Festival News: Slam Dunk announce another wave of artists
Slam Dunk. It’s almost the end of another month, so obviously it’s time to announce another wave of artists for Hatfield and Leeds next year. At this rate, by May, Slam Dunk will be competing with When We Were Young for the most stacked bill.
As if Enter Shikari, The Offspring, Yellowcard, Kids In Glass Houses, Bowling For Soup, Holding Absence, Trophy Eyes, Fit For A King, Noah Finnce, Charlotte Sands and the rest of the practically perfect line up already announced wasn’t enough, today, Thursday 27th October, another twelve names have been added to the list.
First off, making their Slam Dunk debut come Flogging Molly, the multi-disciplinary, multi-genred Celtish folk-punk legends. It’s hard to even hazard a guess at what stage they’ll end up on — maybe all of them?
Likewise, the equally unique Gogol Bordello will be gracing Hatfield and Leeds for their first Slammy D shows too.
There’s also the semi-acoustic post-hardcore standouts Movements, making their Slam Dunk debut in joining their also announced touring buddies from earlier this year, Boston Manor - both the Californian quartet and the brilliant Blackpoolians are sure to go down a treat.
Likewise, both The Hunna, on the cusp of embarking on their sold out UK tour over the next month, and festival favourites Trash Boat are set to grace both revered grounds.
Less surprisingly, but just as well-welcomed, come Wargasm — given both Milkie’s feature on Trash Boat’s Bad Entertainment and their feature on Enter Shikari’s recently released The Void Stares Back, it was almost inevitable the nu-metal-punk outfit would make an appearance, or perhaps multiple, over the weekend, but it’s always nice to have your dreams confirmed.
Meanwhile, there are a good few returns to the bill. There’s We Came As Romans, after their planned appearance for 2020 fell through — obviously — as well as the punk-rock favourites The Menzingers; obviously their resoundingly good tour this month tempted them to come back ASAP.
Returning for their second first time come semi-acoustic, emo band Spanish Love Songs; making up for having to cancel their headline set this year, they’re sure to be as heartfelt as they are anthemic, if the still-to-get-a-UK-tour ‘Brave Faces’, Everyone has anything to say about it.
Almost to the end, but yet the list still goes on: both Static Dress, having gone down a storm at the Heavy Music Awards earlier in the year, and superb Scottish duo Vukovi, always promising a hell of a show, return to Hatfield once more, while, finally, folk-punk Sincere Engineer helps round off the lineup... for now.
Basically, there’s still seven months to go and the probable clashes are already a logistical and emotional nightmare: buy a ticket and start planning now folks, because Slam Dunk, as always, is set to be a standout of the festival calendar once more.
Words by James O’Sullivan
