Words: Kate Allvey.  Images: Penny Bennett and Download Festival

Halocene

Vocalist Addie Nicole Amick strides across the stage like an evil angel as we nervously put our plastic ponchos on for Halocene, second on the bill on the Opus stage. They’re gliding beyond their reputation as ‘Evanescence with trap beats’ to create songs far more powerful than you’d expect to hear at lunchtime on day one of Download. ‘Repent’, dedicated to Amick’s mother, is designed to be screamed and ‘When Demons Come To Life’, “about my declining mental heath” according to the vocalist, embraces the darkness within, but it’s their cover of Thirty Seconds To Mars’ ‘The Kill’ that shines brightest.

Scene Queen

“One thing about me is that I hate men in bands, and I wish they’d just shut up,” snaps bimbocore sensation Scene Queen while she sips a cup of tea in a bikini. Veering between heavy layers of innuendo on tracks like opener ‘Finger’, it’s her blistering clap backs against pop punk misogyny on ‘18+’ that lead us to start taking her seriously. She’s the exploiter’s nightmare, using her Barbie sound as a switchblade against those who’ve wronged her. ‘Whips and Chains’, her song about ‘beating the shit out of guys who spike drinks at the bar’ is a vicious aggro pop revenge tale, and when she drops her pasted-on smile to reveal a scowl, it’s beyond relatable. 

Soft Play

Compelling and compulsively laddish, the “two man boyband from the garden of England” bring the chaos, ironically declaring that ‘Punk’s Dead’ on one of the most punk tracks to be heard across Download this weekend. ‘Act Violently’ and ‘Everything and Nothing’ get their live debuts, as does a pink stetson from stomping drummer Isaac Holman and whole field’s worth of gloriously distorted sound. Holman takes the lead on the very Stooges ‘Fuck the Hi-Hat’ screeching at the end of each line as Laurie Vincent takes to the distance to stomp out his feelings, spider tattooed fingers slashing at his guitar. We endlessly punch the air and make soggy stamps into the sodden earth to each irresistible beat.

Black Stone Cherry

Southern rock is a huge draw for the Download crowd, and suddenly the realisation that we’re really here dawns on us. Black Stone Cherry revel in their cliches, an evening breeze blowing back their long hair. ‘Again’ maintains a huge presence with its gorgeous acoustic guitar intervals slotted between drums solos like a boulders tumbling from a cliff face. Songs from their last album get their moment in the sun too; ‘When The Pain Comes’ has so much more bass power than hinted at on studio recordings, and ‘Out Of Pocket’ seems to expand out in every direction simultaneously. There’s a distinct Tom Petty influence on ‘Like I Roll’, but they don’t fall back on merely replicating their heroes. There’s a reason that their distinctive sound has seen them notch up eight Download invites and, with a voice quite that majestic, Chris Robertson and pals will undoubtedly be back again. 

Royal Blood

Playing to an oddly empty arena doesn’t put Royal Blood off in the slightest, with many folk heading up to the top of the hill for Busted’s set rather than remaining at the Apex stage. Royal Blood’s fans, many of whom carry signs and banners for the duo and who persevere through technical difficulties that halt two songs, are rewarded with a set that sounds like the outcome of shaking up a bottle of sour lemonade. The splintering sound of the bass-as-guitar rolls like a storm front on the spiralling ‘Boilermaker’, and placing that song next to the dirty, Muse-ish ‘Out Of The Black’ is setlist gold. 

Heilung

Rumour has it that the pan-European experimental folk collective requested as late as slot as possible to take advantage of the darkness for maximum effect, but the sun’s position in the sky doesn’t diminish their drama in the least. A figure masked with an animal skull spreads incense smoke to the sound of birdsong to signal the start of their set, and in procession they walk on as shamans to receive a blessing. After a full five minutes of silent theatre they gravely begin to howl, and we wonder if this is a show or they’re opening a hellmouth, our cheers confused and nervous. Tribal chanting builds like a call from the dawn of time, and heads begin to bob as we clap politely between songs, if there even can be said to be discreet songs. Are they even a band or are they better described as a cult? Many of the static crowd are rapt but those who wander past do so giggling. You can’t deny the primordial power of what Heilung are doing, or the majesty of the booming throat singing rolling across the hills of Donington, but their place on the bill is perplexing. They’re definitely at least tangentially related to rock and metal, but with Busted playing around the corner, the sounds of pre-Christian Europe feel asynchronous. You can’t shake the feeling that, by the end of their set, Heilung now possibly own our immortal souls. 

Funeral For A Friend

It seems like the most popular move among the crowd is to switch stages midway through Queens Of The Stone Age and head around the increasingly treacherous hill for Funeral For A Friend, eager to catch Holding Absence’s Lucas Woodland in his role as Matthew Davies-Kreye’s temporary replacement. A huge light and a roar, signals the start of ‘This Year’s Most Open Heartbreak’s slapping full powered aggression, with Funeral For A Friend as hardcore in their emo sound as they’ve always been, the screamed vocals waking our weary souls. Seamlessly, they slide into ‘Juneau’, with Woodland offering a tactfully understated performance focused on the power of the music as a whole rather than individual members. He stands poised for the longest time, mic stand over his shoulders, guiding a deeply intentioned singalong

“We need more, wake it up!” It’s impossible to ignore the twisting, winding melody of ‘All The Rage’ held together with grunge tuning. Without fanfare, Charlie Simpson pops up to lend his vocals, proving his range is far greater than Fightstar or Busted have showcased so far. In the distance, we hear snatches of Queens Of The Stone Age, who feel positively cost in comparison to the welshmen on the Opus Stage. Funeral For A Friend create unease in the most positive way possible, and lesser band would have crumbled after losing their frontman, and most of the original lineup, along the way. As last year’s tour proved, the Funeral For A Friend sound is greater than the sum of its parts and capable of moving the dampened crowds of Download to fine voice.

Queens Of The Stone Age

Dark Americana is what’s fuelling the Download masses today, so the opening chords of ‘Little Sister’ which open Queens Of The Stone Age’s set are treated like rays of midnight sunshine. Frontman Josh Homme, black shirted and bearded like a cowboy prophet, imbues each chord with enough force to split the clouds. ‘Burn The Witch’ must win the prize for most brutal use of lap steel to date as it squeals like it needs oiling for its pain, while Homme jerks behind like a de-stringed puppet, demonic against a scarlet backdrop. Yes, the big hitters from ‘Songs For The Deaf’ suffer a little without the nastiness of their original incarnation in the hands of Mondo Generator’s Nick Oliveri, but no one could deny the potency of ‘Go With The Flow’, which wails and booms as the perfect main stage tune, simultaneously still challenging and rewarding. ‘No One Knows’ still resoundingly hits, with just a hint of sadness on downturn of each line, a quiet lull to nothing with a whispered bassline before a triumphal return.

