whilst the sound levels could have been improved that’s certainly not the band’s fault, and Every Avenue gave a good effort as they looked to warm up the Hatfield crowd.

Heading outdoors to the Jagermeister Stage, the next band we got to see was Young Guns, and with perfect sound the young Bucks band certainly put on a show to remember. Young Guns has supported Lostprophets in the past and there are definite similarities between the two bands; as vocalist Gustav Wood bounced around the stage there was definitely some strong energy in the set, and the crisp and clean sound really helped to make Young Guns’ appearance something rather special. Whilst the indoor sound quality had underwhelmed, being treated to such clarity from the outdoor stage was definitely something to treasure, and Young Guns was able to take full advantage of the strong quality of sound with its impressive display of passionate rock music.

Back to the Glamour Kills Stage and it was now the turn of Ohio pop punk band Hit the Lights to show what they had to offer. Just like Every Avenue before them, Hit the Lights was given 30 minutes to please, and used their time well as they went through a number of upbeat pop punk songs. The sound was still suffering from imperfect levels, Hit the Lights was having fun onstage though, and the crowd seemed to enjoy the performance also. As soon as Hit the Lights had finished their set, Southampton’s Not Advised began playing on the Kerrang! Introducing Stage at the back of the room, and this was another performance that was not to be missed.

Not Advised is a band that I’d not previously come across, I’m certainly glad to have seen them play at Slam Dunk though, and the band genuinely seemed to hugely appreciate the opportunity to play the festival. Not Advised vocalist Jim Thomas has an absolutely incredible voice, and this was something that stood out strongly as the band played through its set. The band had a lot of energy to offer, had the crowd singing along with its upbeat pop punk, and definitely did much to please its audience. If you get a chance to see Not Advised in the future then I would 100% recommend doing so as you’ll not be left disappointed.

Turning back towards the Glamour Kills stage and it was time to watch Set Your Goals; a band that a lot of people were clearly quite excited to see, and they played their set well with their interesting mix of pop punk and hardcore. Matt Wilson’s microphone wasn’t working at the start of the set and to begin with half of the band’s vocals were therefore inaudible, once the microphone situation was sorted though the band was really able to pack a punch with its dual vocal assault. Hoping to see some of RX Bandits set we missed the last few tracks of Set Your Goals’ set, due to congestion in the foyer however we had to forget about getting to see any of RX Bandits as we made our way back out to the Jagermeister Stage to watch We Are The Ocean.

Just like it had been for Young Guns at the Jagermeister Stage, the sound was absolutely perfect for We Are The Ocean, and the band put on the performance of the day so far as it punched through a powerful selection of songs. Covering material from its EPs as well as the ‘Cutting Our Teeth’ album, We Are The Ocean was really able to get the crowd moving, and chief screamer Dan Brown was a crowd hero as he jumped into the pit to get his screaming going from there. Dan also climbed a tree whilst out in the crowd, screamed from the branch, filmed the crowd from a video camera that was thrown up to him, and jumped back down again in slightly moss covered clothes. There was a lot to love about We Are The Ocean’s set; Liam Cromby has an absolutely sublime voice as the band’s clean singing vocalist, Tom Whittaker is a brilliant drummer, and the band always has a lot to offer with its guitars also. Add to this the passion and energy of Dan Brown and you have a live band that can never be accused of providing a dull moment. Aside from New Found Glory, We Are The Ocean was the band that stood out most at Slam Dunk Festival for me, and when the band tours in October I’ll be heading along to a few of the bands shows for more without a shadow of a doubt.

Back to the Glamour Kills Stage for one final time and it was not the turn of Four Year Strong to impress the Hatfield crowd. With four tracks from 2007s ‘Rise Or Die Trying’ and five from 2009s ‘Enemy of the World’, it was an even a split as the band possibly could have provided, and a nice selection of tracks from both of the band’s studio albums to date. Four Year Strong has never been my favourite pop punk band, they’re certainly not a bad band though and had good interaction with the crowd as they created a rather large pit and made sure that their music went down well with the fans that had shown up to see them.

When the Slam Dunk line-up was announced and I realised that New Found Glory and Capdown were going to clash, I have to say that I was bitterly disappointed. As much as I would have loved to have seen both of these bands, unfortunately a decision had to be made, and it was pop punk heroes New Found Glory that I ultimately decided to settle with, sadly meaning that I missed my favourite Milton Keynes skacore band. I’ll always have very fond memories of watching Capdown, getting into a fantastic position for New Found Glory I was not to be disappointed with my decision though, and New Found Glory for me was the ultimate headliner.

Celebrating in style a decade since the release of the ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ debut, New Found Glory launched through a set of 20 tracks, covering all six of their studio albums and even finding room for a couple of covers from the ‘From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II’ album in ‘Iris’ and ‘Kiss Me’. The performance was high in energy, packed full of fun, and there wasn’t a person in the room not having fun as the band gave its all from start to finish. The band mixed it up well as it played its way through the albums, and although the band left the stage after ‘Hit Or Miss’ having already covered a lot of ground; it was clear that the set was not yet over, and the crowd was well poised for the encore of ‘Truth of my Youth’ and ‘My Friends Over You’ as it began to chant ‘NFG’ rather loudly. For me, the only way the night could have been any better is if the band had played ‘Dig My Own Grave’ from the 2008 ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ EP released through Bridge Nine Records, sticking to the studio albums and cover album was certainly fine with me though, and not a single track of the 20 disappointed. The likes of ‘Head On Collision’, ‘Hit Or Miss’, and ‘Dressed To Kill’ were all there, as too were ‘All Downhill From Here’ and ‘Failures Not Flattering’ from the ‘Catalyst’ album, and as the band finished with ‘My Friends Over You’ I was left with a fantastic feeling of absolute satisfaction. New Found Glory put on an awesome show at Hertfordshire University, and if I’d gone along to the Leeds show the next day then I probably would have made the same decision again to finish the day with New Found Glory.

After an absolutely fantastic pop punk performance from New Found Glory it was time to head for the doors, as there was live music coming from the Jagermeister Stage it was clear that Alkaline Trio had not yet finished their set however and there was therefore time for a little more fun.

Arriving at the Jagermeister Stage we were able to catch closing tracks ‘Stupid Kid’, ’97’, and ‘Radio’, and the night therefore finished with the famous Illinois three-piece that is Alkaline Trio. There definitely wasn’t the same level of fun and excitement for Alkaline Trio that there was for New Found Glory, the band played the three tracks well however and before long Slam Dunk South 2010 was officially over.

All in all Slam Dunk South was an absolutely fantastic festival; there were a few problems with the sound on the Glamour Kills Stage, there were congestion issues with the venue, and next year there are a few things that will have to be done differently (presuming that Slam Dunk South is once again held at Hertfordshire University), a good day was still had though, and we at Alt-UK got to see a great selection of bands. Roll on Slam Dunk 2011, and here’s to hoping that some more brilliant bands will be booked for next year’s festival.

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