Words: Kate Allvey // Photos: Paul Lyme, Penny Bennett

Call Me Amour

Glittery shirts and a whole lot of love for Call Me Amour kicks off the day, along with what must be the inaugural circle pit. It’s their first time playing any festival at all, and judging by the way ‘Bloom’ gently flowers into a chorus as pretty as its namesake, it won’t be their last. ‘Where’s The Chemistry?’ pulses with dark summer refreshment, and by emphasising the rock end of their sound, we’re fizzing from their Slam Dunk wake up call of a set.

Unpeople

Twiggy Ramirez grooves and summertime anthem energy? Yes please! Unpeople are joyful and heartfelt in their cross-genre rock appeal. ‘Going Numb’s grunge edges fade into indie screams as they take us on a voyage through their own sonic landscape through the dark recesses and sweeter rises of ‘Kangareuben’. They’re a dream of what the nineties scene could have led to had we taken different roads and a hopeful delight from start to finish. 

Cancer Bats

A shot of high-jumping adrenaline, Cancer Bats bring a invigorating and furious thunderstorm of raging punk and outside energy to the East field. It’s been two decades since they released ‘Birthing The Giant’ and they’re determined to celebrate with a set dominated by their debut; ‘Shillelagh’s prowling desert rage blasts with drum-driven intensity, led by an infinitely bouncing Liam Cormier. Their highly refined lack of polish makes for an absolute mid-afternoon kick.

Hawthorne Heights

“I’m not sure if Emo music is the right vibe, there’s blue skies everywhere,” frontman JT Woodruff apologises, but he’s wrong. Hawthorne Heights lure a packed crowd to the far corner of the field, and we sing out the melody to ‘Pens And Needles’ like our lives depended on it, barely recovered after the piercing honesty and stirring honesty of ‘We Are So Last Year’. A full wave transforms this corner into the most sincere pit of the weekend as Hawthorne Heights’ self-proclaimed “Emo throwback bangers” send us back to the happy places of our youth.

Zebrahead

Inflatable grim reapers, an onstage bar and the Team America soundtrack herald the arrival of Zebrahead, a band who have been stuck on the B-List for far too long. However, with punchy solos from the start and ska rhythms illuminating ‘We’re Not Alright’, that’s got to change. Ali Tabatabaee spits bars as crowd surfers flip forward on ‘Hello Tomorrow’ and ‘Rescue Me’ has reached full scream-it-out anthem status, the spectacle of the band obscured by the dust flung upwards by a roaring circle pit. Goldfinger join in for ‘The Perfect Crime’, a highlight of a set that’ll put Zebrahead back on the map. 

Trash Boat

“How the fuck did ten years go past so fast?” Tobi Duncan asks, and he’s determined to celebrate a decade of ‘Nothing I Write Can Change What You’ve Been Through’ ahead of their anniversary show this October. The smallest tent is packed with a fanbase fuelled by devotion, revelling in hearing a setlist that hasn’t seen the light of day in years. ‘Second Wind’s uplifting distortion gives way to the overflow of emotion that is ‘Catharsis’, and ‘Strangers’ feels like an emotional call to arms to send us back into the shocking brightness of the outside world.

Goldfinger

Can anything top ska punk in the sunshine? Goldfinger are just always reliably a good band to catch, and the way ‘Counting The Days’ echoes back across the field would melt the most icy and cynical heart. ‘Freaking Out A Bit’ wraps the jaded lyrics in brassy professionalism, and dropping in covers of NOFX and Metallica adds a jaunty humour to the afternoon. Previous years would have seen them on the corner stage in the ska-punk ghetto, but the decision to give Goldfinger room on the main stage lineup is undoubtedly an amazing move.

Boston Manor

There are two types of festival-goer: those that want the fun, and those that want the heaviness. For today’s crowd, the latter half have eschewed Goldfinger for the emotional earnestness of Boston Manor. With guitar lines like blades and an emotional urgency that demands you take notice, Boston Manor are proving to be the right choice for fans of the assertive, blunt and heavy. For those who opted to attend, ‘Laika’ acts as a reassurance that we were right to be here, as we stand strong in the packed out stage-front.

The Home Team

It’s The Home Team’s Slam Dunk debut and they’re bringing the party. ‘Brag’ grooves are a welcome respite from the heavier music with a focus on pure fun, their boyband energy extended to the most explosive and powerful rock conclusion. From the infinitely danceable ‘Overtime’ to the celebratory, grind-worthy ‘Loud’, each tune is more of a slap than the last, providing the festival feeling we’ve been craving.

Dashboard Confessional

The bustle of the day feels still as Dashboard Confessional present an oasis of semi-acoustic calm with ‘The Best Deceptions’, followed by the resonant universal truths of ‘The Sharp Hint of New Tears’. Of course, as Chris Carrabba explains, they “specialise in singing very sad songs,” but their set becomes a clearing full of joy in today’s forest of bands. 

The Menzingers

We’re hypnotically dragged across the field by the choppy strains of ‘I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore’, the sound of The Menzingers unfiltered by sub-genre suffixes. They slide between the nihilistic optimism of ‘The Obituaries’ and the sly connection with the British crowd posed by ‘America (You’re Freaking Me Out)’, plus, of course, the Springsteen-esque realism of new song ‘Chance Encounters’ which gets its UK debut. As Greg Barnett’s roar grips our chests and sends hands aloft, we’re one again fortunate to have caught the Menzingers in their natural habitat.

President

The masked and tuxedoed politicians continue their meteoric rise with a set marked by a lengthy power cut and an absolute wave of devotion from their fanbase. ‘Fearless’ is gritty and explosive, their crashing sound growing in strength with every show, and ‘Dionysus’ smashes beyond the inevitable comparisons to Sleep Token. With unfortunately limited time onstage, they make every second count with some of the most blistering tunes of the day.