Click the below image for the full ‘Download Festival – Friday’ gallery

Words: Kate Allvey, Rob Dand Photos: Penny Bennett, Abbi Draper-Scott

As Everything Unfolds

Kicking things off on the GoPro stage, the festival’s loose home for its delegation of heavier bands, As Everything Unfolds ushers in the first mosh pit of the day before the end of set opener ‘Slow Down’. The band proceeds to rattle through highlights from their two full-lengths, peaking at just the right time with the now-familiar closing duo of ‘Felt Like Home’ and ‘On the Inside’. The one slight dull edge on an otherwise razor sharp performance comes when niggling technical issues resulting in the sole guitar intermittently cutting out, illuminating just how much heavy lifting the backing track is doing. Nevertheless, the energy is there in abundance and vocalist Charlie Rolfe in particular turns in a strong showing. Slam Dunk 2024 is officially off and running. [RD]

The Dangerous Summer

The Slam Dunk stage openers dish out heartbreaking optimism with the heart of Ataris, offering a furtive start to our day with a bass heavy punch of Americana and emo. The spirit of Brian Fallon watches over their dashes of guitar and ‘The Permanent Rain’ smoulders like dying, thoughtful embers, at odds with the congenial atmosphere surrounding their set. If they were playing at 2am, or sharing a slot with The Wonder Years, The Dangerous Summer would be sublime; as a first act, they’re still really damn impressive. [KA]

Honey Revenge

The first IYKYK band, judging by the crowd running in as soon as they spot the hot pink co-ords onstage, Honey Revenge announce their presence with a gawky wave. ‘Seeing Negative’ makes for a subversive bubblegum eighties start with sonic bass, and vocalist Devin Papadol is overjoyed to be here. “Welcome to our first ever festival set, baby,” she squeals like a Barbie customised with koolaid and safety pins. Brand new song ‘Recipe For Disaster’ swerves past self-loathing and into hit status, and ‘Are You Impressed?’ swings wildly between adorable chiming, frustration and rocket launch bass. ‘Airhead’ ends their set on a high, eliciting eager and unironic horn signs as they stride offstage. [KA]

As December Falls

As December Falls are in a celebratory mood, marking their first main stage billing at Slam Dunk with an effervescent set spanning much of their discography to date, including several cuts from last year’s top 20 album ‘Join the Club’. Opening with old favourite ‘Ride’ and closing with the exuberant ‘Carousel’, the band attack every opportunity with their infectious enthusiasm, and today’s sun-soaked fiesta will likely win over some new converts. [RD]

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Third on the lineup but first in our scarred emo hearts, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus open with ‘Brace Yourself’ and its gorgeous payoff after the intro. They endlessly twist between loud and soft to intensify the impact of each lyric, and ‘False Pretence’ draws a static but observant crowd to appreciate Ronnie Winters’ vocal gymnastics amid the song’s live hardcore ferocity. ‘Damn Regret’ seems to move in slow motion as we’re finally ready to jump, and dropping in a cover of Blink 182’s ‘All The Small Things’ is an easy win to create a positive energy across the field, drawing in those otherwise distracted to appreciate the joy radiating from their set. [KA]

Head Automatica

The surprise return of Daryl Palumbo’s Head Automatica to the UK festival circuit was one of the more eyebrow-raising points of note on the Slam Dunk roster. We’re ostensibly gathered to mark 20 years since the release of debut album ‘Decadance’, a flamboyant maelstrom of post-hardcore, soul and danceable indie rock. Unfortunately, some early technical issues derail disappointingly loose renditions of ‘At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet’ and ‘Brooklyn is Burning’, and while the band persist to find something resembling their stride as the set progresses, Palumbo’s delivery seems loose; almost pained at times. Despite this, Slam Dunk most definitely came to dance, and while the Hatfield crowd becomes the first to hear new song ‘Bear the Cross’ in a live setting, it’s the older material – and most notably set closer ‘Beating Hearts Baby’ – that predictably gets the most raucous reception. It’s not quite the vibrant canvas it was supposed to be, but the smiling faces and questionable dance moves suggest that plenty of people used their imagination to paint by numbers and fill in the blanks. [RD]

One Step Closer

One Step Closer draw a modest but committed crowd over on the Key Club stage. It’s possible that they fly just below the radar of a typical Slam Dunk attendee, which is a shame, because their brand of melodic hardcore is consistently enjoyable and very accessible. Their sound is evocative of early 2010’s Deathwish/Bridge Nine favourites, with newer songs like ‘Giant’s Despair’ adding a touch of the alt-rock flavour brought by bands like Basement and Balance And Composure. Their set focuses on material from recent record ‘All You Embrace’, and their impassioned performance is another fine showing for a band that are slowly winning over UK crowds. [RD]

RØRY

Opening with a predatory electro pulse as we stampede towards the front, RORY has tapped into a shared waterfall of emotion with her music, and the world outside the tented Kerrang stage seems to shrink away during ‘Anti-Repressant’. More than a few in the crowd tear up for ‘Alternative’, and security drop their professionalism and start to film the vocalist as she lays her pain out for us to find strength in. That’s not to say that this is a po-faced set by any means; she serenades a guest dressed as baby in the character of her ex-boyfriend during ‘Baby Vendetta’, and new song ‘Blossom’ lets electro synths water the seeds of rage and triumph under the shade of Evanescence at their most pop. This is RORY’s first festival set, and it definitely will not be her last. [KA]

The Skints

The Skints have “done a lot of Slam Dunks,” as guitarist Josh Rudge explains, and only seem to be cementing their reputation as mainstays in the punk section of the lineup. ‘Mindless’ is a soft opener, but it’s ‘Rise Up’ that attracts curious onlookers with its rapid fire echoes and seismic bass drops. ‘Ratatat’ is the song that makes this sunny corner feel like how you’d expect a festival to feel. “If you know what a ‘capdown’ is, and what it means to your heart,” calls Rudge in reference to the defunct iconic British ska punk outfit before launching into a blistering cover of ‘Ska Wars’, leaving us with a sense that the Skints are the strongest torch bearers of the UK ska punk revolution. [KA]

The Blackout

The boys from South Wales draw a huge crowd, probably the largest outside of the headliners. ‘Save Our Selves’ (The Warning)’ is thrown into the deep waters of heavy rock and swims, not sinks, directed by Sean Smith and his magnificent mullet with help from guest Charlie Rolfe of As Everything Unfolds. ‘Top Of The World’ comes across far cuter live, like a little burst of Blink-ish optimism in the sunlight, and the racing clap-along for ‘Said And Done’ starts a huge pit. It’s the fifteenth anniversary of the Blackout’s ‘Best In Town’ album, and we’re gently chided for singing happy birthday to the band instead of the record. ‘We’re Going To Hell…So Bring The Sunblock’ (“Our attempt to be metal,” according to Smith) fills the field by the Go Pro stage with candy floss fronds of friendship and there’s a tangible, warm bond between us, the band and all the others on the lineup with whom they seem genuinely thankful to be friends. [KA]

Mallory Knox

It’s been five years away from Slam Dunk for Mallory Knox, and seven for returning vocalist Mikey Chapman, who left a little before the band originally called it time. There’s a slightly awkward dynamic onstage as Chapman references his extended break (“Whose fucking fault was that?” asks bassist Sam Douglas  – the man who stepped into Chapman’s shoes for their final self-titled effort – with most of his tongue in cheek, if not all). But from the moment ‘Beggars’ twinkles into life until the final defiant chorus of ‘Lighthouse’, their hard-edged pop-rock soars over the Hatfield crowd and marks a triumphant return. [RD]

