Having opened the Key Club Stage at Slam Dunk North, we caught up with Paul and Steph about music, mental health and Bert McCracken from The Used. 

RAMzine: Lamestream Lydia here for RAMzine, we’re at Slam Dunk North with Greywind. You guys just opened the Key Club Stage. How does that feel? 

Paul: It was a dream come true! I think it’s our favourite Greywind show, we’ve been touring the US for the last year, we got back to the UK, and we haven’t played a festival over here in a while. Everyone was singing along, and there were Irish flags in the air

Steph: Even walking out to a packed tent where people are singing along and wearing merch, it was crazy, I didn’t expect that. I knew there’d be some people there, but a full tent two days in a row was amazing. 

Paul: Sometimes when you open a stage, you never know how many people will be in there.

RAMzine: We’re pretty curious, you guys are brother and sister. You find with this type of scene, one of you is always the one to start it. Who was it? 

Paul: I think it was you. Or was it me? We’ve always loved the same things. I remember discovering Fall Out Boy, and you discovered MCR. 

Steph: I know I always wanted to sing, but I didn’t know in what capacity. Then I discovered My Chemical Romance, and was like “I wanna be Gerard Way”

Paul: And then we found stuff like Thrice, Mineral, Saosin around the same time. 

Steph: I remember you came home from school and said, “Listen to this band Fall Out Boy,” and that would make me want to listen to it. 

Paul: Luckily, we’ve been able to play shows and festivals with Fall Out Boy since starting this band, so we’ve been able to live our dreams. There are so many inspiring bands we’ve been able to play with, like Thrice, we got to play a show with them

RAMzine: I feel like it would be hard to consume all that music and not recreate and rehash everything you listen to. 

Paul: 100%. With our music, we’ve always wanted it to feel refreshing, like we take influence from post-rock with bands like Caspian and Explosions In The Sky, but then we have the theatrics of like an MCR, et cetera. Just creating something fresh. We’re from Ireland and there’s no emo scene really. We’re from the South of Ireland, 4 hours from Dublin, so we’re the only two emos, it probably sounds like alien music from where we’re from, so we’re very grateful to represent Ireland at such an iconic festival this weekend. 

Steph: We’ve pulled inspiration from all our favourite bands, but also added our own things. We’re not just gonna be like “oh we’re just gonna do a direct ripoff of all those old emo bands”. 

Paul: Sometimes you see bands on TikTok that are like “pop punk is in or emo is in now, I need to quickly write a song”. Luckily, our debut album came out in 2017, and it went viral in the last year and a half. We’ve always been, since day one, an emo band. We’re honoured to represent Ireland in the emo scene. 

RAMzine: We’re onto a new age. Emo used to be like a bad word in music. 

Steph: Yeah, I remember being picked on in school, and they’d be like “oh you emo” while I was wearing my My Chemical Romance hoodie

Paul: I was bullied for playing Fall Out Boy.

Steph: And now it’s cool to like them and all their merch, I’ve seen it in Primark. They have like Green Day T-shirts, and I’m like “I got bullied for that”.

Paul: We’d never let that stop us. 

Steph: No, we embrace it. 

Paul: This genre is like therapy for us, so we’re very grateful for what has helped us live our dreams and even helped us, mental health-wise.

RAMzine:

Mental health has always been intertwined with the genre in the first place. It’s just a really progressive way to think. 

Steph: Even our first album, the first song we ever wrote, is about our uncle who committed suicide, and he struggled horrifically with his mental health, we obviously wrote that to try and have some therapy for ourselves. From such a bad thing happening, we’ve got to live our dreams, which is kind of messed up in a way. We’ve struggled ourselves with our mental health, we’ve been dropped by everyone, and we had to build ourselves back up. The music industry is a difficult place to be, and I still struggle with my mental health; anxiety, depression and everything, but I think it’s so important to talk about that. Even in our lyrics, songs like ‘Swing and Sway’. We’re very blunt about it in our new music (which no one’s heard yet), there’s a lot of very personal lyrics in there that a lot of people will be able to connect to.

Paul: I feel like some bands, they talk about mental health, but they kind of hold back in their songs. They think “how can I make this sound more mainstream?”, our lyrics are very blunt, we’ve been told about ‘Swing and Sway,’ we can’t play that on the radio because it’s too dark or “you shouldn’t release this song because it’s too dark lyrically” but we’re making them lead singles because they’re important songs to us. Then you see so many fans connect with these songs, so yeah, we’ve always just written for ourselves. 

Steph: I think that’s what’s worked for us, people can tell we’re authentic and we’re not just trying to put on a front and be something we’re not

Paul: I think you can tell when a band is writing to go viral on TikTok. I think we’ve been very blunt with the way we’ve always written. 

Steph: Very true to ourselves.