Taking Back Sunday

Even vocalist Adam Lazzara is astounded by the love he received from the crowd as Taking Back Sunday weave sophistication into the setting sun over the West field. He shakes his head in disbelief as we take over vocals on their iconic ‘Cute Without The ‘E’’, but how can he be surprised when we’ve already been slamming to the slinky bass permeating ‘Miami’ and rejoicing to the crisp solos in ‘Error: Operator’? The instantly danceable emo hits Taking Back Sunday lay on us are always a winner.

Motion City Soundtrack

‘L.G. FUAD’ is like a firework going off on the Monster stage, a beacon for those of us still up for a party. Motion City Soundtrack know very well how to create fuzzy anthems, ‘My Favourite Accident’ cresting as a wave of positivity, the vibrant guitar keeping our spirits high. There’s no Patrick Stump guesting on ‘Particle Physics’, but who needs him when we’re buoyed aloft by MCS’ sweet and sour tunes to brighten the early evening?

Sublime

It’s Sublime’s first UK show, and with Jakob Nowell taking over his dad’s role on lead vocals we knew all along we were in for a historic treat. They pay homage to the past with the inflatable Lou Dogs onstage, but with an undoubtably modern reinvention; covering Fallen Idols’ ‘Prince Of Sin’ gives Nowell a chance to shine on rapid-fire vocals in a set that dips and weaves between classic South Beach skate punk, dub and stoner rock. ‘Until The Sun Explodes’ might be played extra fast but it’s just as tender, and ‘Santeria’ feels like the homecoming every MTV kid was waiting for.

Malevolence

Rowdy and with a rhythm to shake the earth, Malevolence’s Alex Taylor is ready for anything in his pseudo-bulletproof vest. ‘So Help Me God’ poses and burns, ferocious and compelling, calling forth a colossal circle pit from those who want their evening exceptionally heavy. Their set passes in an instant, the kind of half hour you can lose yourself in, each song a tribute to the power of maximum noise.

Knocked Loose

It feels inevitable that one day Knocked Loose would have festival closer status, and today they’re as glitching and complex as ever, and their sound works tremendously on a huge stage. ‘Don’t Reach For Me’ shocks and jars, a song for a band revelling in their own chaos, and silhouetted by bare lights, we’re confronted by a band who have reached the place that they wanted to be all along. The ‘real’ closers for those flitting between the heaviest bands, Knocked Loose propels themselves through endless raging bass to create a massive hardcore finale. 

Good Charlotte

The Brothers Madden and co are the star attraction at this year’s Slam Dunk with their first UK show in seven years and a setlist that’s crammed full of hits to spark waves of throwback fever. Even when they play their “emotional song”, ‘Hold On’, we’re swept up by their sound blasting into the night to the point that no one dare move to catch an early train home: we’re gripped by their retrospective, from the tightly-plotted ‘Riot Girl’ through to the galactic club energy of ‘The Chronicles of Life and Death’.

While they might be larger than life now, Good Charlotte have kept themselves firmly rooted in their teenage outsider perspective. ‘Rejects’’ dreamy harmonies keep the loner message light, and ‘Little Things’, dedicated to “every kid who ever got picked last in gym class”, slaps hard, the field a sea of glowing hands. “We’re going to turn this into a very 2001 Good Charlotte show right here,” declares Joel Madden, and reliving our teenage years is what we’re here for. We’re word perfect on ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ – and we’ll ignore the irony considering the Maddens are married to Nicole Richie and Cameron Diaz when the live version of their hit is this good – and closing out with ‘The Anthem’ is an incredibly satisfying conclusion to our months of anticipation at seeing Good Charlotte live again. Okay, we won’t have too long to wait as they’re back in the UK in November, but as the fireworks send us on our way, we’ve got absolutely no complaints about our pop-punk favourites giving it their all. 

KATE ALLVEY

Words: Kate Allvey and Rob Dand  //  Photos: Penny Bennett and Paul Lyme

Press Club

Melbourne’s Press Club are one of a handful of Australian bands at Trees this weekend, and their breezy indie-punk has an undercurrent of warmth that makes them perfect main stage material. They’re arriving at Upcote Farm at the tail end of a mammoth European run in support of album four, ‘To All The Ones That I Love’, but this is a classic festival set, drawing from all corners of their back catalogue over just seven songs. The new record’s title track translates particularly well, and a glorious few minutes of cloud cover during jubilant set closer ‘Suburbia’ managing to inspire a lung-busting singalong from pockets of the crowd. Frontwoman Natalie Foster leaps with enviable vitality across the stage monitors and down toward the barrier, a captivating presence at the spearhead of a band who have no doubt just won over a host of new fans, thousands of miles from home. [Rob Dand]

Blackgold 

Taking Slipknot’s lead, Blackgold’s masked rap-metal shakes the main stage awake. ‘One Chance’ channels Limp Bizkit with a more serious streak, acknowledging their nu metal lineage with an assertive update. The demand a lot from their fans but they give a lot back through spot on lyrics and feral bass that could tunnel through the hillside. Dropping in hip hop megamixes, they get those determined to brave the sun bouncing furiously. [Kate Allvey]

Hail the Sun

Hail the Sun are good friends with tonight’s co-headliners Coheed and Cambria, and you can hear it in their sound too. At times, the Californian quintet’s technical post-hardcore sound is so post it’s almost pre-something else, pairing notes of Circa Survive and At the Drive-In with their pals’ penchant for the theatrical. Vocalist and occasional drummer Donovan Melero operates primarily in the higher register, and he has some great mic-throwing moves that would give tonight’s other co-headliners Taking Back Sunday a run for their money, but his performance feels primal rather than choreographed. Their energetic set leans most heavily on latest full length, 2023’s ‘Divine Inner Tension’, but there’s also a partial cover of Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ and an airing for new single ‘The Drooling Class’. Six albums into their career, it’s something of a surprise that Hail the Sun aren’t held in higher regard in the UK, but this memorable set in front of a curious (if not rapturous) Axiom crowd won’t have done their stock any harm at all. [Rob Dand]

Coilguns

Within the space of two songs, Coilguns frontman Louis Jucker has broken his microphone whilst on a foray into the crowd. His equipment is replaced, but the band also grapple with a temperamental guitar cable throughout the set. Jucker displays all the hallmarks of an eccentric and passionate character, sometimes appearing agitated by the delays, but he is always quick to smooth things over with the crew after each interruption. He repeatedly expresses his gratitude to the crowd simply for turning up, giving the mic over to the front row on more than one occasion to fill time, and unlike most other bands appearing in the Cave this weekend, demands very little from them in return.

