Our guide to Slam Dunk Festival 2014

Slam Dunk Festival has fast established itself as the pop-punk mecca of the summer events calendar. With Download attracting hordes of metallers, Sonisphere opening its gates to throngs of classic rockers and V Festival welcoming a collection of dickheads, Slam Dunk has its share of the market well and truly covered.

Now in its 8th year, the festival has hosted some of the biggest names in pop-punk, ska and hardcore. From Fall Out Boy’s headline appearance back in 2006 at their Millennium Square location in Leeds, Slam Dunk has expanded to six stages (plus a DJ stage) each at three towns across England, with an added smaller venture into Wales and Scotland. No mean feat for a Festival built from a popular club night in Leeds, not even mentioning the emergence of Slam Dunk Records.

Whether you’re heading to Leeds, Hatfield or Wolverhampton (North, South and Midlands respectively), or if you’re simply perusing this page because you want to know what you’re missing, here’s a breakdown of what’s happening on each of the stages. There’s a lot to look out for on each, so this might offer some helpful advice on where to be (although not when… we don’t know the set-times yet either).

The Main Stage

Headliners The All-American Rejects may have turned some heads for good and bad reasons when they got announced, but it’s difficult to argue that singing along to the band’s mainstream hits won’t be a fun way to close off the day. There’s a lot of commercially focussed pop-rock on the main stage this year, but they all know how to get a festival going. Keep an eye out for surprise main stagers The Skints for something a little different, and Canterbury, one of our favourites, showing everyone exactly how you deliver clever melodic rock.

One to Watch: Canterbury

Macbeth Footwear Stage

Home to some less mainstream pop-punk and hosting the majority of the festival’s ska bands, the Macbeth Footwear Stage sees the return of Less Than Jake following their penultimate main support slot in 2011, just under Reel Big Fish. With the ever-excellent Gnarwolves and I Am The Avalanche sitting earlier in the day, and the last minute addition of The Ataris sitting high on the bill, this is heaven for ska and pop-punk traditionalists.

One to Watch: Gnarwolves

Monster Energy Stage

Slam Dunk is no stranger to metalcore, however it wasn’t until 2012 when the heavier genres really started to anchor down. This year sees the genres divided, with The Cheer Up Stage taking the more punk inspired bands, and the Monster Energy Stage preparing to be laid to waste by the melodic metallers. letlive. will undoubtedly be one of the biggest spectacle of the weekend, as anyone who has witnessed frontman Jason Butler’s on-stage antics will know. Headliners Bury Tomorrow have upped the ante on new album ‘Runes’, and the tracks should sound just as explosive. Earlier on in the day, Caliban – who recently impressed at Belgium’s Groezrock Festival – will be delivering their extremely well executed combination of brutal breakdowns and tuneful melodies. If you like your metalcore, this is definitely the place to be.

One to Watch: letlive.

Atticus Stage

Home to more pop-punk, the Atticus Stage acts as the little brother to the main stage if he had been hanging out with Macbeth. It’s all melody driven, ranging from the all-out anthems of Kids In Glass Houses and Hit The Lights, to the more off-kilter bands like Modern Baseball and the up-and-coming sing-alongs of Real Friends and Neck Deep. Other than perhaps the two biggest bands on the stage, this is the place to be to experience some pop-punk upstarts. With Kids In Glass Houses reaching the end of the line, it’s also well worth considering that this may be one of your last chances to sing along to those heavy hitters – other than their farewell tour in October.

One to Watch: Modern Baseball

Cheer Up Stage

The most eclectic stage at the festival, Cheer Up have a mixture of new British melodic rock, hardcore and melody driven post-hardcore. There’s a few bands here who have been building momentum in recent months, and whose Slam Dunk performance could cement them firmly on the map. Alongside them, Marmozets are likely to be showcasing some of their new material, as are Kent based ominous hardcore powerhouses Feed The Rhino. With headliners Chiodos’ new album ‘Devil’ hailed as some of the best material they have ever produced, it could be one hell of a show.

One to Watch: Feed The Rhino (pretty much tied with Marmozets, obviously)

Antique Acoustic Stage

Providing a quiet rest-bite from the rest of the festival’s amplified bands, the acoustic stage has always proved a popular addition to the Slam Dunk bill. Headlined by Vinnie Caruana of I Am The Avalanche, and formerly The Movielife, the stage also sees a rare appearance by Washington’s You, Me And Everyone We Know. Having just signed a record deal with Xtra Mile Recordings, and on the road with former acoustic stage headliner Charlie Simpson, this is a great chance to catch Rob Lynch before he really breaks through into the big time.

One to Watch: Rob Lynch

So there you have it – plenty to choose from as ever at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival, whether you’re heading up North, down South or hanging around the middle. We’ll be giving regular updates on our Twitter (@punktastic) and Instagram pages, as well as bringing you the usual sessions, interviews and review. Use #ptslamdunk to keep track, and let us know what you’re up to using the same hashtag.