Paul: Yeah and now we’re playing Slam Dunk so it’s been great.

RAMzine: So you guys opened the festivals and hang around doing your interviews, what’s the plan for the rest of the day?

Paul: I wanna see The Used, I saw Bert McCracken earlier on. I don’t know what time they’re on but yeah, The Used, A Day to Remember.

Steph: I’m like “THE USED”, that is all I wanna see.

Paul: She even mentioned Bert McCracken on stage.

Steph: I mentioned him; he might have been watching.

RAMzine: We’re not gonna keep you for much longer, you’ve had your headline dates, so it’s probably too early to ask if you’re coming back soon. 

Paul: We’re always working on so many things behind the scenes.

Steph: We’re always plotting. We’re plotting world domination, always. 

Paul: Exactly, so we’ll see you around the world, hopefully later this year.In the time since this interview was conducted, Greywind announced their long-awaited second album, Severed Heart City, due for release September 19th 2025.

The post Greywind talk Slam Dunk, The Used, and Staying True to Emo appeared first on RAMzine.

After a little bit of rain, we’d finally gotten a dry but overcast morning that maintained throughout the day for the most part. After a smooth entrance, we got ready for an entire day of running up and down hills in the name of music. 

Anyway, onto the Slam Dunk North review!

Lake Malice

We started the day seeing Lake Malice on the Kerrang stage. Lake Malice are a band that we’d seen live before and they’ve always brought a killer show with some violent tracks but this set showed them with some higher production value complete with backup dancers and choreography. 

11:30AM is pretty early for vicious tracks like ‘Blossom’ but Alice and company were committed to starting the day out with a bang as they ripped through ‘Stop the Party’. Having been on site for Live at Leeds the previous day, it was nice to hear some screams and get out some aggression. 

Greywind

Greywind were a band we’ve been excited to see since we delved into the Slam Dunk preview. The Key Club Stage was full of flags showing support for the Irish crew as singer Steph O’Sullivan did her unique twitchy brand of stomping across the stage through bangers like ‘Here’s Your Death Wish’ and ‘IKAMF’. 

The set was full of this really sweet energy as you can tell Steph and Paul O’Sullivan (siblings) are having the times of their lives as Steph screams “DO YOU LIKE MY HAT?” before donning a lovely little nurse hat. There’s a wholesomeness on stage and in the audience between the darker tracks like ‘Swing and Sway,’ a microcosm for the emo scene in general. 

Stay tuned for our interview with Steph and Paul, conducted on-site at Slam Dunk.

Landmvrks 

(Review by Chris James Ryan)

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but this was simply a whirlwind of chaotic sound! Kicking off with ‘Creature,’ which features a French rap intro, I quickly realised that this band are part of the French metalcore scene, how exciting! It’s quite unique to encounter a band performing in multiple languages. The energy was electric and the chaos palpable, characterised by powerful guitar riffs paired with both soft and aggressive lyrics. And keep in mind… it was only 3PM, I was not ready for anything too intense yet! As soon as those drums kicked in, you knew you were about to have a blast. Let the heavy riffs roll and enjoy Florent Salfati’s fierce vocals as he enthusiastically yells and dances around. His passion for the music truly shines through, it’s an emotional rollercoaster!

Dream State

This was Dream State’s first appearance at Slam Dunk with Jessie Powell and what an introduction it was. Dream State’s recent material amps up the aggression and, despite predating their comeback, invokes modern Linkin Park. There’s a massive amount of violence in the pits and two-stepping on stage. 

Vocalist Jessie Powell’s voice is fairly unique, there’s a gruff texture to it without screaming, although she can definitely belt out a blood curdling scream and the drums and guitar work do so much work making tracks like ‘White Lies’ and ‘Bittersweet Scars of My Past’. 

This was yet another introduction for me and having had no expectations, it was great to get out some aggression and experience some of my first pits of the day. 

Knuckle Puck

Knuckle Puck took over the main stage and despite only staying for a few songs, they made a big impression. Their brand of bright and bouncy pop punk was welcome after a morning of aggression and sadness. 

Knuckle Puck’s set was where I saw my first crowd surfer so it was great to see that the people were starting to pick up energy and raged to the entirety of ‘Copacetic’. An anniversary set is always welcome because you don’t have to do any research into the band, you just put on the album and vibe and that’s what everyone at Slam Dunk did. 

Imminence

Imminence were over on Main Stage East and made a grand impression with their use of violins as accompaniment for drop tuned 7 string metalcore. The violin added so much texture to the crushing riffs and devastating drums but it also showcased a brilliant amount of creativity as frontman Eddie’s Berg screamed into the mic on his violin throughout the set. 

The Swedish band brought the groove and melody with their use of atmospheric tapping guitar melodies but they knew exactly when to deliver a vicious right hook as the crowd got progressively more insane. ‘Death By a Thousand Cuts’ has been on repeat since the festival ended and we’re waiting patiently for another UK tour. 