The set itself feels gleefully loose; not quite erupting into full chaos, but entertainingly dynamic. Songs from last year’s excellent full-length ‘Odd Love’ dominate, and Jucker is keen to point out the meaning of the album’s title. He speaks about the importance of embracing our differences, and hammers the point home by warmly embracing as many people in the crowd as time will allow, before himself instigating the moshpit that accompanies their final song. All in a day’s work. [Rob Dand]

Frank Turner

Show number 3054 sees the spirit of 2000 Trees distilled into a worshipful Forest stage. Frank Turner’s been a staple of the Trees experience since its inception, but to hear his seminal ‘Live Ire and Song’ in its entirety, solo and acoustic, is something beyond special for Turner’s many fans. The power invested in every chord of ‘Better Man’ smoulders, and the goosebumps raising on our sunburnt shoulders during the title track feel more than real as we punch the air, each lyric a roared psalm. Re-presenting this album is a sublime, and one that means a huge amount to the FTHC faithful. We’ve been on a long journey with Turner and we’re proud to be here with him at his adopted home. [Kate Allvey]

Trashboat

Over on the main stage, Trashboat are keeping it heavy and current, switching between charismatic chorus and empassioned screams through ‘Be Someone’. Their new album is on their minds, and we’re delighted to hear Tobi Duncan’s “personal favourite” track, ‘Filthy Wretches’, in all its blazing ferocity. Paying tribute to the crowd sticking it out in the heat, ‘Shape’ clatters energetically, rewarding our patience. Trashboat strike such a great balance between grunge and heaviness, never succumbing to either, and making the main stage all their own. Self acceptance is their mantra and they preach it through gloriously original noise. [Kate Allvey]

La Dispute

Opening with spoken word poetry is a bold move, but La Dispute’s desolate post-hardcore charm resonates perfectly with the idyllic Forest Stage. Their descent into howls and delicacy on guitar sparks a gentle clap through the trees, ‘Environmental Catastrophe Film’ taut and absorbing. From among the many acts claiming a ‘hardcore’ root to their sound, La Dispute stand out as the most sensitive and intelligent, their songs flowing freely across planes of emotion, enigmatic and veiled behind murmured sentiment. [Kate Allvey]

Coheed and Cambria

With an intro as dreamy as the hillside view, Coheed and Cambria glide onstage. The keenest fans caught their mini-Forest stage set this morning, but the biggest stages are where we expect to see Coheed’s space operas presented in their fullest. ‘Goodbye Sunshine’, their recent single, is unveiled in all its power rock glory, sparkling as brightly as the iconic glittery Trees sign at the top of the hill, extended out for full vocal appreciation. It’s all about the classic rock guitar for Coheed tonight, and there’s something oddly inspiring about how their complex, prog-lite sound can unite everyone from girls in Eras Tour shirts and grandparents in bucket hats alike to rapt appreciation of Claudio Sanchez’s vision. The focus on ‘The Father of Make Believe’ cements their latest album as the last necessary brick in becoming the stadium rockers they were born to be. [Kate Allvey]

Million Dead

2025 has truly been the summer of reunions – but while Oasis and Black Sabbath made most of the headlines, tonight’s show heralds the unlikely return of Million Dead, catching the attention of post-hardcore fans in the Gloucestershire area at the very least. They didn’t so much break up as self-destruct, with the band going their separate ways back in September 2005. Now, twenty years later, and owing in no small part to frontman Frank Turner’s cult-like appeal in the strange bubble of this festival, they’re back for one more hurrah. Now a five-piece, featuring both Cameron Dean and Tom Fowler on guitar (who have never actually been in the band at the same time), they emerge to feverish applause, before launching into a slightly abridged version of ‘The Rise and Fall’.

With only two full length records to their name, Turner wryly acknowledges that the setlist is likely to feature most of the songs that people want to hear, and indeed the hour-long communion includes all the expected singles as well as some B-Sides, all now with fleshed-out instrumentation courtesy of the twin-guitar attack. It’s also great to hear the band confident enough in each other’s company to enjoy some self-deprecating humour. Turner makes a few tongue-in-cheek comments about how hard it is to replicate the vocal range he had in his youth after two decades, but aside from asking the crowd to step in to replace drummer Ben Dawson’s blood-curdling scream on ‘Pornography for Cowards’, everything is delivered faithfully. The chorus of ‘Living the Dream’ soars up into the roof of the tent and the closing salvo of ‘I Am the Party’ and ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’ predictably has fists in the air and all hell breaking loose down in the front.