Against the Current

Somehow, Against the Current have never performed at Slam Dunk, despite slotting perfectly into the lineup. Newly independent, and with a slew of recent singles just aching to be launched out into a festival crowd, they do not waste the opportunity that their debut appearance brings. We’re treated to an enthusiastic rendition of ‘Running with the Wild Things’, and older cut ‘Gravity’, but for the most part the band are focusing on their newest material, with vocalist Chrissy Costanza covering every inch of the stage in her efforts to connect with the large crowd that has gathered. Their first Slam Dunk, but undoubtedly not their last. [RD]

The Ghost Inside

Legend has it that it never rains on Slam Dunk South, but if any band could cause the clouds to open, it’s the heaviest band on the earliest part of the bill: The Ghost Inside. Live, ‘Mercy’ is dark, sludgy and somewhat polarising (with many retreating to the sunnier climes of The Selector’s set), but with a hidden complexity which tunnels through the compacted grass and up into our spines. ‘Pressure Point’ is fuelled by a violent purity and ‘Wash Away’ evokes less a domestic task and more a weather warning as unexpected keyboard lines contour up nu-metal memories. Disruptive drumbeats and ironic raving from the crowd make this a set of epic proportions. [KA]

La Dispute

La Dispute came crashing out of the blocks over a decade ago with a gloriously brash debut, before crafting a more reflective sound on their genre-defining follow-up. Today’s set largely sidesteps these two towering behemoths of the scene, however, and leans most heavily on material from third album ‘Rooms of the House’, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. In truth, some of the more introspective numbers are hampered by the positioning of the Key Club stage, and anyone further than 30 feet from the monitor is treated to a jarring mash-up of State Champs and the Bouncing Souls drifting in from either side. Regardless, set closer ‘King Park’ snakes in like muscle memory for virtually everyone in attendance, twisting through its breathless build toward its heartbreaking conclusion. The sound of a few hundred people screaming “Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?” may not seem like an obvious mid-afternoon festival highlight, but ‘King Park’ is both some of their strongest material and a high-watermark for the entire genre, and worth sticking around for. [RD]

Asking Alexandria

Eschewing a buildup or lead-in, Asking Alexandria appear as a sudden lightning slam of brutal guitar that dissolves into 8-Bit keyboard. In the pit, a man dressed as a mime climbs onto his friends’ shoulders and films, the only spot of colour against the black backdrop and equally funereal band. Asking Alexandria keep their sound sharp and harsh, leaping between steely cold roaring guitars and vocal ripples. Vocalist Danny Worship folds one arm behind his back like he’s delivering a lecture before passing the metaphorical baton to guitarist Cameron Liddell for a solo that dispels any lingering loneliness. Most of the crowd are flagging in the heat as we draw on the same core of molten lava that the band do and push ourselves to even higher jumps. The clouds finally part during ‘Dark Void’, such is the power of Asking Alexandria. [KA]

Pennywise

A lot of bands have joked about being old over the course of the day but ironically, as one of the oldest bands on the bill, Pennywise show they’re still a force to be reckoned with. ‘My Own Country’ slams harder than it has any right to while still maintaining the strutting nineties rhythm popularised by the Hellcat stable. Pennywise’s sideways slide into full on street punk is working for them, with their coarser sound fitting in with who they’ve become. Of course, there’s a bit of silliness in the form of covering Men At Work’s ‘Land Down Under’, but we can forgive their missteps when ‘Fuck Authority’ is still as fury-filled and urgent as ever and ‘Bro Hymn’ inspires those with mohawk to full-throated song. [KA]

Funeral for a Friend

Atop the Hatfield site’s only hill, Funeral for a Friend take to the stage along with guest vocalist Lucas Woodland. One arm held aloft, a familiar sight for Holding Absence fans, he stands ready to conduct the gathered crowd. As if there was ever any doubt, Slam Dunk is about to witness one of those special performances that will be talked about for years to come. Uniquely positioned to do justice to Matt Davies-Kreye’s impressive legacy, with both the talent and humility in spades, Woodland confesses to his admiration for the band, having grown up in their shadow as part of the vibrant South Wales scene of the time. Energised by his obvious deep connection with the source material, the band deliver an absolute masterclass, seeming as fired-up as they have in many a year.

The crowd mirror this exuberance, singing back every word to a hit-filled set that reminds us just how important this band was in shaping the British response to the largely US-dominated post-hardcore scene at the turn of the millennium. Bathed in the glorious golden hour light of the early evening, this is Funeral for a Friend viewed through Instagram’s Valencia filter – warm and familiar. They’ve played Slam Dunk before, but this is something else entirely. It’s an absolute triumph and quite possibly the standout set of the festival. [RD]

Goldfinger

John Feldman has returned to these shores, briefly removing his mantle of pop punk mogul to revert to his original incarnation as Goldfinger’s frontman as the sun begins to set over Slam Dunk. A lot of the older ska acts really can still pull it out the bag when it comes to an energetic show, and Goldfinger are no exception. Vocally, Feldy can’t seem hit the heights he was able to back in the nineties, but in the midst of the angst and emotional outpouring across the Slam Dunk site, Goldfinger provide an oasis where we’re having fun, counting the days and dancing like we’re still kids. With an incredibly strong fanbase willing to overlook the weaker parts of their set, ’99 Red Balloons’ can’t fail to hit the mark, especially when it’s backed by Reel Big Fish’s brass section. [KA]

The Wonder Years

If there’s one thing that’s abundantly clear, it’s that despite some logistical challenges in recent years that have led to a lot of soul-searching, Slam Dunk is still held in incredibly high regard by many of the artists. None more so than the Wonder Years, who recall a time in 2010 when their career trajectory changed – something they attribute to their performance here. Ever since, they’ve answered the call in return, even pulling a double shift in 2022 when a last-minute slot on the lineup became available.

They may only be playing the smallest stage at the festival tonight, but they wear their Key Club headline slot like a badge of honour, in solidarity with the bands lower down the bill who embody the old-school approach to carving out a career in the music industry. Opening with the quickfire double of ‘I Don’t Like Who I Was Then’ and ‘Low Tide’, the band take us on a journey through their discography, spanning from old favourite ‘Washington Square Park’ to newest track ‘Year of the Vulture’ – which is played for the first time live here tonight, and gets the appropriately feverish response it deserves from the pit.

The set ends in familiar fashion, with a buoyant performance of fan favourite ‘Came Out Swinging’. More familiar still is the way in which vocalist Dan Campbell has no qualms in stopping his bandmates mid-flow and cutting the song short by a few seconds in order to allow an audience member to receive medical treatment – just as he did here two years ago. The Wonder Years love Slam Dunk, and Slam Dunk loves The Wonder Years. [RD]

You Me At Six

The big ticket item for most of the Slam Dunk crowd has to be the final festival appearance of You Me At Six before the band split next year. Some are taking it poorly (the main banner featuring vocalist Josh Franceschi becomes steadily covered in graffiti as the day goes on), but for many, this is an emotional moment. ‘Save It For The Bedroom’ and ‘Reckless’ are a safe start to their set, but it’s ‘We Are Believers’ which begins the cascading tears and chest-clutching from the audience before the sweetness and forceful vocal downstrokes within ‘Kiss And Tell’ cause the sentiment we feel to be transformed into the urge to dance.