This was also the first time I’ve seen a mime crowdsurf. I know it’s late in life but I’m just happy to have finally seen it. 

Aquabats 

On the car ride home, my colleague (Chis) asked what the highlight of the day was and without even thinking, I said Aquabats. Everyone who didn’t love this set has a broken soul and an allergy to fun. 

There’s a squad of superheroes playing ska punk while sharks and giant pizza slices are thrown around the audience. If that doesn’t sound awesome then I don’t know what to tell you. The whole set was the best kind of goofy and left everyone in the Monster stage smiling as inflatable sharks bounced around the tent. Several people managed to get on the pizza slice and crowdsurfed to the front like some kind of giant sentient pepperoni. 

The Aquabats whole set was full of magical high octane fun and shenanigans and they even acknowledged that Yorkshire is indeed the best part of the UK. “They say this is Leeds… But we know it’s Yorkshire” kickstarted chanting for the greatest place in the North: Yorkshire. ‘Pool Party,’ ‘Pizza’ and ‘Shark Fighter’ were all brilliant lively tracks that made me want mozzarella sticks but we had to settle for a Yorkshire pudding wrap. 

Noahfinnce

As the crowd gathered for the millennial national anthem (The Hannah Montana theme), Noahfinnce made his way to the stage armed with a cheeky smile and a guitar and got ready to hit the audience with a highly relatable brand of pop punk. His performance is highly energetic and fairly intense at times as the opening song, ‘I know Better,’ amps up in intensity and speed. 

Noah’s YouTube channel is a wholesome collection of anecdotes about his experiences on the internet as well as navigating the world as a neurodivergent person. His music feels like an extension of that as tracks like ‘Growing Up On The Internet’ gives insight into just how easily it can skew your perspective from a young age. It did feel a bit daunting and unsettling being part of such a young audience but the great thing about acts like Noah and this whole wave of progressive punk acts is they don’t care who you are as long as you’re a good person, which should be what punk is about. 

I See Stars

(Review by Chris James Ryan)

Among the many incredible bands on this lineup, a few truly caught my attention, and I See Stars was one of them. I could hardly believe they were performing! It’s been 12 years since ISS last graced the UK stage, and as someone who has been a fan for 11 years, finally seeing them live felt like a dream come true! A significant highlight is that brothers Devin and Andrew Oliver have taken on more prominent roles with the heavy unclean vocals. This shift comes after Zach Johnson handled programming and harsh vocals in the past. While Devin still delivers the clean singing, hearing him tackle those intense growls is fantastic! Meanwhile, Andrew transitioned from drumming to programming while also contributing to the heavier vocal parts to amplify their sound.

Even though their set was relatively short, it felt like an exhilarating fever dream filled with raw energy. Honestly, if I hadn’t mentioned any lineup changes, you probably wouldn’t even notice them. The band functioned seamlessly together to deliver an unforgettable performance. It was great to see both new fans and long-time listeners in attendance.

We caught up with Devin Oliver at Slam Dunk South, he opened up about being vulnerable in songwriting, and discussed the lyrics for new track ‘D4amage Done’. See the interview on RAMzine here.

Delilah Bon

With a stage adorned with signs like “trans rights”, “pride was a protest” and my personal favourite “dead men don’t rape”; you could expect a set full of progressive talking points, inclusivity and most importantly, pure undiluted rage. 

Having caught Delilah opening for Scene Queen back in 2023, I knew that her set would go down incredibly well at Slam Dunk. Delilah Bon’s whole set was fueled by righteous aggression with tracks like ‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’ and arguably the best song about killing predators and getting your own justice ‘I Wish a Bitch Would’. 

The interpolation of ‘Money’ by Cardi B on ‘I Don’t Listen to You’ shows a flawless ability to blend hip hop and metal without resorting to dated gimmicks while still keeping it fresh and interesting. Delilah performed a new track, ‘Princeless Princess,’ with her band for the second time which perhaps signals the beginning of a new album cycle. Be sure to get tickets to her UK tour in November. 

New Found Glory

I’d spoken to a handful of people who said New Found Glory were their most anticipated set of the festival and after just a few songs, it was crystal clear why they were excited. The whole band was bouncing around and doing crazy spin kicks and generally going crazy on stage as they came on to ‘All Downhill Hill From Here’. 

You’d struggle to find a better experience of classic pop punk as the band showed that despite being almost 30 years into their career, they still had the energy to keep up with the whippersnappers. Seeing New Found Glory is worth it just for ‘My Friends Over You’ but there’s so much more amazing pop punk in their set full of bootcamp drumming and gnarly tracks that make you want to do sick kickflips. 

