2018 sees them unleash ‘Broken’, a record that follows the same suit as their previous releases. A sonically staggering record crammed full of pain, heartache, and a powerful message. That message? Sometimes it’s OK not to be OK.

Their last record ‘This Light I Hold’ was a more radio friendly offering than their previous efforts, and ‘Broken’ is a continuation of that, brimming with melody and sprinkled with heaviness and aggression in all the right places. Lead single ‘The Old Me’ has the potential to be a crowd favourite, featuring a bouncy tempo and a memorable chorus courtesy of front man Matty Mullins. ‘Heavy Is The Weight’ plays out like a ballad, flowing from soft verses into soaring choruses with ease. There’s plenty of aggression for long time fans to get lost in too, found in tracks like the punishing ‘Mark My Words’ and ‘Who I Am’.

The lyrical content is the true star of the record though, and what the band want listeners to connect with more than anything. Mullins digs deep into his personal experiences to write some moving and relatable content, tackling subjects like self-harm, inter-personal competition, anxiety and loss. This is everything that you’d expect to hear from a Memphis May Fire record. Well produced, unapologetically catchy, and lyrically powerful.

If you’re listening to this record hoping for it to sound like ‘The Hollow’ or ‘Challenger’, you’re going to be disappointed. They aren’t that band anymore. They have elements of their roots scattered throughout, sure, but on the whole, they’re a more commercial band than they once were. They’ve grown as musicians and as people, and the records they’re making are a representation of that growth. ‘Broken’ displays a band still hungry and clawing for the top spot of their genre. Weighty, infectious, and full of heart, this is another solid record from a solid band.

DAVE STEWART

It follows up the band’s 2016 fifth album, ‘This Light I Hold’, on Rise Records.

They join the stacked line up that includes Enter Shikari, who will perform ‘Take To The Skies’ in full, Don Broco, Bowling For Soup, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For, Beartooth, Tonight Alive, Against Me!, The Bronx, Goldfinger, Mad Caddies, The Movielife, Trophy Eyes, Like Pacific, Neck Deep, Citizen, Turnover, Deaf Havana, Frank Iero and The Patience, We Are The Ocean, The Maine, Crime In Stereo, Sorority Noise, Too Close To Touch, Seaway, WSTR, Boston Manor, and Stray From The Path  Set It Off, Memphis May Fire, I Prevail, Ice Nine Kills, Oceans Ate Alaska, Crossfaith, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Waterparks, With Confidence, Milk Teeth, Black Foxxes, Decade, Counterfeit., Fort Hope, SHVPES, Puppy,The Gospel Youth, Ocean Grove, Vukovi, Area 11, Sylar, Homebound, Casey, Makeout, and more.

The festival will take place at three dates across the May Bank Holiday weekend, and the dates for the event’s are below.

Slam Dunk Festival south has now sold out but tickets for the remaining dates are on sale now from the official Slam Dunk website.

May
27 BIRMINGHAM NEC
28 LEEDS City Centre
29 HATFIELD The Forum

The stacked line up includes Enter Shikari, who will perform ‘Take To The Skies’ in full, Don Broco, Bowling For Soup, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For, Beartooth, Tonight Alive, Against Me!, The Bronx, Goldfinger, Mad Caddies, The Movielife, Trophy Eyes, Like Pacific, Neck Deep, Citizen, Turnover, Deaf Havana, Frank Iero and The Patience, We Are The Ocean, The Maine, Crime In Stereo, Sorority Noise, Too Close To Touch, Seaway, WSTR, Boston Manor, and Stray From The Path  Set It Off, Memphis May Fire, I Prevail, Ice Nine Kills, Oceans Ate Alaska, Crossfaith, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Waterparks, With Confidence, Milk Teeth, Black Foxxes, Decade, Counterfeit., Fort Hope, SHVPES, Puppy,The Gospel Youth, Ocean Grove, Vukovi, Area 11, Sylar, Homebound, Casey, Makeout, and more.

The festival will take place at three dates across the May Bank Holiday weekend, and the dates for the event’s are below.

Slam Dunk Festival south has now sold out but tickets for the remaining dates are on sale now from the official Slam Dunk website.

May
27 BIRMINGHAM NEC
28 LEEDS City Centre
29 HATFIELD The Forum

It’s a pretty solid announcement, as far as we are concerned. Although Panic! may raise some eyebrows, they’ve proven themselves a new beast at Reading and Leeds Festival earlier this year, and there’s always an air of nostalgia that’ll keep the older crowd happy. The All-American Rejects have already proven that emo tinged melodic pop-rock works at the top of the bill, and after a few beverages it’s almost guaranteed that I [Ben] will be there singing my heart out.

Elsewhere, the line-up sets the festival up for its various genre pigeonholes. Of Mice & Men are perhaps the most unexpected addition to the bill, especially considering their sub-headline position on the current line-up poster, but they still find themselves in the more credible end of the somewhat inconsistent metelcore market.