It takes a good twenty minutes for the band to hit their stride and bring out the harder songs, but when they do, we revel in their command of a “nice loud communal singalong”, as Franceschi puts it. The splintering riff and gutsy bridge on ‘No Future? Yeah Right’ and Sean Smith of The Blackout’s chanting appearance on ‘The Consequence’ remind us how very good You Me At Six are at what they do, and makes it all the more poignant that this will be their last festival show.  The band are fully aware of this mixed sentiment, and absolutely make the time to squeeze the last remaining juice from our sunburnt emotions. ‘Stay With Me’ bursts with life and starts a long, lazy line of swaying right to the back. “Thank you for making our dreams come true for the last twenty years,” gasps Franceschi, “this is our love letter to you,” before the lilac magic of ‘Always Attract’ fills the air and friends hug each other tightly before the lovely slide into ‘Take On The World’. Thousands upon thousands of tiny phone lights glow in the night on each tender line.

A gentle bounce to ‘Beautiful Way’ grows and intensifies as thousands take their last chance to enjoy You Me At Six; the desperate slam like their lives depend on it, the sensible begin to stream away into the darkness to rejoin the real world. It’s a masterful set that toys with the emotions and leaves you with a sense of both privilege and loss. [KA]

Words: Ellie Odurny; Images: Penny Bennett

Malevolence

If anyone needed a fierce wake up on this sunny Saturday afternoon, Yorkshire five-piece Malevolence are the band to deliver. Diving headfirst into an onslaught of sludgy, heavy beats and ferocious hardcore vocals, the band whip things into a frenzy from the off. Vocalist Alex Taylor surveys the fervent crowd with glee as the pits open up for opener ‘Malicious Intent’ and remain frantically active throughout the set. Mixed in with the technical drumming, classic guitar licks and crushing breakdowns are skilfully placed moments of subtlety, with guitarist Konan Hall’s clear vocals contrasting cleverly with the ferocity of metal riffs. Emotional 2020 track ‘The Other Side’ follows a touching call to remember those lost to suicide and encourage men to talk if they’re not ok, spreading an air of poignancy over the previously frenzied pit. The pace immediately picks up again for closer ‘Keep Your Distance’ as Malevolence display further technical prowess and unabashed brutal energy, leaving hundreds of hardcore pit hounds exhausted in elation.

Ice Nine Kills

Known for their theatrical horror shows, Ice Nine Kills certainly haven’t scrimped on the performance element of their set today, with mock beheadings, masks, props and drama galore. Not reliant on showmanship alone, they back up the carefully choreographed staging with a selection of slickly produced, punk-infused metal numbers. Finishers ‘Funeral Derangements’ and ‘The American Nightmare’ showcase vocalist Spencer Charnas’ wide-ranging vocal ability, along with the band’s technical expertise, with guitar trills and perfectly timed drum rolls aplenty. The production at times verges on overkill, and parts of the show certainly seem to be rehearsed to within an inch of their being, but the overall set is a masterpiece of charming, tongue-in-cheek hardcore packed with killer choruses and high-octane riffs.

Loathe

Consistently impressive live, Loathe are characteristically on-form today, playing to an enthralled crowd in the moody shade of the Avalanche tent. Like a number of other bands on the bill this weekend, Loathe expertly mix screaming, metalcore vocals with cleaner melodies, always backed up with brutal basslines and screeching guitars. Add in some experimental electronic effects and the huge sound of crashing cymbals, and you’ve got a beautiful cacophony of heavy, technically brilliant noise. With a packed touring schedule booked in for the rest of the year, and a fourth album on the way, Loathe are one of the most exciting bands representing the UK right now, and if they continue smashing out sets like today’s, they’ll be well on the way to further global acclaim.

Will Haven

With no introduction, California noise-metallers Will Haven launch straight into the screaming, chaotic sound they’ve been perfecting over the past twenty-something years. The syncopated beats aren’t always precise but the looseness adds to the haphazard heaviness that’s been this band’s trademark from day one. Not known as a band big on chit-chat, they let the brutality of their art shine through, assaulting the small but committed crowd’s ears with a constant onslaught of noise. Despite sticking to a tried-and-tested pattern of song writing over the course of their career, the variety comes within the tracks themselves, with odd time signatures, eerie synths and techier elements keeping everyone on their toes. Will Haven are unlikely to win over any new fans by charming the audience with small talk, but anyone wandering into the Dogtooth tent in search of half an hour of impassioned noise-metal would have been suitably impressed.

The Faim

It’s possible that the Faim’s fanbase hasn’t yet spread that much outside of Australia, as a significant proportion of the small crowd assembled for their set on the Avalanche stage appear to be fellow Aussies, supporting their countrymen on this Saturday afternoon in the UK midlands. Despite the scant audience, vocalist Josh Raven still describes the view from the stage as “beautiful” as they serve up a selection of pop rock grooves. The band toured almost non-stop throughout 2019 before the pandemic put a stop to live shows and this shows in their confidence on stage. There are touches of raw emotion in slower number ‘Humans’ and moments of magic in the bluesy ‘Buying Time’, but the basic rhythms and melodies stray into mediocre territory at times.  The Faim aren’t going to win over any of the hardcore crowd looking for blast beats and ruinous breakdowns but with a new album set for release in July, and the right backing behind them, there’s definitely potential for them to continue to grow their following to pull in many more pop-inclined fans the next time they return to UK shores.

Mastodon

Tracking the movement of fans around the site on this eclectic Saturday would be an interesting indication of each act’s fanbase. It wouldn’t be a big surprise to find that the majority of lifelong Maiden fans had set up camp on the Opus stage after the early afternoon crowds had dispersed, ready for thrashers Megadeth to entertain them before the main event. The heavy, proggy output of Atlanta metallers Mastodon is just the tonic for the more discerning rocker, and they deliver a polished set full of powerful classics alongside some new material from last year’s double album ‘Hushed and Grim’. Never ones for light-hearted fluff, Mastodon blare out each track with technical brilliance, even through some unavoidable sound distortion from unwelcome cross-winds for those not directly in front of the stage. In contrast with the melancholy of their anguished lyrics and haunting harmonies, the band look genuinely happy to be here, and tear through each track with vigour, ending on the triumphant ‘Blood and Thunder’. The complexity of Mastodon’s song writing continues to highlight their musicianship as a band, and their ability to display this skill in a live setting never fails to impress.

Deftones

With metal heavyweights Deftones billed at the same time as the colossal draw of Mastodon, it’s perhaps not surprising that the crowd at the Apex stage isn’t as busy as one might expect for the Sacramento five-piece. With bass and guitar duties on this tour performed by Fred Sablan and Lance Jackman respectively, the band opted for a more mellow set than might have been expected, and it didn’t always hit the mark. Chino Moreno’s vocals were great, when you could hear them, but a lot of muddy sound from that pesky wind interfering with a band who are known for playing in a very loose style meant that parts of the set felt a little warped, lacklustre and flat. Favourites ‘Be Quiet and Drive’, ‘My Own Summer’ and ‘Diamond Eyes’ still packed a punch, but what could have been a moody, interesting journey through some less obvious choices from an expansive back catalogue somehow seemed lacking in atmosphere and, dare it be said, a little dull. It’s a shame, as Deftones are a fantastic live band but this slower, more contemplative set might have been better saved for a dark indoor venue, rather than the evening sunshine of the main stage of one of the largest metal festivals in the world.