After breaking up before they could ever grace 2000 Trees the first time around, they finally made this stage their rubicon. Welcome back, Million Dead. We missed you. I think you missed us, too. [Rob Dand]

Heriot

As the torturous tyranny of the sun subsides, it’s clear that despite today’s 33-degree heat, the real Hell on Earth scenario is now unfolding inside the Cave. Bathing the tent in a sinister red and orange glow, simulating the unholy ambience of last year’s debut full-length ‘Devoured by the Mouth of Hell’, Heriot cultivate an oppressive atmosphere of their own making – and they are in no mood for winding things down. Vocalist and guitarist Debbie Gough is in a particularly demanding mood. She shreds like a demon and continuously calls for more pit action like a woman possessed by another woman who is also possessed. Their twelve song set is practically relentless in its intensity, with only the brooding ‘Opaline’ offering much in the way of relative relief. As they pull down the curtain with a riot-inducing rendition of ‘At the Fortress Gate’, just three years after opening this same stage, the appreciation in the crowd is a reminder of how confident and sharp the band have become in such a short space of time. A triumphant and commanding headline slot. [Rob Dand]

Taking Back Sunday

Exhausted children are wheeled in wagons to the main arena as we stream in for the day’s dessert, chanting along as ‘A Decade Under The Influence’ punctuates our footsteps. Adam Lazzara flings his mic, posing elegantly, as ‘What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?’ grips us, the post punk whirls of ’S’Old’ spiralling into the darkening sky like a promise. Their “love song, if you will”, ‘The One’ soars a rough edge to Lazzara’s voice before hopeful synths devastate in the slowed instrumental. ‘My Blue Heaven’ pulls together everything we hoped from their set as it moves magnetically through crashing riffs and raw emotion

Whether they’re offering up gigantic choruses to bind us together or keeping it tender and personal on ‘Amphetamine Smiles’, Taking Back Sunday offer us a mature and memorable finish to the day, full of heart and class, dealing out everything from lighters -up moments and fists punching the air to breakdowns for dance moves and pure emotional release. There can’t be any complaints about this one-off spectacular: “We hope all your dreams come true,” Lazzara wishes before ‘MakeDamnSure’ and he just might have fulfilled that before he even finished his sentence. [Kate Allvey]

It’s a noble aim, and with their every tattoo-worthy lyric preaching hope and connection, this is an album which will definitely keep a lot of people warm at night. Initial single drop ‘Amphetamine Smiles’ bounces from a Coldplay first half into a bittersweet, mellow tribute to friends lost along the way. ’S’Old’ has one heck of a beat, and finally lets vocalist Adam Lazzara unleash that voice. However, it appears that Taking Back Sunday are coming out of their cages and doing just fine as so much of this record, from the faded grandeur of the soundscapes that the band inhabit to the big sweeping post-punk chords they fling at every opportunity, seems to have been arranged by Brandon Flowers. In fact, ’The One’’s nostalgic nihilism could be taken straight from a Killers’ song, with only the vocalists swapped to distinguish the two bands. This is not necessarily a criticism, considering how many records the Killers have sold and the high praise their tepid Reading Festival set earned recently, but if you’re looking for the spiked, sheet-stained authenticity of Taking Back Sunday’s earlier releases, you won’t find it on ‘152’. If you want songs that could fill a stadium with glowstick-clutching hands that cast firefly lights, then you will love the scale of this album. 

Take ‘Lightbringer’ as Exhibit B. Slow, building chords are replaced with a melody very, very similar to “Boys of Summer’, which is then swept away by Lazzara’s matured, granite-melting voice. There’s not a lot of the Long Island youth left in the men of Taking Back Sunday, but there’s the potential for vast music which fills the night sky. Exactly the same point could be made about the near-identical ‘New Music Friday’. It’s a great song for sure, and will play well at next year’s festivals, especially if they are on the same bill as a certain band from Las Vegas. Any sweat or grime has been wiped away from the Taking Back Sunday sound with pleasant smelling baby wipes, and what we have is an appealing set of songs. But they aren’t from the Taking Back Sunday we knew and wept with for all of these years. 

Just when we think all hope for hopeless longing is gone, along comes ‘The Stranger’. With muscles clenched and fists balled, Taking Back Sunday are spoiling for a fight born from a desire to feel alive. Lazzara yelps through a track as empty as an alley in the bad part of town. They’ve still got their old fight in them somewhere, as they proved on the tragic opener ‘Amphetamine Smiles’. For much of this record though it’s obscured, hidden behind layers and layers of filters. 

“The problem isn’t that I’ve changed / The problem is that you’ve stayed the same,” accuses Lazzara on ‘Keep Going’, almost as if he’s pre-empted the reception ‘152’ will receive. Yes, it’s unreasonable to expect that they’ll be making exactly the same music as they did in the first years of this century, and yes, to expect an evolution in sound is reasonable. However, we can only hope that Taking Back Sunday haven’t left their charm behind in the smaller venues they once played now that they’ve taken a big jump towards the mainstream. 

KATE ALLVEY

Warming up Brixton before the co-headliners come onto stage, Californian punk-rockers Destroy Boys bring a visceral and passionate expression of love, loss and the ultimate betrayal through songs such as ‘Vixen’, ‘Crybaby’ and closer ‘I Threw Glass At My Friend’s Eyes And Now I’m On Probation’, putting on a garage punk display,perfectly fitting for what’s still to come.

The first half of tonight’s co-headliners come onto stage with a bang. The lines that act as safety guidelines for the crowd on the slanted floor are packed to the brim and the balcony is at full capacity, and its only 8.30pm. Taking Back Sunday take to the stage, kicking off their co-headliner with ‘What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?’ taken from the band’s third studio album ‘Louder Now’, exuberant vocalist Adam Lazarra having the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands from the get go. 

The set features some absolutely classic Sunday cuts including ‘Liar (Takes One To Know One)’, ‘Cute Without the ‘E’’ and closer ‘MakeDamnSure’, and the live reception they receive brings them bounding back to full life – that classic chorus in the closer “I just wanna break you down so badly/Well I trip over everything you say/I just wanna break you down so badly/In the worst way” receiving a colossal response. The energy levels are beyond electric and the atmosphere is dosed in the fond nostalgia that only a track like ‘MakeDamnSure’ can muster. One of the best Taking Back Sunday sets in the band’s twenty year long career, they’re a tough act to follow and Alkaline Trio certainly have their work cut out for them.