The Used

The Used were over on Main Stage West and their set included the entirety of the self-titled album. Their set was fantastic and featured huge anthemic sing-alongs on tracks like ‘Taste of Ink’ and some thoroughly heartbreaking tracks like ‘Bullimic’ as well as an appearance from Sean Smith of The Blackout on ‘A Box Full of Sharp Objects’. There’s no telling where Sean Smith will appear at Slam Dunk but you should always assume he’s out there, plotting. 

The turnout was amazing but it established a new problem: the sound bleed from other stages was getting worse. The layout of the stages was somewhat close together, but didn’t really matter earlier in the day with the smaller bands. As the crowds got bigger, you had to move back towards the other stages and at times, it became a garbled wall of noise. If you were close enough to the stage, it wasn’t really a problem, as the mix, like most sets at Slam Dunk North, were really good. There was a solid bass and the drums were punchy without overpowering the guitars, which featured the perfect amount of crunch. 

Besides the sound issues, the band put on an amazing set comprised entirely of their landmark Self Titled album, which some members of the audience would consider a bucket list experience. There are bragging rights afforded to hearing such an iconic album in full, even if it means some setlist mainstays are unfortunately absent. 

Less Than Jake

Everyone has that one band they associate with Slam Dunk, for me it’s Less Than Jake. Less Than Jake are the quintessential ska pop punk band, they’ve featured on the soundtracks of several Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games (we had to mention this somewhere). 

Less Than Jake are a legendary band and Slam Dunk always treats them with the respect they deserve. They played in the Monster Stage tent this time which could have been a choice made by the band as it made for a more intimate experience. Despite it being 7PM and everyone over 30 was exhausted, they still got fired up for ska national anthems like ‘History of a Boring Town’ and ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’. 

Some have made the argument that Less Than Jake shows up at Slam Dunk too often and that it’s just expected for them to play and, to that, we say: shut up and eat your Ska. Less Than Jake are always amazing at Slam Dunk and the sun always comes out when they play. 

Electric Callboy

If you were to ask 100 people who they’re most excited for at Slam Dunk, the majority would say Electric Callboy. A German band who have absolutely exploded over the last few years. 

Their set was overrun with fun-filled gimmicks, pyrotechnics and comedy as they included modern classics like ‘We Got the Moves,’ ‘Hypa Hypa,’ ‘MC Thunder’ and ‘Spaceman’. You’d be hard pressed to find a band that takes being goofy as seriously as Electric Callboy. 

It wasn’t all fun and games as it became clear very early on that Electric Callboy were too big to play this stage and the crowds grew to a ridiculous size, luckily no one was properly injured but it was a stressful experience for some including festival goer Vince who called the crowd “an unmanaged mayhem of drunkards”. 

It seemed to settle down as time went on and security did everything they could to disperse the crowd a bit and create a safer environment. The set calmed down as Electric Callboy played a series of acoustic covers, complete with a campfire, including ‘Crawling’ by Linkin Park and a raunchy cover of ‘I Want It That Way’ by The Backstreet Boys. 

You could make the argument that it was a bit heavy on covers but being able to hear a cover of ‘Everytime We Touch’ by Cascada and ‘Still Waiting’ by Sum 41 in the same set is something you’re never going to experience anywhere else. Seeing as Frank Zummo from Sum 41 was on drums, it’s also the most authentic version you’ll hear now that Sum 41 have retired. 

A Day To Remember 

As we reached the final stretch of the day, everyone turned their gaze skyward as a series of dark clouds appeared, threatening to turn the final set of the entire festival into Slam Drink. After a few anxious moments, it finally hit and it began… ‘The Downfall of Us All’. There could be acid rain over the fields of Temple Newsam and nobody would care as A Day To Remember hit everyone with that acapella breakdown before hitting the crowd like a sledgehammer. 

As someone with a fairly limited experience of A Day To Remember, I was surprised to hear so many familiar tracks including ‘I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What are you Made of?,’ ‘You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic’ and of course the song that made me lose control of my middle finger, ‘Mr Highway’s Thinking About the End’. Everybody in the audience followed instructions beautifully as they did nothing but disrespect their surroundings. 

A wildly unexpected event occurred on stage, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon acknowledged their legendary cover of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since U Been Gone’ which was preceded by a cheeky little cover of ‘Walk’ by Pantera. 

The set was full of hectic motion on stage and in the audience as well as a whole arsenal of confetti canons and pyrotechnics as well as a giant inflatable penis because, why not? The whole experience capped off a brilliant day, which left me with a newfound appreciation for A Day To Remember as well as respect for their newer tracks like ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘All My Friends’. 

Heavy tracks like ‘2nd Sucks’ made a beautiful juxtaposition to lighter tracks like ‘Faith In Me’ and ‘Right Back At It Again’. These songs showed a versatility that not many bands of this genre can pull off and speaks to how they’ve managed to maintain relevance over the past 20 years. 