Funeral For a Friend

There’s barely space along the grassy sides of the Avalanche stage, let alone under the roof of the tent for Welsh post-hardcore outfit Funeral For A Friend. Squeezing through the masses to catch a glimpse of the band and packed out tent, the excitement exuding from the crowd seeps into the evening air. From the opening chords of ‘This Year’s Most Open Heartbreak’, the energy all around is infectious, and Funeral for a Friend launch into a set packed with favourites, each track more well-received than the last. There’s barely a single person present not singing along at the top of their lungs to ‘Red Is The New Black’, showing how much the quartet’s anthems stand the test of time. In addition to superb renditions of tracks from their hugely popular albums ‘Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation’ and ‘Hours’, there’s a healthy dose of crowd interaction, complete with a moan about the pollen count and a comment on the toxicity of mainstream media as a preamble to ‘She Drove Me to Daytime Television’. If you weren’t a FFAF fan before, the atmosphere and passion, not to mention the collection of timeless emotional anthems of tonight’s joyous hour-long set would surely have converted you.

Iron Maiden

What is there to say about metal veterans Iron Maiden that hasn’t already been said over the course of their illustrious career? As big on elaborate staging as they are epic metal masterpieces, tonight’s show certainly doesn’t disappoint, opening with an ancient Japanese backdrop as a nod to opening track and most recent single ‘Senjutsu’. For a man in his sixties, Bruce Dickenson looks ever the rockstar, clad in leather trousers and a trademark billowing shirt, moving around the impressive set with as much ease as many of the younger performers to have graced the Apex stage so far this weekend. The phenomenal stage changes certainly also deserve a mention, with an appearance of the iconic Spitfire and familiar Cathedral backdrop from the Legacy of the Beast World Tour. The stage crew probably can’t take credit for the perfect timing of the sunset just as ‘Fear of The Dark’ gets going, but it adds a welcome eeriness to an absolute classic that can’t have been a total accident.

Endearing as the eccentric performances are, there is a slight feeling that this set is tiptoeing on the wrong side of nostalgia. The favourites are all there, yes, and they’re performed with precision, emotion and gusto, but as a band who have headlined Download Festival six times already, there’s a sense that we’ve seen it all before. Thankfully, the band don’t seem to be remotely jaded, and the shredding, riffing and smashing is as genuine and fiery as it’s ever been. By the time we get to the encore triple-punch of ‘The Trooper’, ‘The Clansman’ and ‘Run to the Hills’, even the part-time Maiden fans are reminded just how many definitive tracks this band have produced over the years. It’s not quite the same enormous send-off as the closing moments of last night’s headline performance from Kiss, but then this isn’t Iron Maiden’s last show. Will they headline at Donington for an eighth time? Only time will tell, but it doesn’t seem like these metal idols are going anywhere just yet.

It does not bear to dwell on what came next but April 2021 came and went and no glorious sounds spilled out of guitar amps. A new date in January was announced. Calendars were hastily crossed out and new marks made – this time in pencil. 

The chaos of postponed shows will be familiar to anybody with a passing interest in live music. When the doors of Electric Brixton finally open to a ravenous crowd on a windy Saturday night in March 2022 – 20 months since the original announcement – there is a palpable sense of excitement. As the lights dim and the band appears on stage, the terror of the past two years disappear and what follows is two hours of perfection. Perhaps the extra time has provided the chance for more diligent practice, for more time together to recapture the rhythms of old. Whatever it was, it’s worked.

‘All the Rage’, from 2005’s ‘Hours’, opens a set also spanning 2003’s ‘Casually Dressed’ and ‘Deep in Conversation’ as well as 2007’s ‘Tales Don’t Tell Themselves’. It’s one for the fans that grew up with the band being inescapable. As the opener belts to a finish, it’s straight into ‘Juneau’, typically expected as a set closer, its place this early in the set is a clear indication that the band are confident in keeping the crowd’s attention. Bodies fly in every direction, the pent up anticipation reaching boiling point during ‘Streetcar’. Limbs combined, bodies blend into a large mass, heads crashed to the floor. This is a gig debauchery for those at the front – but what else could be expected when so many of those at the show thought this day might never come?

A brief moment of respite for those in among the chaos comes with the pivot to some of the more recent Funeral for a Friend songs, which despite their power, just don’t cut through quite as perfectly as ‘Rookie of the Year’ or ‘Monsters’. The band know their audience – they know what people come to see and experience. The mantra is clear: Give The Kids What They Want. No more dicking around with deep cuts (although a run through ‘The Art of American Football’ wouldn’t have gone amiss). 

When you’ve waited this long for something, it’s always going to pass in an instant. By the time the opening chords of the emotional ‘History’ play out, the crowd is spent – but there’s always a touch more energy for a final big chorus. It’s a moment of beautiful unity and a reminder of just how much people missed this when we couldn’t do it. I hope the next time the band announce a tour they don’t have to wait so long to get it off the ground. 

ALEX SARYCHKIN

WORDS: Gem Rogers [GR] (North), Yasmin Brown [YB] (South)
IMAGES: Glen Bollard (North), Penny Bennett (South)

Blood Youth

There can be few better ways to kick start a festival than with a gigantic dose of riffs, and there are few better bands to deliver them than Yorkshire locals Blood Youth. Despite their early start there’s a sizeable crowd gathered in the Jagermeister tent, and it’s the perfect place for anyone looking for somewhere to get amped up for the day ahead – one word from vocalist Kaya Tarsus and a pit swiftly engulfs the floor of the tent, taking full advantage of the aural hammering that is opener ‘Iron Lung’. Elation and excitement fills the air as Blood Youth cover favourites both old and new with incredible precision; from recent single ‘Cells’, to  ‘Starve’ track ‘Spineless’, to the older ‘Playing The Victim’, this is a devastating set, awash with the kind of deep, dark heaviness that stops your heart and immediately starts it again. There is, however, a note of sadness that accompanies the band’s sets this weekend, as they’re also the last for Tarsus. An inimitable vocalist, his presence will undoubtedly be missed, and performances like this show why – but as he says himself, this is far from the end. Blood Youth forever. [GR]

Doll Skin

It felt like we were only just starting to get acquainted with Doll Skin, back on their first tour of the UK in late 2019, when the-thing-that-shall-not-be-named came along and put a two year spanner in the works. Fortunately, Slam Dunk has brought us back together, and you’ll be unlikely to find a more spirited, joyous set today; vocalist Sydney Dolezal is filled with a giddy energy that lights up the whole area, not least when they introduce latest single ‘Eat Shit’ with a guided singalong (is there much better than standing in a crowd of people bellowing swear words at the top of their lungs?!). A few technical hiccups along the way do nothing to impinge on the enjoyment of this set, and Dolezal’s vocals are nothing short of flawless – Doll Skin’s punk spirit and earworm pop melodies make for the perfect festival half hour, and we couldn’t be more delighted to be back in their company. [GR]