The punk rock times continue to roll as, following the earlier casual appearance of front man Matt Skiba, the rest of Chicago collective Alkaline Trio walk onto stage. A raucous reception rings out for these punk rock mainstays for set opener ‘Private Eye’, an old time classic that provokes immediate sing-a-longs and a “Holy Shit, London” reaction from the band’s very own Dan Andriano at the sight of the impressive turnout for the Trio.  

Second song ‘We’ve Had Enough’ perhaps receives a bigger arms-wide-open welcome than its predecessor, its infamous opening gongs and bongs kicking the energy into absolute madness. Igniting a frenzied mosh pit and hysteric levels of chaos and carnage, ‘We’ve Had Enough’ doesn’t get this crowd saying that just yet. 

 By the time we reach the fifth and sixth songs of the setlist ‘I Wanna Be A Warhol’ and ‘Nose Over Tail’ – the latter a track to which vocalist Matt Skiba introduces as “a song for the people of England’ – the audience are suitably reminsicing in a setlist heavily made up of songs from earlier Trio albums such as 1998’s ‘Goddamnit’, 2001’s ‘From Here To Infirmary’, 2003’s ‘Good Mourning’ and 2005’s ‘Crimson’ to no one’s disappointment in the slightest. 

Keeping everyone on their toes midway through the bands length eighteen song setlist, Trio divert to the classic ‘Armageddon’ and the audience’s reaction is priceless. ‘Armageddon’ – or as Alkaline preferred to refer to it as ‘Camageddon’, renaming the song after someone in the crowd – comes as a pleasant surprise to this Brixton crowd, the classic chorus of “Armageddon, let the light in/Before we say goodbye, give us something to believe in” ringing around the room at maximum volume. 

Ending their run on ‘Radio’ and ‘Time To Waste’, Alkaline Trio round off their time by bringing Brixton’s roof down. ‘Radio’ earns the loudest singalong of the night, most noticeably with the shouts that accompany the former’s opening line “Shaking like a dog shittin’ razor blades”, and ‘Time To Waste’ achieving the exact same.    

“A tour that has been three years in the making”, remarks Andriano, and the wait was worth all those 1,095 days. For both Alkaline Trio and Taking Back Sunday, this returning run overseas has seen two heavyweights from the punk and rock games respectively prove that all these years later, they are still as good live as the first time they stepped onto much smaller stages decades ago. Fun, humour and jubilation in much needed abundance. 

KATIE CONWAY-FLOOD

We’ve seen reunions of bands we thought were long gone, experienced anniversary tours of our favourite albums, even lost some of our most beloved band members… You name it, we’ve been through it, and while it’s been a rollercoaster of emotion – life is life, after all, and it’s not always as perfect as we’d like – it’s each of these moments that have set up the industry for the decade to come.

The Punktastic team has chosen the 11 moments we think have changed the industry this past 10 years – for both better and worse. Check them out below!

Don’t forget to check out our Bands Of The Decade, Albums Of The Decade, and Bands of the Next Decade articles.

Contributors: Liam Knowles [LK], Romy Gregory [RG], Dave Stewart [DS], Tom Walsh [TW], Gem Rogers [GR], Yasmin Brown [YB], Fiachra Johnston [FJ]

Refused – Comeback (January 2012)

Refused released ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’ in 1998, but split up the same year before it really had time to gather much traction. In the wake of the band’s demise, the album became a cult classic and is rightfully lauded by many as a masterpiece, the album title ringing true as it became one of the most influential hardcore / punk albums of all time. This meant that a lot of frustrated punks would never get the chance to hear these incandescent tracks live, leaving Refused as little more than a legend; an intangible concept on an immovable pedestal. Fast forward to 2012, and after a couple of years of rumours, Refused finally reformed and the live shows around this time carried all the politically charged fury, limitless energy and the glorious feeling of fresh relevance that the album had captured 14 years earlier, a feeling most bands wouldn’t be able to carry forward so long after creating the work. Granted, the albums they’ve released since, 2015’s ‘Freedom’ and 2019’s ‘War Music’, have had mixed reviews, but that initial comeback was an inferno that most people never thought they’d get a chance to witness, and nothing can undo that. [LK]

The Ghost Inside – Post-crash comeback show (July 2019)

In November 2015, hardcore heroes The Ghost Inside were involved in a tragic and fatal bus accident, seriously injuring the entire band and taking the lives of crew members and passengers of the other vehicle involved. Vocalist Jonathan Vigil had to undergo intense physical therapy in order to walk again, bassist Jim Riley lost part of his foot, drummer Andrew Tkaczyk even lost one of his legs. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer band, and it devastated fans and peers everywhere. Donations for the band started to flood in from around the globe, including a song Stray From The Path where every penny was given to the band to aid their recovery. Their record label, Epitaph, even stopped taking their cut from record sales so that the band could get every penny they needed. The love was just growing and growing, everyone yearning for some better news. So, in 2017 when they started hinting that they were still striving to get back on stage, that support jgrew even more. Each member of the band was physically improving, their mental battles being won every day, and everyone stuck right by them through their arduous journey to recovery. And then it happened – they announced their first show in 4 years, taking place in their hometown in July 2019. No support acts announced, no set list hints, nothing – just a date, a place and a time to arrive. Those lucky enough to attend were part of an outdoor show, a sort of TGI headlined mini festival, and when the band took the stage it was an emotional and powerful moment. There wasn’t a single person without goosebumps, regardless of whether you were there physically or watching a live stream. They performed like the injuries had never happened, and though it will have taken an incredible physical toll on them they sure as hell made it clear that they wanted to keep the flame alive. It was one of the most emotional and intense moments of the decade. The bus incident had the potential to destroy their careers, but their passion for music kept it alive. Undeniably inspirational. [DS]