The crowd slowly started to dissipate as ‘If It Means A Lot To You’ filled the brisk Leeds air and as the last few songs played, we all reflected over a brilliant day of amazing music from people we’ve loved for years. The exit to the car park was also really quick, so we don’t even have to talk about that, it was just awesome. 

Slam Dunk has a good track record of addressing criticisms with improvements being made every year RAMzine has attended. It’s a festival that is big enough to feel like a grand spectacle but still small enough to feel like you, as an individual, matter, which can easily get lost at big festivals. The crowds this year flowed well, the sound mixes were great, the food was brilliant (if a little expensive, but it’s a festival innit?) and the only real criticism I can make is about the sound bleed, but what can you really do about that? 

Next year marks 20 years of Slam Dunk and people are already trying to predict how they’re going to celebrate this massive landmark. With a year left to speculate, there are so many questions people have;

Who will headline? Will it be Weezer? 

Will the Yorkshire pudding wrap place be there? 

Who are those weirdoes in the car park? 

Where is Sean Smith? 

All of these questions and more will be answered next May and with any luck, RAMzine will be there. 

Who do you want to see at Slam Dunk 2026? Tell us in the comments!

The post Slam Dunk Festival: Mime Crowdsurfing, Metalcore Violins & Inflatable Pizza appeared first on RAMzine.

Slam Dunk Festival is consistently an enjoyable outing, and it has become a key event in the calendars of many. Read below RAMzine’s run-down of the full line-up.

Main Stage West

A Day to Remember (21:00 – 22:15)

A Day To Remember are on the heavier side of pop rock so they’re sure to satisfy a wide array of people in the audience. With a laundry list of late 2000s emo adjacent classics like ‘All I Want’ and ‘The Downfall of Us All’ and ‘If It Means a Lot To You’: A Day to Remember are sure to end their headlining slot with thousands of people singing “la la la la la la la la”. 

Neck Deep (19:20 – 20:30)

Neck Deep are a beloved band in the pop punk scene from Wales and it’s wonderful to see them grow from humble beginnings to the main stage of Slam Dunk for one of the biggest UK shows of their career. Celebrate their back catalogue of songs from three summers ago like the beautiful ballads ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘December’ as well as the bouncy bootcampbootycamp drumming of ‘Gold Steps’ once it’s finally time to stop being sad. 

New Found Glory (17:55 – 18:55)

Pop punk royalty, New Found Glory, are bringing their infectious breed of youthful hyperactive modern sounding pop punk with bangers like the annoying boyfriend/girlfriend national anthem, ‘My Friends Over You,’ and the existential dread we all have to face sooner or later with ‘All Downhill from Here’. 

Hot Mulligan (16:45 – 17:30)

Hot Mulligan are a true Midwest emo band hailing from Michigan and they’re set to bring that sad energy we’ve all come to love about this wonderful genre. Check out the shoegaze style vibes of  ‘How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells,’ ‘No shoes in the Coffee Shop’ (or socks). 

The Starting Line (15:35 – 16:20)

The Starting Line is one of the lesser-discussed acts of the 2000s emo/pop punk genre, but they’re still heroes of the genre. Their back catalogue may be limited, but it’s quality over quantity for The Starting Line. Check out ‘Best of Me’ and ‘Leaving’ and get ready to be transported back to the mid-2000s.

Movements (14:30 – 15:10)

Opting for a more laid-back approach but still maintaining some of the more emotionally demanding elements of emo and post hardcore, Movements are sure to scratch the sad itch. Their latest single ‘Where I Lay’ is sure to go down incredibly well amongst older classics like ‘Daylily’ and ‘Colourblind’. 

Knuckle Puck (13:25 – 14:05)

Knuckle Puck are a pop punk/emo band from Chicago, their sound is deeply influenced by the late 2000s/early 2010s pop punk sound and they’re only getting bigger. Be sure to check them out before they properly blow up in the UK with a set full of bangers like their brand new single ‘Nice to Know Ya’ and the Midwest emo epic, ‘Untitled’. 

Hit the Lights (12:25 – 13:00)

Hit the Lights are a pop punk band from Ohio in the same vein as bands like Metro Station. They’re firmly rooted in pop rock, and their sound is super bright and colourful and matches their aesthetic brilliantly. Expect a set of life-affirming pop punk in the form of tracks like ‘Save Your Breath’ and ‘Drop the Girl’. 

Sweet Pill (11:35 – 12:05)

Opening Main Stage West and the entire festival is Sweet Pill, a super laid back Midwest Emo band from Pennsylvania. Sweet Pill are full of beautiful, clean guitar passages that pave the way for energetic distorted guitar parts complete with this swaying energy and emotive vocals. A great way to start the day. Check out ‘Dog Song’ and ‘High Hopes’ for a clearer picture of Sweet Pill. 