HelloGoodbye

Hands up if the name ‘Hellogoodbye’ immediately takes you straight back to 2005. Keep your hands up if you now have ‘Here In Your Arms’ stuck in your head? This has been our constant state since this throwback band were announced for Slam Dunk and after today’s performance, we doubt they’ll ever leave our minds again. It may be a slow starter, but after a while, the words come back to us like old friends and it really is magical to have this band back in front of us playing their fun and folky emo pop to a full crowd under blazing sunshine. Naturally, ‘Here (In Your Arms)’ and ‘Baby, It’s Fact’ receive the warmest welcome, but it’s amazing just how much comes flooding back over the course of the set. Front man Forrest Kline marvels at the sight before him, noting earnestly that he would love to come back a million times and by the looks of things, this Slam Dunk crowd would greet them just as excitedly were that to be the case. It’s been year – over a decade – since Hellogoodbye have graced our shores but we’re left praying that it won’t be that long again. [YB]

McFly

As the day creeps towards 2pm, to say the crowd assembled around the Key Club stage is astronomical still feels like somewhat of an understatement – and with the ‘secret special guest’ band taking to the stage late, there’s plenty of time for more people to join the curious and eager masses in the top corner of the Temple Newsam hill. It’s an eclectic crowd, too, and yet when pop pioneers McFly appear, you’d be hard pressed to find a single frown. Much like when Busted played two years ago, everyone seems, quite honestly, absolutely bloody thrilled. The singalongs to tunes like ‘Star Girl’ and ‘All About You’ are so loud they almost certainly echo all the way to Leeds city centre, and ‘cheesy’ though it may be, this is clearly the exact happiness tonic so many people needed this afternoon. No pressure, Slam Dunk, but… McBusted 2022? [GR]

Lizzy Farrall

It’s no secret that Lizzy Farrall is one of our favourite up and comers in 2021. We are, quite frankly, obsessed, and it seems we’re not alone in that, either. “There are so many people! Fuck!”, she exclaims with the wildest of grins on her face, and as you look around you’ll see that same grin reflected on the hundreds that have turned up to catch her set. It’s her second show back in over a year and a half (the first being at Slam Dunk North the day before), and everyone will be in easy agreement that while the wait was hard, we’re over the moon to be back here today and maybe, just maybe, it was worth it. As she bounces around the stage, you can’t help but notice Farrall’s impressive stamina as she maintains perfect pitch as she executes each of the catchy yet bitter and slightly depressing songs on the setlist. Fans sing along emphatically and you can’t help but dance as the sun continues to beat down, perfectly matching the atmosphere. Friends clamber on shoulders during ‘Balloon’, and Farrall threatens to cry at the sheer magnitude of the response she’s receiving. Closing off with “the one you’ve all been waiting for”, ‘Barbados’, we can’t help but be sad that it’s already over. Here’s to hoping there’s not another 18 months to wait until she’s back on our stages once more. [YB]

Creeper

Up next, over on the main stage, are a band who always help make Slam Dunk feel that little bit more like home – and it’s always a pleasure to see Creeper deliver yet another masterclass in performance. Their punk-infused sound may be more suited to the cover of darkness (though on this cloudy Leeds afternoon, we’re not too far off), but Creeper’s ultra-theatrical stylings feel like an almighty celebration of life today, pulling on material from across their back catalogue to delight their crowd from start to finish. The dual vocals of ‘Midnight’ form a particularly well received highlight, and Creeper continue to go from strength to strength – the top slot on this stage awaits, and we’re willing to bet it won’t be too long before it happens. [GR]

We Are The In Crowd

They might be super late on stage, but after six years of waiting for a reunion, what’s another 20 minutes, right? Right. Absolutely right. Playing right before Mayday Parade on the main stage, this lineup feels like another 2011 throwback – a time when these two bands came hand in hand like peanut butter and jam, or salt and pepper. The fans here today are choosing to skip out on a surprise performance from the McFly boys, a British staple, so there’s a lot to live up to and We Are The In Crowd do not disappoint. A cheshire cat smile sits unwavering on the face of vocalist Tay Jardine as she acknowledges the sight before her, only growing wider as it becomes blatantly clear that those in attendance aren’t merely here to kill time. It’s been a while, sure, but how could we forgot the lyrics to what were our favourite songs as we made our way through high school and into university. There’s unspoken but unanimous agreement that we’re all absolutely delighted to be here as bodies fly into the air and tears unexpectedly roll down cheeks at the realisation that this reunion is happening. Jardine’s voice has aged like a fine wine over the years, still working in perfect harmony with co-vocalist Jordan Eckes. Claiming to have brought the sun with them from New York, it’s another sweltering performance, but neither fans nor the band themselves could care less as they throw themselves into this set entirely. What a flawless reunion for what has always been a flawless band – it’s taken a long time to get here but we couldn’t have hoped for more. [YB]

Trash Boat

On paper, Trash Boat are probably one of the least heavy bands to grace the Jagermeister tent this weekend – but as anyone who’s seen this band live will attest, they can more than hold their own on any stage, and the power they bring into their live performance is second to none. Not only is this Slam Dunk set no exception, but Trash Boat feel almost like a different band entirely, in the best possible way. Yes, their recent sound has changed – as vocalist Tobi Duncan acknowledges mid-set – but with it has come a whole new level of confidence, transforming Trash Boat into a band who quite simply decimate this tent with the most glorious ease. Armed with undoubtedly the best and clearest sound of the weekend, this set is a wild ride from start to finish as the crowd revel in the bold, igniting tones of the likes of ‘Don’t You Feel Amazing?’ and ‘Bad Entertainment’, and bring full throttle pit mayhem for old favourites like ‘Tring Quarry’. Today’s crown, though, without question belongs to the tracks from latest album ‘Don’t You Feel Amazing?’ – with the force of this new sound, Trash Boat have delivered one of the standout sets of the weekend, and it’s one that’s sure to be remembered for a long time. [GR]

Mayday Parade

It’s doubtful that there will ever be a time when Mayday Parade are not seen as a pop-punk favourite among those of us who were there to experience them in their heyday circa 2007, and they’ll always be at the top of our list of must-see bands when they appear on festival lineups. Today is no different as they take to the stage right after their friends in We Are The In Crowd to play the second of their first shows in almost two years. How lucky we are that they chose us for their comeback! Throughout the set, it’s easy to see that most fans are here for the older songs – those from ‘A Lesson In Romantics’ or ‘Anywhere But Here’, but in reality, some of Mayday’s best music came in the early 2010s and if the singalongs to songs like ‘When You See My Friends’ or ‘Oh Well, Oh Well’ are anything to go by, our favourite Mayday songs may still be to come. As front man Derek Sanders delicately puts it, “we all needed this”, and it’s clear to see that every member of this band is truly embracing the experience, not really knowing for sure when the next one might be. Never one to ignore a fan gift, Sanders quickly puts on a T-shirt that’s thrown onto stage, depicting a rainbow cat riding a shark, rocking it proudly for the last few songs. It’s not Mayday Parade’s best performance by any stretch of the imagination, but it really doesn’t matter. Just having them back on stage is quite enough for now. [YB]