Architects – Tom Searle’s death & the unifying of the metal community (August 2016)

The metal world is often heralded for the love and support within the community, and a blindingly bright light was shone on that community after the death of Architects guitarist Tom Searle became public knowledge. In August 2016 when drummer Dan Searle announced the tragic death of his brother, bandmate and founding member, it shook the entire genre. What was seemingly an out of the blue announcement for the world had actually been years in the making, with Dan explaining that his brother had been suffering from cancer for the last few years, choosing to keep it private and make the best of the time he had left. It also became apparent that ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ was largely centred around Tom’s illness, turning the already stunning album into an emotional and poignant swan song. The outpouring of love and support that flooded Architects was truly beautiful, coming from both bands and fans alike. So many stories started to come to the surface, all of them highlighting how Tom was, and how unique a sense of humour he had. Not only that, but the way Architects handled it all was beyond admirable, seeing out the rest of their scheduled tour dates and dedicating everything they did to his memory – something they’re still doing to this day. Tom is still sorely missed by his former band members and by the metal community but his legend still lives on, his untimely passing demonstrating just how beautiful heavy music and those involved with it can be. [DS]

Arcade Fire – Winning Album of the Year (February 2011)

Ah, 2011: Where Rebecca Black was soon to rise to infamy and we still trusted Facebook. The grunge of the 90s and the heavy rock and nu-metal of early 00s were very much echoes of their former selves, the holy quartet of The Strokes, Vines, Hives, and White Stripes had left their eternal marks on the industry, and emo and pop punk had hit their peak and were entering the silver age. Yet a new beast loomed on the horizon. As Billboard pointed out in their own end-of-decade retrospective, the rise of modern indie in the 2010s had a marked effect on the rest of the genre, on how rock music was produced by artists and how it was viewed by fans. While there are many events to draw examples of this from, Arcade Fire becoming the first indie rock band to win Album of the Year at the 2010 Grammys was perhaps the tinder that started the fire burning. With a swell of support from magazines like Pitchfork (at the time having an astute focus on indie), Arcade Fire’s third album, ‘The Suburbs’, became a sleeper hit near the end of 2010, leading to the Canadian group picking up the the award in February of 2011 and their most acclaimed album yet, jumping forty places on the Billboard 200 to number 12. Suddenly, bands like The National, Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club weren’t just the outsider new kids or eternal B-players in the business, they were the norm, reaching the top of the charts and headlining festivals globally. Indie bled into other genres, into alternative, into pop-punk… In a hilariously cyclical twist it bled into genres that the original understanding of indie rock ended up inspiring. It was in our homes, corrupting our children, making them all vaguely melancholic and longing to stare off into the distance from the balcony of an apartment, cigarette twirling in their mouth, all in black and white. Whether it was to your taste or not, the coming of indie was huge turning point in the rock industry, and this moment was the linchpin of it all. [FJ]

Gallows – Frank Carter’s departure (July 2011)

Gallows broke the mould in UK hardcore. The chaotic live shows coupled with a bold, innovative approach to songwriting made them one of the most exciting punk bands in the country, even drawing comparisons to the Sex Pistols. Led by the enigmatic front man Frank Carter, the Watford five-piece produced the visceral ‘Orchestra of Wolves’, a tour de force of bile boiling hardcore, before creating the masterpiece concept sophomore album ‘Grey Britain’. However, with heightened exposure and an exhausting touring schedule, Gallows were always flying close to the sun. After being dropped from Warner Brothers, post-‘Grey Britain’, there was radio silence and the sporadic live shows didn’t feature even the hint of new material. Then in the summer 2011, Carter announced he would be leaving Gallows. Subsequent interviews described a band pulling in different directions with guitarist Steph Carter telling Alternative Press that his brother wanted to be a “big, successful, straight-up rock band, like Queens of the Stone Age”. Frank would go on to form the ill-fated Pure Love before returning to heavier roots and gaining heightened success with Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes. Gallows would remain and enlist Alexisonfire’s Wade MacNeil on vocals, recording a further two albums, and while the change was passable, it would never quite reach the excitement and quintessential British sound of the band’s early work. Just as explosive as they entered the punk world, it was only fitting that this is the way it would end. [TW]

Green Day – Reading + Leeds anniversary performances of ‘Dookie’ (August 2013)

As the annual Reading and Leeds Festivals prepared to host their 2013 edition, it was a tumultuous time for Green Day. Almost a year had passed since Billie Joe Armstrong’s infamous intoxicated rant at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas and reception of what would be an ill-advised trio of albums had been considerably lukewarm. After such an illustrious career, this start was now on the brink of collapsing. However, 2013 presented the 20th anniversary of ‘Dookie’, a masterpiece of snotty punk alienation that turned three working class kids from the Bay Area into global stars. It was a record that was a catalyst in the immersion of a thousand punk bands. In the almost monsoon conditions in Leeds, a newly-sober Armstrong led the celebration of this iconic album. Played in its entirety, the performance seemed to completely reinvigorate the fading aura of Green Day, the timeless classics of ‘Welcome to Paradise’ and ‘When I Come Around’ cutting through the pouring rain and the rare airings of gems such as ‘Sassafras Roots’ and ‘Coming Clean’ taking us back to those endless 90s summers. The run of shows over 2013 and 2014 took Green Day back to basics and gave them time to consider the real ethos of the band. The overthinking had gone by the time ‘Revolution Radio’ was released in 2016, a throwback to the Insomniac-era anger that had lacked in anything post-American Idiot. These ‘Dookie’ shows reminded everyone just how special this band is to so many people and while in Leeds, at least, we were all head to toe in liquid mud, those 45 minutes felt like being bathed in warm sunshine. [TW]