New Found Glory and Four Year Strong lead the pop-punk contingent, with Real Friends not far behind. We could throw early criticisms about rehashed line-ups, but these three are right up there in terms of quality. There’s also still plenty more to be announced (over 40 more, in fact), so we’d expect the new crowd of bands to be heavily represented further down the bill. Whether any of the bigger names have not graced the Slam Dunk stages before remains to be seen.

Every Time I Die always give a great performance, and since leaving fans in an anticipatory state following their postponement of recent UK shows, will draw in some ticket buyers. The same can be said about Issues, although I’m still not sure on that one. Memphis May Fire again sit towards the good end of an over-saturated genre.

All in all, it’s a strong announcement. It sets Slam Dunk up for more of what we are used to, with some strong names currently topping the various different genres that usually end up determining the stages. Panic! At The Disco is a great shout, and we’re sure that some bands that haven’t graced the line-up before (other than Issues) will be announced in the next batch.

Slam Dunk Midlands has also moved, which will please commuters (Birmingham is that bit easier to get to than Wolverhampton).

Slam Dunk Festival will take place on the 28th, 29th and 30th May 2015 in Leeds, Birmingham and Hatfield respectively. Tickets are on sale this Friday [27th November], priced at £42 or £47 with after-show. The festival will also be releasing limited Mega Tickets (£150), granting access to all three events plus after-shows, t-shirts and queue jumps.

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However, every single person in this room is here for one reason only: Memphis May Fire. The Texas-based metalcore five-piece are greeted with rapturous applause, and it’s great to see them headlining a show here. Last time they were over in the UK they were supporting Of Mice & Men over the road in the Electric Ballroom, and while it was great to see them, they didn’t get to play for nearly long enough.

Tonight they get to play a full headline set, and the majority of it is filled with tracks from their two most recent albums, ‘Challenger’ and ‘The Hollow’. Probably the biggest crowd reaction of the night is prompted by the inclusion of ‘Ghost In The Mirror’, taken from their 2009 debut, but the songs that sound best live are undoubtedly taken from 2012’s ‘Challenger’. Tracks like ‘Vices’ and ‘Legacy’ sound unbelievable tonight – in particular, the chorus in ‘Legacy’ sounds massive.

Memphis May Fire are on fire tonight, and if frontman Matty Mullins’ crowd banter is anything to go by, they’re unbelievably happy to be here. The crowd share that sentiment, and tonight’s intimate show is a victory for them. They sound almost flawless, and their massive songs sound just as good live as recorded. Finishing off with ‘The Faithful’ and coming back on for an encore with ‘Prove Me Right’, Memphis May Fire know what they’re doing.

If you’re going to Slam Dunk this weekend and you don’t check Memphis May Fire out, then quite simply, you’re a fool. Don’t miss out.

LAIS MW

Texas-based metalcore band Memphis May Fire are main support to Of Mice & Men and they are an absolutely stellar choice. They open with album intro ‘Without Walls’ and then launch into ‘The Sinner’. Tonight their set is a 50/50 mix of albums ‘The Hollow’ and ‘Challenger’, keeping both new and old fans happy. As the set goes on, MMF settle into the Electric Ballroom and by the time they play the fantastic ‘Legacy’, they seem more than at home. The singalongs for the rousing chorus are overwhelming for a support band, and this is purely down to their insanely catchy songs. Ending on ‘Prove Me Right’, they leave the stage with several hundred more fans than they turned up with. A stellar show from an incredible band. If they aren’t headlining the Electric Ballroom next time they come over to the UK, there’s no justice.

And so we come to Of Mice & Men. Until they step on stage, it looks like Memphis May Fire could headline this night. And then OM&M unleash themselves on the crowd and it’s clear to see that absolutely nobody could take their place. They have a legion of adoring fans and deservedly so, because they are unbeatable live. Their show is nothing less than incendiary. Whatever you think of their music, there is no denying that they are incredible onstage. Frontman Austin Carlile possesses the kind of energy and passion a million frontmen would kill for.

The setlist mainly consists of songs from the recently re-released album ‘The Flood’. ‘OG Loko’, ‘The Flood’ and ‘Let Live’ go down an absolute storm. The crowd go insane for pretty much every single song, but ‘I’m A Monster’ goes down particularly well. The band look bloody fantastic on stage together, doing synchronised headbanging and showcasing an incredible level of energy throughout. At one point, they play a new song and get the whole crowd to get down on one knee before jumping up when the song kicks back in. An old trick, but an unfailing one.

The band leave the stage before coming back on to play an encore. ‘Second & Sebring’ is undoubtedly the hit of the night, and the crowd genuinely couldn’t go any wilder for them. Tonight Of Mice & Men have shown just why they’re headlining this tour, and why they’ll probably be playing much bigger venues next time they’re back in the UK. Much deserved.

LAIS MW