Funeral For A Friend

If anyone ever fancied testing the limit of capacity in the Jagermeister tent, Welsh legends Funeral For A Friend seem more than happy to help this afternoon. Thousands of fans spill far outside the tent, and though arranging the lineup for this year’s festival was surely a significant (and unenviable) task, it’s hard not to think that such a momentous set would have been far better with the unrestricted space of the main stage. It’s not the only issue this set faces – for anyone towards the back and sides of the tent, the sound is disappointingly poor and muddy, such that at times the only way to identify the song playing is by the singalongs that manage to spread throughout the space. The end result is, sadly, underwhelming, through no real fault of the band – that said, the finale trio of ‘Roses For The Dead’, ‘Into Oblivion (Reunion)’ and ‘Escape Artists Never Die’ is something to behold, even in a set that’s already packed with beloved classics. ‘Into Oblivion (Reunion)’ feels especially potent today, and as thousands of voices come together in an outpouring of blissful emotion, we’re reminded once more of the power of live music – and of Funeral For A Friend. [GR]

Skindred

There’s a reason that Skindred rarely switch up their festival performances and it’s simply that it always goes down spectacularly well. While the inside of the tent is not an ideal environment for these showmen, it doesn’t deter fans from cramming in, with hundreds of others spilling outside just to catch a glimpse or engage in a singalong. The band’s reggae metal goes down a treat on the Jagermeister stage, and even those who may not know the band are eagerly drawn in. Performed to sheer technical perfection, you simply cannot fault Skindred at any single point, the only potential downfall being the sheer difficulty of performing the Newport Helicopter in such close confines. They may not have released an album in three years, but they still remain one of the most popular bands on any lineup, and today is no different. As the sheer delight filters through the crowd, we hope it always stays this way. [YB]

State Champs

The sun may not be shining on Temple Newsam today, but it’s hard not to feel warm when State Champs roll around with the very best pop punk in town (and hey, at least it’s not raining). Never a band to scrimp on energy levels, ‘Elevated’ gets the set off to a suitably buoyant start, and the crowd take full advantage by descending into immediate, delirious chaos. God, we love live music… In amongst the likes of ‘Losing Myself’, ‘All You Are Is History’ and ‘Secrets’, there are a few special treats in the form of the debut play of ‘Just Sound’, and the even newer, unreleased single ‘Outta My Head’. Playing a wholly new song at a festival is a bold choice, but when you’re a band like State Champs, you can’t go too far wrong – and sure enough, ‘Outta My Head’ is not only instantly memorable, but also utterly easy to fall in love with. If there’s a downside to today’s performance, it’s that front man Derek DiScanio has some occasional and uncharacteristic vocal issues throughout, but none are significant enough to have any real impact on what is otherwise a thoroughly uplifting set. [GR]

Vukovi

If you haven’t yet heard of Vukovi you may well have been living under a rock. At the bottom of the ocean. Making their way onto every relevant festival lineup this summer, this is a band that are demanding to be heard and goddamn are they worth listening to. Fronted by Janine Shilstone, Vukovi ooze fun and silliness, and yet when it comes to their music you would be a fool not to take it seriously. The moment Shilstone takes to the stage, you sense her fierce presence and you’ll struggle to look away as she starts to attack the setlist with stunning force and accuracy, despite spending most of the performance floating around in the crowd somewhere, rather than being confined to the stage. Fans soon follow suit as crowd surfers emerge en masse before circle pits take over during the chaotic performance of ‘Claudia’. Despite the apparent ease with which Shilstone hits every note, just two songs from the end she breathlessly states, “I’m fucked”, and it becomes clear that however many shows they’ve played during these past few weeks of freedom, nothing compares to the stamina you build over months of relentless touring. Regardless, the band executes their music to perfection and the smile on drummer Martin Lynch’s face shows just how much fun they’re having – however tired they may be. Closing off with fan fave ‘La Di Da’, Wargasm’s Milkie Way joins them on stage for a hug and it’s a true delight to see two women who are storming our industry in one place – a reminder that women really do rule the world. Long may they reign. [YB]

Normandie

The Key Club stage is often home to some of the strongest rising acts in our scene – the ones picking up the dedicated fanbases, delivering exciting new sounds, and paving their way to future main stage slots. Sweden’s Normandie comfortably fit that label, with third album ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’ seeing them expand their reach this year, and though the impact of the first few tracks is dulled a little by some unfortunate sound issues, it by no means dampens the enthusiasm of the gathered fans, or the band’s ability to fuel it. New tracks ‘Holy Water’ and ‘Hostage’ sound especially gigantic, the perfect blend of heavy hitting riffs and soaring melodies, while older tracks ‘White Flag’ and ‘Collide’ bring some joyous singalongs (alongside a fair helping of crowdsurfers). Normandie have more than proven themselves today, and with songs and performances like these, taking main stages by storm will be an easy task. [GR]

Alkaline Trio

Seven years is a really bloody long time to wait to see a band. It feels longer still when it’s for a band as beloved as punk rock kings Alkaline Trio, so it’s not too surprising that the crowd at the Punk In Drublic stage stretches back a long, long way – and even a half hour delay to the start of the set doesn’t seem to deter anyone. Hey, we’ve already waited this long, right? When the infamous Trio finally take to the stage, they bring with them a set packed with favourites – it would be hard not to, with so many to choose from – but the delight is especially evident when tracks like ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Emma’ make an appearance. Best of all, the band sound perfectly on form, despite their lack of rehearsal – “We practiced twice, by the way,” Skiba jokes in defence of earlier suggestions that it had only been the once. Though the volume could do with being cranked up a few notches or ten, this is the comeback set that dreams are made of, and makes the news of a 2022 UK tour all the more welcome. [GR]

Holding Absence

To see Holding Absence live is to transcend to another world. They have, as they gently put it, been “grinding this shit” for years, slowly rising through the ranks at Slam Dunk Festival since the band’s early days and it has been a delight to see just how much they’ve grown. Today, there’s just one band ahead of them on the Key Club stage lineup and within seconds, it’s glaringly obvious as to just how much they deserve this slot. Front man Lucas Woodland has a voice that can be rivalled by none. It seeps into your soul and fills you with glitter and gold until it simply must flow out of your eyes in the form of salty tears. The words are important, of course, but it really is the music that does the talking for Holding Absence – Woodland’s melodies included – and this is only more powerful in a live environment. Desperate to exert this emotion in whatever ways they can, fans throw themselves into intense circle pits and launch themselves on top of one another, crowd surfing across a sea of willing supporters with no two songs receiving a more excitable response than ‘Like a Shadow’ and ‘Beyond Belief’. Woodland echoes everyone’s thoughts when the emotions get too much and he claims he “could do this for the rest of my life until I keeled over and died”, a sentiment that may sound dramatic when taken out of context, but in the moment feels like a perfectly reasonable comment and one with which we are all in agreement. 