My Chemical Romance – Return (October 2019)

It seems strange to think that we’re both starting and ending this decade with My Chemical Romance alive and kicking. For a while, it felt like we’d never witness our favourite emo band on stage ever again; a bittersweet resignation that comes with understanding that while it hurts, it is for the best for everyone. MCR fans spent the past 6 years since the initial break up feeling grateful for the time we had with the band, and despite rumours flying around, we never really believed we might get them back. But just a few months before the decade draws to a close, following the slow yet clear dropping of hints across social media, MCR came back to us. The announcement saw polarised responses – this is, after all, a band that saw accusations of becoming sell-outs thrown at them from all directions following the release of ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ – but ultimately, the people that matter most – the fans – couldn’t be more ecstatic to see the reunion fo their favourite band. This is a band that you can genuinely say saved lives, even during their six-year hiatus, and their reformation not only comes with the potential for new, exciting music, live shows, and interactions, but also the potential to reach new kids and revive the MCRmy of 2005. It’s a late entry, but this reunion is undoubtedly one of the most important moments of this decade. [YB]

Linkin Park – Chester Bennington’s death (July 2017)

Linkin Park was the gateway into music for a lot of the PT team, myself included. They compounded a love for heavy music, hip hop and art, and while we may have drifted away from them after the third album, ‘Hybrid Theory’ and ‘Meteora’ can easily be said to be the reason behind our love of this art. When we were angsty, uncertain teenagers, they provided the words that made the most sense to us. They guided us when we felt unsure or felt unappreciated, so when Chester Bennington died in 2017, it didn’t just break the hearts of Team Punktastic, it broke the heart of music lovers worldwide. Chester was a kind, compassionate singer who struggled with depression for most of his life. He didn’t shy away from that, accepting it and speaking openly, becoming a pseudo-advocate for openness and mental health awareness. In a time where it was unusual for men to talk about how they really felt, Chester did so with frank honesty. It’s becoming less unusual for bands and musicans to talk about their struggles but Chester was ahead of his time. I personally believe that, without Chester being open about depression, we wouldn’t have a generation who talk honestly about it now. So Chester, thank you for opening the door. Thank you for the music. Thank you for letting us know it’s okay to not be okay. [AJ]

Taking Back Sunday – Reformation of the original lineup (March 2010)

Over the past year, Taking Back Sunday have been celebrating 20 years as a band, although the lineup hasn’t always been as it stands right now as we move into the next decade. From 2003 to 2010, founding member and co-writer of the band’s debut album ‘Tell All Your Friends’, John Nolan, left the band to pursue other projects, but returned in 2010 to start a whole new journey as their guitarist. While the albums that were released in the 7 years Nolan was working elsewhere are arguably some of TBS’ best to date, it wasn’t until his return that it really felt like Taking Back Sunday again. TAYF is a persistent fan favourite, and Nolan’s return led to an authentic reunion tour followed by a 10 year anniversary tour and, this year, a 20 year anniversary tour that saw the album played live in full every single night. It’s only really in hindsight that we can see the impact that this reformation had on the success of the band and the intensity of the fanbase, and admit that Taking Back Sunday was just never really the same without John Nolan. It was one decision, but it changed the entire future of this band. And I ask this question sincerely: Can you imagine a TBS show without Adam Lazzara’s southern drawl introducing “John Nolan on the gee-tar”?! [YB]

Frightened Rabbit – Scott Hutchison’s death (May 2018)

What is there to write about Scott Hutchison that hasn’t already been said? Scott was a phenomenally talented musician and artist who wrote raw, soul-baring music in both Frightened Rabbit and his solo project Owl John, and the outpouring of love after his passing in May 2018 showed how he touched countless lives from afar. For so many, the lyrics Scott wrote vocalised their struggles with depression and anxiety, making them feel heard and less alone. There are endless stories of acts of kindness Scott regularly undertook, such as a heartfelt note of support sent to a fan going through a difficult time, that show his remarkably generous nature. Scott’s death still remains devastating in that he was unable to overcome the issues his music helped many others weather, but his legacy is defined by the wonderful light he brought into many of our worlds through his music and his art.

I was in Glasgow around a month after Scott’s death and gathered up the strength to listen to ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’, an album I hold dearly close to my heart, for the first time since the news. I walked the early morning streets of the city and thought of him, and when the line “as manic gulls scream “It’s okay”” kicked in, a flock of seagulls suddenly circled overhead. I won’t pretend it was much more than a small, yet startling, coincidence, but it was a sign that, as Scott once said, “when it’s all gone, something carries on”. Scott’s spirit will forever live on in his music, his art, and in the charity set up in his memory by his family, Tiny Changes. [RG]

Bonus moment: A personal and awkward encounter between our very own assistant editor, Andy Joice, and NOFX (May 2014)

This is more of a personal moment (hey, no one said they had to be genre affecting). And no one said they had to be positive either. This moment goes back to May 2014 in a small hotel in Belgium I was camped out in for Groez Rock. As we check in, an American sidles up to us, looks at a flan left on the reception counter and says, “Mmmm, Cake”. Before I can think of a snarky response, I look up to realise it’s El Hefe of NOFX. Now, we assumed that if Hefe was in the hotel, the rest of the band were likely to be skulking around too and he wasn’t just there for a free slice of flan – and sure enough, come the morning, he was eating what looked like corn flakes and croissants for breakfast. Later that day, after a few beers in the village, we walk back into the hotel, only to realise the entire band were behind us. After holding the door open for the band, Fat Mike turns to me and asks where the toilet is. I’ve got no idea, so I looked him squarely in the eyes, pointed at a door and proceeded to bolt up the stairs as fast as my legs would carry me. It was at that point, I heard him say, “that’s the fucking closet”. I almost died – partly from running up stairs, partly from misdirecting one of my musical idols to a cupboard. To this day, I still don’t know if he found the toilet. [AJ]

Main support comes from America’s The Frights, offering an energetic performance of 80s surf pop-rock, filled with thrashing guitars and stage slides to kick off the night and prepare us for a night of pure mayhem. It’s an interesting choice, as their sound is far removed from that of Taking Back Sunday, but it’s a riot all the same.