Main Stage East

Electric Callboy (19:45 – 20:55)

It was only a matter of time before Electric Callboy headlined a stage at Slam Dunk. Their high-octane shows, goofball comedy and mixture of slamming metalcore riffs and techno drops make them a must-see on every bill they’re a part of. Their latest single ‘Elevator Operator’ will fit nicely in a set with ‘We Got the Moves’ and ‘Pump It’. 

The Used (18:15 – 19:15)

The Used celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the most iconic emo albums of all time: In Love and Death. ‘I Caught Fire’ and ‘All That I’ve Got’ are tracks that have lasted through the years and helped inspire so many newer bands on this lineup. 

Finch (17:05 – 17:55)

Finch took a hiatus back in 2016 and came back swinging a few years later and now they’re finally making their way back to Slam Dunk with their driving emo/alt rock style. If you’re reading this sentence, my editor didn’t let me make an American Pie joke about Finch sleeping with your mom so you should check out ‘Letters to You’ and ‘What it is to Burn’. 

Stray from the Path (15:55 – 16:40)

Everyone should be fired up by this time of day and what better way to use that energy than getting angry at the state of the world with Stray from the Path. Inspired by Rage Against The Machine and a massive amount of politically driven hardcore bands, Stray from the Path are sure to make your blood boil and do some damage with tracks like their brand new single,‘Kubrick Stare’ and the iconic rager, ‘Guillotine’ – Be sure to pick a billionaire to dedicate it to. 

Landmvrks (14:50 – 15:30)

Landmvrks are a French metalcore band with just a hint of Linkin Park added to the mix. The nu metal influence is just subtle enough to scratch the itch with tracks like ‘Sulfur’ still containing the right amount of metalcore breakdowns to satisfy your bloodlust. Their new album The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been, containing ‘Blood Red’ and ‘Creature,’ releases on April 25th. Just enough time to get ready for their set. 

Imminence (13:45 – 14:25)

Swedish metalcore outfit Imminence are a fairly progressive band without leaning too far into the genre. There’s a lot of synth work that fills out their sound and makes them sound massive. ‘Chasing Shadows’ showcases the band at their most eclectic with complex lead guitar lines and colossal drums mixed with epic synths. 

Dream State (12:40 – 13:20)

Dream State are a Welsh alternative rock/metalcore band that make use of electronica-inspired synths that help punctuate anthemic choruses and raucous guitar work. Their latest single, ‘Bloom,’ is sure to go down well amongst classics like ‘White Lies’. 

Defects (11:45 – 12:20)

Combining a Lamb of God esque sense of rhythm and groove with modern metalcore technicality, Defects are an upcoming band in the metalcore scene that have managed to carve out a niche and establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with. There are riffs, little twiddly bits and breakdowns just like you’d expect from any metalcore band worth their salt. Their latest release, Modern Error, was a critically acclaimed release and gave us a powerhouse track in the form of ‘Scapegoat’. 

Kerrang Stage 

Hot Milk (20:50 – 21:50)

Rising through the ranks of the alternative scene at an insane speed and hailing from Manchester, Hot Milk are set to dominate the Kerrang stage with a killer set of emo power pop punk. Their new single ‘90 Seconds to Midnight’ from their highly anticipated new album Corporation POP is a track you won’t want to miss seeing live. 

Wargasm (19:40 – 20:25)

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ll have seen Wargasm on countless tour posters and festival lineups across the UK over the past few years. Bridging the gap between The Prodigy and Limp Bizkit, Wargasm are an electronic nu-metal outfit getting ready to once again burn it down like ‘Pyro Pyro’ at one of their biggest UK shows yet.

As It Is (18:30 – 19:15)

2025 will be the year As It Is celebrates the 10th anniversary of their modern emo classic, Never Happy, Ever After. The Brighton emo rockers will be playing the entire album in full exclusively at Slam Dunk so you can expect ‘Cheap Shots & Setbacks’ and gorgeous emotional moments like ‘My Oceans Were Lakes’. 

Twin Atlantic (17:25 – 18:05)

Twin Atlantic are an alternative rock/power-pop, rock/emo/indie band from Glasgow, but you’d be able to tell that really quickly if you were to put on one of their songs. Twin Atlantic are a band that pride themselves on big stomping rock anthems with mega choruses like ‘Heart and Soul’ and ‘Make a Beast of Myself’. 

Noahfinnce (16:25 – 17:00)

British YouTuber and multi-instrumentalist Noahfinnce brings their bright bubbly pop rock to Slam Dunk just after releasing their debut album, Growing up on the Internet, last year. Noahfinnce is full of youthful and infectious exuberance as well as fantastic stage presence. There’s a brilliant mixture of bright pop rock like the electro pop mix in ‘Headcase’. 

Rain City Drive (15:25 – 16:00)

Rain City Drive are a band that live for giant catchy hooks and powerful vocals from The Voice contestant Matt McAndrew. There’s a great deal of pop appeal without sacrificing the dark mood and guitar work. Check out ‘Neverbloom,’ ‘I’d Rather See Your Star Explode’ and ‘Medicate Me,’ their amazing collaboration with Dayseeker.

I See Stars (14:25 – 15:00)

I See Stars blend electronic elements, pop song structure and driving guitar work and drumming to create a sound that harkens back to Myspace-era metalcore while still feeling fresh and innovative. ‘D4MAGE DONE’ and ‘ARE WE 3VEN?’ show the band at the height of their abilities. 

Point North (13:30 – 14:00)

Hailing from California, Point North may be a pop punk band but their sound packs an incredible punch. Songs like ‘World vs Peace’ and ‘Bring Me Down’ have that accessible pop quality along with crushing drop-tuned guitar work. Highly recommended if you’re a fan of catchy sing-along hooks and ultra-heavy guitar work. 

Sophie Powers (12:35 – 13:05)

Sophie Powers is a Canadian pop-rock act riding high on the new wave of aggressive hyperpop infused with a harder rock attitude in the same vein as Scene Queen and Vain. She may have gained notoriety with her American Idol appearance featuring her performance of ‘STFU’ but her other songs like ‘Nosebleed’ and ‘Move With Me’ show an artist with something to prove. 

Lake Malice (11:40 – 12:10)

Opening the Kerrang stage is the feral electronic nu metal assault of Lake Malice. Having dropped a brand new single, ‘Scatterbrain,’ as well as having a whole back catalogue of vicious ragers like ‘Stop the Party,’ Lake Malice are just beginning to claw their way to the top. 

Monster Stage

Millionaires (22:25 – 22:50)

Closing out the festival with an after party to end all after parties, MySpace scene royalty, Millionaires, will be bringing the party anthems all the way back from 2009. Bring your gigantic scene hair and as much pink as you possibly can and get ready for anthems like ‘Alcohol’ and ‘Party Like a Millionaire’. 

Alkaline Trio (20:40 – 19:40)

One of the biggest pop punk/emo acts of the 2000s and featuring former Blink 182 frontman, Matt Skiba, Alkaline Trio are set to perform one of their biggest shows in the UK on the Monster Stage of Slam Dunk. Expect bangers like ‘Mercy Me’ and hits from their brand new album Blood, Hair and Eyeballs. 

Less Than Jake (19:15 – 20:15)

Less Than Jake are back once again to deliver a set of kickflip anthems that perfectly replicate the feeling of having mozzarella sticks. Less Than Jake always brings an amazing show full of killer ska punk, including ‘That’s Why They Call It A Union’ from Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 and ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’ from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4.

Streetlight Manifesto (18:05 – 18:50)

Streetlight Manifesto are a fairly modern interpretation of ska punk hailing from New Jersey. They’re a band that balances the ska and punk elements really well and strike a perfect balance between guitar-driven aggression and brass-driven groove. ‘Would You Be Impressed’ and ‘We Still Fall Together’ are essentials for the ever-expanding ska punk playlist we all have. 

Zebrahead (16:55 – 17:40)

Rap/punk/ska rockers and Slam Dunk regulars, Zebrahead, are back once again and still rocking like they did back in the good old days. ‘Anthem’, ‘Falling Apart’ and ‘Rescuing Me’ are all classics that hopefully make the setlist this year. If you drop litter at Slam Dunk, don’t forget to pick it up, pick it up, pick it up. There was nowhere natural to put that joke in this preview so Zebrahead got it. Congratulations Zebrahead!

The Aquabats (15:45 – 16:30)

Imagine if The Wiggles were superheroes and played Ska Punk for everyone and you’d have The Aquabats. A fun time for absolutely everybody, complete with goofy fun songs like ‘Pool Party’ and ‘Super Rad’. Be sure to check out their set if you’re ready for some serious silliness. 

The Ataris (14:40 – 15:20)

The Ataris are an emo/pop punk band from Indiana and they’re most notable for their emotionally driven tracks like ‘So Long, Astoria’ and ‘In This Diary’. Their biggest hit is a cover of Don Henley’s ‘Boys of Summer’ which adds a bit of a darker edge to the 70s classic. 

Home Grown (13:40 – 14:15)

After an almost 20-year hiatus, Home Grown are finally back in the UK for a set of late 90s/early 2000s skater punk with tracks like ‘Why Won’t You Leave Me’ and ‘You’re Not Alone’. It may have been a few decades but there’s no doubt they can still bring the kickflip anthems. 

Save Ferris (12:40 – 13:15)

Appearing at the height of the ska punk movement of the 90s, Save Ferris became a cult band with their bright sunny lyricism and fun-filled attitudes. They’re widely beloved for their Ska cover of ‘Come On Eileen’ by Dexy’s Midnight Runners but they have a whole back catalogue full of bangers like ‘Spam’ and ‘Goodbye’ from their brilliant 1997 album, It Means Everything. 

The Meffs (11:45 – 12:15)

The Meffs are a modern British punk band that wear all of their influences on their sleeves. From The Sex Pistols to The Clash to The Jam, The Meffs are highly recommended for those looking for a more vintage punk sound with a more contemporary edge. Check out tracks like ‘Broken Britain, Broken Brain’ and ‘Clowns’. 

Key Club Stage

Note: The stage times are different between Hatfield and Temple Newsam. This article only features Temple Newsam stage times; visit Slam Dunk’s socials for Hatfield stage times. 

Scowl (20:20 – 20:55)

Headlining the Key Club Stage is American hardcore/pop punk band Scowl, their genre might be a bit of an oxymoron to some but they’re a perfect split of fun bounciness and aggressive attitude. Their latest album, Are We All Angels, only just dropped this month and we’re all excited to see tracks like ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Not Heaven, Not Hell’ live for the very first time. 

South Arcade (19:25 – 19:55)

South Arcade are an Oxford-based pop punk band that wear their 2000s influences on their sleeves. Tracks like ‘2005’ and ‘How 2 Get Away With Murder’ have the bubble gum pop punk sound you’d associate with someone like Avril Lavigne, albeit with a bit of extra edge. 

Graphic Nature (18:35 – 19:05)

Graphic Nature blends nu metal with metalcore to create something completely hostile and unhinged. They’ve opened for the likes of Vended and Bloodywood and drawn some of the most insane crowds in recent memory. Check out their singles ‘Human’ and ‘The Killing Floor’ for a clear insight. 

Split Chain (17:45 – 18:15)

Split Chain are a must see for fans of Deftones. The Bristol based outfit blends nu metal with shoegaze to create what they call “dreamo”. Their debut album drops after Slam Dunk on July 11th but you can still expect to hear a few tracks from it like ‘I’m not Dying to Be Here’ and ‘Bored. Tired. Torn’. 

Delilah Bon (16:55 – 17:25)

Delilah Bon has started to gain some major traction after her recent headline tour and Download set. Her brand of aggressive female empowerment anthems like ‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’ will definitely start a dialogue. You can check out our coverage of her set opening for Scene Queen in Leeds back in 2023 here. 

Free Throw (16:05 – 16:35)

Free Throw are from Nashville, Tennessee but they embody that Midwest emo sound with their use of beautiful intricate clean guitar work and complex drumming which make the distorted guitar parts all the more effective. Check out ‘Pallet Town’ and the contender for best song title in this article: ‘Hey Ken, Someone Methodically Mushed the Donuts’.

Heart Attack Man (15:15 – 15:45)

Heart Attack Man are a straight up punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. They’re closer to an act like Green Day during their Dookie or perhaps Pinkerton-era Weezer with their bright colourful choruses and youthful energy. Check out their singles, ‘The Gallows’ and ‘Laughing Without Smiling’ from their upcoming new album Joyride The Pale House. 

Mouth Culture (14:25 – 14:55)

Mouth Culture are a Leicester-based alternative rock band that draw a lot of influence from the Midwest Emo scene with their use of complex clean guitar work, added shoegaze elements and even a bit of 2000s indie rock. Mouth Culture are sure to impress those looking for something a bit more progressive with tracks like ‘Had Enough’ and ‘Sharkbait’. 

Kid Bookie (13:35 – 14:05)

Kid Bookie represents a more progressive approach to nu metal/rap rock in a lot of ways. The fact that a rapper is on the bill at Slam Dunk at all is indicative that the attitude is the most important part of being accepted into the alternative scene. His collaborations with Corey Taylor have helped cement his place as a powerful figure in angry music. Be sure to check out ‘Game’ and ‘Stuck In My Ways’ before his set. 

Winoa Fighter (12:45 – 13:15)

Winona Fighter have a hell of a lot going for them right now: a brand new banger of a record, Apologies To The Chef, a killer set of bouncy tracks with hilarious pop punk titles and one of the best band names at the festival. Check out their new album which features bangers like ‘You Look Like a Drunk Phoebe Bridgers’ and ‘Hamms in a Glass’. 

Greywind (11:55 – 12:25)

Greywind are an Irish band that are an emo act at heart. With huge melodramatic choruses and emotionally driven melodies, Greywind are sure to come out swinging as they open the Key Club stage at Hatfield. Check out their EP Antidote which features the brilliant scream along anthem, ‘Here’s Your Deathwish,’ and the emotional rock ballad, ‘Swing and Sway’.

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