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For UK fans of pop-punk, emo, ska-punk, metalcore and associated sub-genres, Slam Dunk is the festival of the year, every year.
We popped along to Temple Newsam in Leeds for the Northern leg of the festival, and here are the six bands who defined the day.
Sweet Pill
As punters file onto the Temple Newsam grounds, a flurry of guitar noodling wafts over from Main Stage West. With each curious step towards the sound, Sweet Pills’ maths-y instrumentals become even stronger – before Zayna Youssef howls into the microphone, her explosive vocals kickstarting this year’s Slam Dunk with a bang.
Despite the threat of a downpour, the Philadelphia emos remain undeterred; their charismatic frontwoman stomps around the stage with conviction, whether she’s crooning her way through the existential dread of Where The Heart Is or barking like a feral dog to emphasise the embittered resentment of Dog Song. The melding of mid-west textures and anthemic choruses is a perfect icebreaker for the early crowds, and Youssef is a superstar in the making.
Mouth Culture
While their music videos and social media presence would have you believing Mouth Culture are a pack of tongue-in-cheek Ratbags, the alt-rock trio don’t fool around when it comes to a live show. As soon as opener Sharkbait rumbles to life, frontman Jack Voss falls into the swing of of the show, entirely lost in the ebb-and-flow by the time cowbell-centric grit of No Shame takes hold. Voss is a relentless alt-rock spinning top, dizzily carving circles onstage, as he urges the crowd to match his energy and open a circle pit for the furious brunt of Cherry Red Rage. By the time the set draws to its triumphant close, fans bouncing along and clambering on shoulders for Don’t Pull Up and Ratbag, the singer is totally spent, stripped down to his bare chest. A great show.
The Used
The Used’s heart-on-sleeve poetics have been a staple of emo culture for a quarter of a decade now. To mark the band’s 25th year, they’ve been running through their first three records – and today, Slam Dunk North has the honour of celebrating the band’s visceral self-titled debut.
As Bert McCracken takes to the stage, fans quickly clock he’s wearing a fingerless skeleton glove – the necessary uniform of the early 2000s emo. It’s a small statement, but one that holds weight, a symbol of an era that The Used helped define. And, when McCracken’s gloved hand reaches out in front of him, exposed finger circling in request of a circle pit for Maybe Memories, who could possibly say no?
The Taste of Ink only ups the ante. Each howl of “savour every moment of this” feels more poignant than ever, as McCracken soaks up the moment, basking in the glory of a true milestone moment. It’s a milestone the singer arguably didn’t think would ever happen: as he introduces the self-explanatory Bulimic and drug-obsessed Say Days Ago, alluding to the darker periods of his life, it’s clear that the man onstage has worked hard to overcome those demons.
A standout moment comes in the form of “the greatest song ever written”, as McCracken so humbly proclaims. A Box Full Of Sharp Objects infects the crowd, rousing the masses into a frenzy – before Sean Smith from The Blackout emerges onstage, unleashing marvellous guttural howls. And as the Used close out their set with the record’s ‘secret’ bonus track, the feral and scrappy Choke Me, we know we've been treated to a celebration of a pivotal emo record.
Delilah Bon
Bitch, witch, evil hate-filled female – Delilah Bon goes by many names. As the riot grrrl renegade saunters out onstage in fluffy pink leg warmers, we’d forgive you for wondering how she came to earn such labels; her pair of cute space buns and butter-wouldn’t-melt grin surely could only belong to a sweet, demure young woman. However, as soon as her jaw unhinges, Brat’s defiant war cry of “I’M A BRAT!!!!” shatters the illusion.
Delilah’s molotov cocktail of saccharine sweetness, sobering home truths and raw punk fury hits with a blaze, the crowd instantly consumed by the punk star’s captivating aura. “It's taken a long time to become this loud bitch before you,” she proclaims at one point. “I didn't used to be a loud, proud bitch. But lets toast – to the angry women in this world!”
Throughout, Delilah wears her divisive activism like a badge of honour. Evil, Hate-Filled Female has her wiggling her hips, placing a hand above her head to parade around with ‘devil horns’. And the masses love it – girls young and old scream along to I Wish A Bitch Would and the climactic, abuser-condemning Dead Men Don’t Rape like their life depends on it.
Neck Deep
“We’re Neck Deep and we’re ready to rock. Tonight might be the night I lose my cock…”
That silly country n' western backed intro is an indication that while Neck Deep may be growing up, that doesn’t mean they’re mature just yet – and the fans wouldn’t want it any other way. The scrappy pop-punk staples emerge onstage to Heartbreak of the Century, and it’s instantly clear that they’re one of the Slam Dunk crowd’s favourite acts. The Wrexham gang balance satire, earnest melancholy and outright rage perfectly, and they pull it off without a hitch. From STFU to Lowlife, pits whirl with joy, the group matching the energy as they two-step along.
A standout moment comes in the form of We Need More Bricks, which sees the band’s team run onstage to lob ‘bricks’ into the crowd. The political track also finds Ben Barlow urging the masses to support the free Palestine movement, a reminder that the band do live up to their punk side from time to time.
“We were voted on this festival in 2013,” Barlow notes before In Bloom closes out the set. “We’re this close to the top… Maybe soon, we’ll headline this thing.”
On this evidence, they’re ready.
A Day To Remember
A Day To Remember have played Slam Dunk countless times, but, tonight, they're finally headlining. As opener The Downfall of Us All floods over the field, its an instant testament to how the group have earned this coveted headline slot; the track is a fixture of alternative culture, every emo, punk and metalhead fully capable of harping it back with precision. And tonight is no different, the field erupting with howls of “I sold my soul to the open road!”
It’s the perfect icebreaker, with the equally as iconic I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of? only encouraging even more rampant pitting throughout the packed-out crowd. From the iconic cover of Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, to Mr. Highway's Thinking About the End’s glorious cry of “DISRESPECT YOUR SURROUNDINGS!”, A Day To Remember have the crowds eating out of their hands. Even newer cuts off of this year’s Big Ole Album Vol. 1 go down brilliantly, the uninterrupted run of LeBron, Feedback and Miracle perfectly fitting into the setlist.
As All Signs Point To Lauderdale brings the set to a climactic finale, the answer to Jeremy McKinnon's wailing plea of “When will I find where fit in?” seems obvious. This is where A Day To Remember belong.