Emotions aside, the performance is technically perfect, too – the precision with which each song is played is genuinely mind boggling, particularly when you’re reminded that for anything off of April’s ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’, this is only their fifth outing in a live environment. With just one song left to go, the sombre ‘Wilt’ seems like an odd choice, particularly for a festival, but in reality there couldn’t have been a stronger choice. Friends clutch one another as they sing along through their tears and in this moment, we couldn’t possibly love them more. [YB]

Boston Manor

It’s been mere seconds since the chaotic notes of ‘Everything is Ordinary’ first blasted our eardrums, but from the depths of the Boston Manor pit you already have to fight for air. Of all the festivals you may have spotted this Blackpool five-piece over the years, Slam Dunk really does feel most apt for their somewhat unplaceable sounds, and the crowd’s response is only cementing that suspicion. As the not-so-secret headliners of the Key Club, Boston Manor have a lot of pressure on their shoulders but they carry it with ease, performing each of the seven songs on their setlist with as much enthusiasm and energy as the last. This is a band that have performed in countless venues of varying sizes over the years, but somehow they feel most comfortable here – even more so in some ways than at their own headline shows. In fact the crowd is so enticing that front man Henry Cox dives in himself, performing ‘You Me & the Class War’ from the circle pit he’s just commanded open. Slowly but surely, he amps up the crowd as they chant the bridge increasingly aggressively, supported by his band mates on stage, until permission is given to lose their minds. The set continues in much the same way, with both crowd and band throwing all they have into the short but intense set – from crowd surfing to mosh pits to screaming ourselves hoarse and everything in between. The sense of pride they have at closing off this stage shines through as Cox shouts out as many bands as he can recall that have played there across the day, and affectionately referring to Slam Dunk as a “festival full of greebos” before allowing said greebos to carry him to the edges of the crowd and back again during what may forever be the fan favourite, ‘Halo’. 

It’s over too soon, as it always is, but we can think of no better way to see out the Key Club stages – which have been home to so many incredible acts today – than with our favourite miscreants in Boston Manor. [YB]

While She Sleeps

For as long as they are a band, ‘Sleeps Society’ will always be the perfect set opener for the Sheffield-based five-piece While She Sleeps. It’s a song that encompasses everything they are and, most importantly, sets the scene for the raucous performance that is inevitably to follow. And if that’s your expectation for today, you won’t be disappointed. This idea of a ‘society’ makes for a powerful fanbase – bringing fans and band members together in a community without boundaries – and it’s clear from today’s performance just how powerful this community really is. At the helm, backed by red WSS flags, is front man Lawrence ‘Loz’ Taylor and he leads by perfect example, his energy never once waning as he commands the stage, conducting the crowd as he does so. It’s sweaty and exhausting, but with fan favourites aplenty (will ‘Guilty Party’ ever get old?), you simply don’t want it to end. But end it must and as sweat continues to pour down our faces and we can physically scream no more, the last notes of ‘Nervous’ and ‘Systematic’ still ringing clearly in our ears, we know we’ll be smiling at the memories for a long time to come. [YB]

Don Broco

If any band have long been destined for a Slam Dunk headline set, it’s Bedford (where’s Bedford?) legends Don Broco. The quartet don’t have a reputation for phenomenal live shows for nothing, and tonight feels like the most magnificent culmination of all their years of graft, bringing their unique blend of electrifying, mosh-inducing rock together with dazzling visuals that feel like the ultimate finale to an incredibly special day. It’s impossible not to be swept up in the excitement, and the ground at Temple Newsam is almost definitely on the verge of an earthquake under thousands of jumping, dancing feet. ‘Pretty’ makes short work of re-energising anyone feeling the effects of a long festival day, and from here on out, there’s no real chance to catch your breath. Let’s hope everyone stocked up on the Red Bull for this one, then.

Stage presence is in no short supply here, either, with vocalist Rob Damiani wrapping the crowd around his little finger – it’s hard to tear your eyes away, their music embodying the same attitude with which they command the stage. Above all else, it’s just really damn good fun – recent single ‘Gumshield’ is a beat driven monster, while the dancy groove of tracks like ‘Automatic’ and ‘Priorities’ remains as irresistible as ever. It’s in their new songs, though, that some of the standout moments of the evening come – when While She Sleeps’ Loz Taylor and Waterparks’ Awsten Knight take to the stage for ‘Action’, it’s hard to imagine anything more fantastically chaotic, and it’s followed by the stadium-esque ‘One True Prince’, feeling unlike anything we’ve heard from this band before. The next evolution of Don Broco is well underway, and it’s looking better than ever.

By the time we reach the encore one-two hit of ‘Everybody’ and ‘T-Shirt Song’, there’s still no sign of anyone tiring – as darkness has closed in and left only the illumination from the stage, the fans in front of the main stage have become one in a constantly swirling sea of movement. It’s not only the pits that are keeping things going, either, with the dancing and t-shirt swinging stretching back far beyond the food and ice cream vans – a true sign of a thoroughly enjoyable (and thoroughly enjoyed) headline set. Exhaustion and aching feet are but a small price to pay for a weekend spent relishing the triumphant return of one of our favourite festivals, and there could be few better ways to round off the day than these final few hours with Broco. Welcome back, Slammy – we missed you. [GR]

While they initially had no intention of returning to the stage, both nights will be benefit shows for Stuart ‘Big Stu’ Brothers, a fan and friend who’s been diagnosed with a terminal illness. All proceeds will be donated to Brothers’ wife and his three young children. According to the band, Brothers has been given just a few weeks to live.

A fan since the early days of the band, FFAF will mainly be performing material from the beginning of their careers, as well as auctioning numerous memorabilia. The lineup will also include Darran Smith and Ryan Richards, both of whom left the band before 2012.

“FFAF Family,

When we left the stage on May 21st 2016 at London’s Kentish Town Forum, we all agreed that it was the perfect way to end Funeral For A Friend. We’d toured the UK one last time, playing some of the biggest shows we’d performed in years, in front of our friends and families. It was the perfect ending. Since then, we’ve been asked many times – ‘do you think you’ll ever come back?’ and the answer has always been a resounding ‘no’, because there was never any reason to.

Until now.

Recently, a man who can quite legitimately lay claim to being the world’s biggest FFAF fan (both literally and figuratively!), our friend Stuart ‘Big Stu’ Brothers, has been stricken with a terrible illness which has ultimately led to a terminal prognosis. Last month, Stu was given a few short weeks to live by his Doctors.

As Stu’s friends, we wanted to do something to help; particularly for his family and 3 young sons, who are going through unspeakable trauma right now. We discussed the possibility of auctioning off some FFAF memorabilia (which we’ll still do), but it became apparent that the way in which we could best help Stu was to perform some fundraising shows, with the proceeds going directly to his family.

So, on October 28th and 29th, at the Cardiff Globe and London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire respectively, Funeral for a Friend will be performing two more shows to benefit the Brothers family.

Being that Stu was an old-school fan right from the very start, we will mainly be performing material from the early part of our career circa 2002-2007. Joining Matt, Kris, Gav and Rich for the shows will be guitarist Darran Smith (who left the band in 2010) and drummer/vocalist Ryan Richards, who left in 2012.

Tickets will be available from Wednesday for O2 Priority Customers, and on general sale from Friday. All information can be found at www.funeralforafriend.co.uk

Additionally, a fundraising page has been set up for Stu’s family here. If you can, please give generously to a great man and a great cause.

Thank you, and we’ll see you in October.

Matt, Kris, Gav, Rich, Darran and Ryan.

FFAF.”

General release tickets are released on Friday 9 August and are available here. Donations, large or small, can be made here.

OCTOBER

28 CARDIFF The Globe
29  LONDON 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire