Another year rolls by, and another installment of the Slam Dunk Festival storms the gates of Hertfordshire University. For one day only, the campus is transformed as the biggest names and freshest faces in rock, pop punk and ska come to town. Each year there seems to be more competition in the one-dayer market, but with Slam Dunk adding a Wolverhampton date to their existing Hatfield and Leeds appearances, the Bank Holiday festival is looking stronger than ever. The lineup would reflect this claim, but as the second of three full-day events fought off the rainclouds that had plagued the Leeds date just 24 hours prior, would the ends justify the means?
It was up to Blitz Kids to get the ball rolling on the main stage, and set the tone for what would be a non-stop cavalry charge of musical talent. For the first band up on one of two open air stages, the set can be considered a success as the early arrivals are in good voice and high spirits reflecting the energy displayed on stage. There is still the unanswered question of whether the Cheshire quartet are built for open-air shows, but perhaps it is a booking they’re yet to grow into as the set is thrashed out with confidence even if some elements are a little lost to the wind at times. 2014 certainly won’t be the last year that Blitz Kids take to Slam Dunk’s main stage, however, and you can bet that this is just the beginning for a band who are set to dominate 2014’s festival season. Canterbury follow, and enjoy an even louder reception as the main stage goes from strength to strength in the early stages. ‘Expensive Imitation is first up in a set constructed from the ground up to keep everybody jumping. While the guitars of Blitz Kids were sometimes less noticeable than you’d expect, there is no such hindrance for Canterbury and the four-piece ensure that their recent momentum continues, with a strong showing in Hatfield building on a well-received tour earlier this year to make absolutely certain that the quartet head into summer on top form.
A trip to the pop-punk fueled Atticus Stage follows, upon which Welsh quintet (no, the other Welsh quintet) Save Your Breath are kicking off. The five-piece are in town off the back of 2013 record There Used To Be A Place For Us, and it’s a solid, though not a standout set as the Newport natives keep things ticking over. The Refectory is packed nonetheless, and while the set won’t be ranked in many top five lists coming out of the festival, but at the same time there will be few leaving Hatfield with any bad words to say about Save Your Breath. The band themselves will no doubt have their eyes on higher slots in future Slam Dunk appearances, but there is perhaps a little way to go before they’re ready for a big step up. There isn’t much time for a respite, with Gnarwolves tearing into the Macbeth Stage just ten minutes later, and the Brighton horde have no intentions of letting anyone relax during their set either. The punk trio are pulsating a raucous energy as their set rattles on, whipping the Forum’s main room into a frenzy as it packs out from front to back. By the time that I Am The Avalanche and Zebrahead follow them, it seems hard to believe that the day is already half done but the festival’s second stage is in good hands as time rolls on. Zebrahead are one of the festival’s veteran ska acts; they’ve done this gig before and you can bet they’ll do it again. This showing does feel a little inauspicious compared to what the band are really capable of though, and from further back it seems to lack punch in a set that might as well be a DJ playing Zebrahead songs on his laptop. The frenzy towards the stage however suggests that noone further forward has such qualms, and there is a considerable murmur of expectations met after the quintet have left the stage.
The trip up to catch Marmozets on the Cheer Up Clothing stage is the cue for everything to pick up again. New tracks are belted out alongside favourites such as ‘Move Shake Hide’ and the ever-intense outfit benefit from the Attic’s knack for exposing both a band and their fans at their most feral. If not for later events then the set would definitely be the day’s highlight but the two sets of siblings can be proud in the knowledge that they come away easily placed within the festival’s top two bands. The arrival of We Are The In Crowd on the main stage gets people dancing in the sun once more, and Slam Dunk has certainly chosen well in selecting the band as the main face of this year’s events. WATIC have been on form at Slam Dunk’s Scottish and Welsh shows as well as the big three, and Hatfield continues the trend for one of America’s brightest pop punk acts. Mallory Knox follow them, as a band who have emerged as one of the breakout stars of British rock in the past eighteen months. ‘Beggars’ and ‘Wolves’ kick things off with the Cambridge outfit sounding as good as ever as their quest for world domination rolls on. The set stays strong through ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Hello’, but the and are fighting a barely controlled explosion on the Monster Energy stage, in the form of California quintet Letlive, and that is not a band you want to be put up against, because few will win that fight. As always, Jason Butler leads an insatiable whirlwind of energy from which noone is 100% safe. It’s a demolition derby on stage and in the crowd that showcases Letlive at their very, very best. You don’t put Butler on an open air stage and expect anything less than chaos, and it’s the most beautiful kind of chaos that takes hold of Hatfield when the Los Angeles armada makes land. To construct a proper image of what ensues, you need to bare in mind that this stage has been placed in a bus lane. Now, imagine that a bus lane has been hit by a small meteor and you’re coming close to the aftermath of Slam Dunk’s standout set. It just doesn’t come better than this.
To walk away from Letlive and view Kids In Glass Houses as a cool-down act puts into perspective just how crazy the day has become, but even up against metalcore heavyweights Bury Tomorrow and main stage headliners All American Rejects there is no missing the Welsh pop-punk quintet’s last ever Hatfield show. Their penultimate Slam Dunk show. And with 2008 album Smart Casual fueling proceedings while emotions run high ahead of October’s farewell tour, there will be few to deny that this is the five-piece’s finest hour to date. There is no room for the likes of ‘Drive’ and ‘Undercover Lover’ in the four non-SC tracks, but t’s a strong showing, beyond strong even, as the Welshmen shake off the shackles of a “cool-down act” to thump out a scorching set on a night where many in attendance may never see them again. There is just enough time left in the day to catch Bury Tomorrow‘s set reach its final throes. ‘Knight Life’ and ‘Royal Blood’ are exactly the vicious, furious brand of metal that you’d expect from the Monster Energy stage’s headline act, but it’s the encore of ‘Lionheart’ that sees Slam Dunk South closed out in the most carnivorous fashion. The final aftershocks of a blistering set ring out as the five-piece celebrate the launch of new album Runes by bringing Hatfield to its knees.
It’s a fitting end to a day where the stars have aligned superbly, ensuring what has definitely been Slam Dunk’s strongest Hatfield showing yet. There was no dull moments and as the afternoon roared on things only got better across each stage. Competition be damned, Slam Dunk is still on fire in 2014, and the future is bright for the UK’s ultimate touring one-day festival.
7bitarcade - Archive 