While The Frights are certainly successful in increasing the energy that filled the room towards the end of the band’s set, it’s nothing compared to what is about to come.

For many of us, tonight is a celebration of a band we’ve loved for most of our lives, and so to be able to celebrate 20 years of TBS in a venue as lovely as Troxy is truly one for the books. Changing it up slightly from the American leg of the tour, Taking Back Sunday are playing their debut album ‘Tell All Your Friends’ in full every night while in the UK, a fact that clearly pleases everyone in attendance as they scream the lyrics so loudly that front man Adam Lazzara is forced to pause as he takes in the scene in front of him, grinning madly.

In fact, Lazzara spends much of the evening with a grin plastered on his face, mostly likely as a result of London being “one of [his] favourite cities in the whole world”. While he rambles on for what is arguably far too long at times, his excitement is tangible and infectious, and while you may be rolling your eyes at his stories (verging on novels – are you a musician or a preacher?), you can’t help but laugh, too.

Make no mistake, though, this is far from being the Adam Lazzara show – and he makes a point of introducing each member of the band by name, asking the crowd countless times to “give it up for John Nolan on the gee-tar!” Taking Back Sunday has had its fair share of lineup changes, but none so heart-warming as those that include both John and Adam. Tonight is an ode to that.

It’s clear from the performance that, with the exception of guitarist Nathan Cogan, this band have been playing together for 20 years. They’re perfectly in tune with one another, taking cues without thinking, and Lazzara’s voice is on top form, his vocal strength shining through throughout the two-hour set.

The length of the set is surprising, as our expectations started and ended with ‘Tell All Your Friends’. As it is, when this part of the set ends, we’re treated to a whole bunch of tracks from the rest of Taking Back Sunday’s discography, including ‘This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)’, a song that prior to this tour hasn’t been played live in a long time because Lazarra simply “didn’t care for it”. The crowd is clearly excited about this re-addition to the setlist, seeing it as he now does – a “completely new and beautiful thing”.

Ending with the classic ‘MakeDamnSure’, Taking Back Sunday ensure that we see the night out on a high, with energy reaching its peak despite the relentless energy the crowd has already been exerting for the past two hours. As fans filter slowly out of the venue, there are two things that we take with us following tonight’s show (as well as sweat and exhaustion). Adam Lazzara really loves John Nolan and his gee-tar – and Taking Back Sunday are a band whose twenty-year anniversary was well worth the celebration.

YASMIN BROWN

The album, packaged beautifully, essentially serves as a highlight reel for the band’s career, taking the listener on a journey as it reflects not only the biggest and best of TBS, but also on their evolution since their origin back in ‘99. As a band who, along with the likes of My Chemical Romance and The Used, pioneered an entirely new strain of punk rock, it’s also a bit of a reminder that they played a vital role in shaping the music scene back then, which inevitably impacted everything since in one way or another.

At its very core, however, ‘Twenty’ is the ultimate playlist for fans. Arranged in chronological order and starting with absolute screamer ‘Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)’ it also includes ‘You’re So Last Summer’ and ‘Timberwolves At New Jersey’, all taken from their debut ‘Tell All Your Friends’.

From there each album is represented with a handful of songs. ‘Set Phasers To Stun’ from their sophomore ‘Where You Want to Be’, ‘MakeDamnSure’ – who could ever forget that music video – from ‘Louder Now’, and ‘Sink Into Me’ taken from ‘New Again’. It also features ‘Call Me In The Morning’ from their fifth, self-titled studio album, ‘Flicker, Fade’ from ‘Happiness Is’, and ‘Tidal Wave’ from their seventh and most recent record of the same name.

While ‘Twenty’ is mostly a retrospective of Taking Back Sunday’s career, the final two songs are brand new and offer a tiny glimpse at what could be expected from the band’s future records. The first, ‘All Ready To Go’, cleverly combines their newer sound with a pinch of that old punk beat to create something fresh and spine-tinglingly good, while ‘A Song For Dan’ is a touching ballad that showcases Adam Lazarra’s vocals beautifully and closes out the album really well.

For the most part, it’s not new, but it is magic. Forget nostalgia; it’s a perfectly curated collection of spellbinding songs that have truly stood the test of time. Some songs are only just over two years old, while others are heading for twenty, but they’re all just as special now as the day they first filled the airwaves.

So wherever you are right now, raise a glass to Taking Back Sunday – a band who has over the years soothed souls, mended hearts and opened minds with infectious tracks – here’s to twenty.

RENETTE VAN DER MERWE

The band will hit the road in June starting in Birmingham on 13 June and ending at Download Festival in Madrid on 28-30 June. To celebrate two decades as a band, Taking Back Sunday are also releasing a compilation album on 11 January.

The album includes tracks spanning the band’s seven full-length albums as well as two new songs. You can listen to the single ‘All Ready To Go’ here.

Tickets for Taking Back Sunday’s 20th anniversary tour are on sale here, and full dates can be found below.

JUNE
13 BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute
14 GLASGOW Barrowlands
15 BELFAST Limelight
16 DUBLIN (IRE) Vicar Street
18 LONDON Troxy
19 MANCHESTER Academy 1
20 BRISTOL O2 Academy
23 AMSTERDAM (NL) Melkweg
24 COLOGNE (DE) Gloria
25 BERLIN (DE) SO36
26 HAMBURG (DE) Gruenspan
28-30 MADRID (ESP) Download Festival