Festival Review: Slam Dunk North 2024
Nothing says British summers like loud music, tasty food, and downpour after utter soaking downpour. Being the wettest and muddiest Slam Dunk Festival in recent years, Leeds’ Temple Newsam became the home for the biggest, dirtiest, most fun Slip-and-Slide. But compared to the ever-busy counterpart of 2023’s festival, this was still a breath of fresh air.
One of the bands opening the day was Leeds natives Artio. A group making waves in the alternative scene for writing real and hard-hitting tunes about living in a world full of injustice, unfairness, pain and discrimination. Only having released their debut full-length Babyface earlier this year, Artio are just in their infancy but already present themselves as not-so-serious professional punks on the stage. Filling up the Kerrang Stage tent to its full capacity and then some, there’s no doubt that on their next visit to the Yorkshire grounds, they will be placed somewhere a little bit bigger and with a lot more fans joining them.
The day is only beginning, and the bands are only getting better. The midday treat of As December Falls arrives on the main stage, just as the rain begins another downfall of its own. The adverse weather however would not be a hindrance, but instead be something to bring more power, more excitement to the band’s set. Bringing on the singing, the chanting, and commanding a mosh before them, the Nottingham rockers knew how to bring the thunder better than the clouds above and did it well. Frontwoman Bethany Curtis stayed strong and dominated the stage in all her heavy rock glory, and for a brief moment in time, everyone forgot about the rain.
Just in time for the smidgen of sunshine in the entire day, the appearance of pop-punk fathers The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Being the soundtrack to many punks, young and old, the group know of their legacy and take it all in, but never dare take their notoriety for granted. The turnout was fantastic; whether those in attendance were die-hard fans, know them mostly for their musical appearance on the drama show The Vampire Diaries, or for their international hit ‘Face Down’, everyone was having a good time and the glimpse of sun and momentary warmth just made the experience all that more special. That is what Slam Dunk is all about: sun, sweet drinks, and straight-up legendary pop-punk sounds.
Following from the 21-year career of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to an act a little newer but just as entertaining: the Slam Dunk return of Set It Off. Always a thrilling band to put on stage at a festival, this appearance carries quite the contrast to their last appearance in 2022. Switching out the bright neons of their Elsewhere era for something darker and less forgiving, they’re in the middle of bringing in their latest album era and it seems the fans are loving it. Bringing their latest tracks such as ‘Fake Ass Friends’ and the collaborative hit ‘Win Win’, they were on a roll. This was until a sudden technical fault killed their electricity midway through their closer ‘Punching Bag’. This however was far from a tragic end, as the band continued on with the help of the fans to amplify the lyrics and carry the song to its natural conclusion. A technical fault can be the worst way to end a set - however, when it came to Set It Off and their dedicated fanbase, it turned out to be the most beautiful bonding experience of the day. It’s never a dull time with Set It Off.
As the day went on, and the rain kept coming and going, the usually dry safe grounds of Temple Newsam became wetter, stickier, and much more hazardous when it came to slipping risks. This is what made anyone who danced and moshed along to The Bouncing Souls the absolute bravest souls in the festival that day. Making their Slam Dunk debut, the New Jersey pop-punkers usually live up to their namesake near perfectly; producing the catchiest, bounciest pop-punk hits in the genre that can cause even the most stubborn man to start tapping his foot and nodding his head. With the sizable turnout they received from the Monster Stage, a number of attendees did end up a little bit head over heels - or the exact opposite - but what is good harmless classic pop-punk without a few feet in the air and a handful of accidents? As long as those kids had fun, that’s all that mattered and judging by the cheering, singing and the attempts of dancing, it looked like a mission accomplished by the American outfit. Now to hope that it doesn’t take The Bouncing Souls too long to make their way back, for Slam Dunk or otherwise.
It seemed like as the evening was approaching, the clouds in the sky were closing up and darkening once again. The rain was back, and with a vengeance. However, this worked in the favour of Manchester act Pale Waves, who were just about to take the Kerrang Stage. The only stage in the field that was set up under a tent. This was how Pale Waves ended up with what looked to be a record-breaking crowd for their set, even if many of those under the tent were seeking some form of salvation from the weather above them.
This isn’t to say the band still put on a great performance. Even with the estimated hundreds before them under that tent, with the harsh weather being of a nature to put off the strongest souls in the field, they still kept their cool and managed to entertain everyone. The fans who were intentionally attending, and the festival goers who were just looking for somewhere slightly dry until the rain subsided again. Playing popular hits such as ‘Lies’, ‘She’s My Religion’ and ‘Jealousy’, even those who weren’t all that familiar with the group were singing along by the end of the set and grew familiar with them and their discography. Many of the attendees probably knew a song or two without knowing who it was, and now they put faces to the sounds, there’s no doubt in their minds they’ll be looking them up again and playing through every release they’ve ever made.
There is nothing more memorable than a fantastic band playing in the middle of a torrential rainfall.
Following on the same stage was American rock act Palaye Royale. Their first appearance at the festival since 2018, it’s safe to say they’ve definitely become bigger and better since then. Being one of their only UK appearances for the year, they took the opportunity of being on stage in front of their adoring fans to shout out their latest announcement: they’re taking over Wembley in November, and it’ll be their biggest headline show to date. There’s no better way to broadcast such career-defining news than on stage at a festival, and if this performance was anything to go by for their end-of-year headline, everyone is in for a treat.
The trio gave the crowd a little bit of everything: ‘Mr. Doctor Man’ and ‘You’ll Be Fine’ from their Boom Boom Room twin records; ‘Little Bastards’ and ‘Fucking With My Head’ from The Bastards; and closing out with the iconic title track from their last full-length Fever Dream. Giving the audience a taste of their entire career, up to their brand new single ‘Just My Type’, it was both a greatly entertaining and enjoyable live performance and the best advertisement for their Wembley show. Here’s to a fun night in London ahead of everyone.
Closing out the Kerrang Stage is Slam Dunk all-time favourites Waterparks. An overseas alt-rock group, Waterparks are always a likely choice for a Slam Dunk line-up, and there is a reason: they bring a good show, a great crowd, and brilliant crowd interactions.
Coming with a brand new single ‘SOULSUCKER’, on a rebooted version of their latest record Intellectual Property, they always bring something a little different to the festival. Frontman Awsten Knight is known to be quite the class clown on stage; and with his constant attempts to grab the attention of the All-American Rejects, who were playing the main stage not too far from them, it seemed his reputation was correctly earned and labelled. But outside of comedy, jokes and jabs, they brought the tunes that made them the beloved band they are today: with early hits such as ‘Stupid For You’ and ‘Blonde’, combined with more recent tracks such as ‘Turbulent’, ‘Numb’, and ‘Funeral Grey’, there may have been a heavier reliance on tracks from later full-length releases but it still got the crowd moving and grooving, singing and screaming along. At a Waterparks gig, that is all you need to see to know it’s been an exceptional time and everyone will be leaving happy, satisfied, and maybe that little bit more tired from all the jumping and dancing.
Now for the moment the majority of the festival goers were waiting for. The main men. The band that made wading through mud the entire day worth it to these punks. Celebrating a near 20-year long career with their last ever festival appearance, British rock group You Me At Six are Slam Dunk’s headliners for the night.
The crowd they commanded was phenomenal: from the barrier of the stage right out to the back by the adjacent stages, almost everyone was tuned in and waiting for what would be one of the final times they’ll ever see this band. Even if they weren’t too dedicated of a follower of You Me At Six, it’s still a moment that deserves even slight respect; a band’s career is ending, and outside of a tour commencing in early 2025, there will be no other time to see them doing what they do best. Pay respects for the final Slam Dunk appearance.
They brought a little something from each of their albums. Opening with the Take Off Your Colours classic ‘Save It for the Bedroom’, they took everyone through a journey of their personalised history. The likes of ‘Reckless’ and ‘Bite My Tongue’ representing Sinners Never Sleep; ‘Underdog’ and ‘The Consequence’ representing Hold Me Down; ‘Beautiful Way’ from SUCKAPUNCH; ‘Straight to My Head’ from IV; and many others that have defined their musical career from era to era. There was nothing more fans could ask for. Everyone was being represented through each song, each era, every note played, every lyric sung. It truly felt like the end, and at the same time, it wasn’t sad. This wasn’t a death to mourn, but a lifetime to look back on fondly.
You Me At Six took the two-day festival to treat their last festival as a funeral of sorts, but it shouldn’t be a sad occasion. It should be a happy one. A last hurrah. One last time to do what they were born to do, on the stage they’ve worked their entire career up to, especially in terms of their Slam Dunk tenure. If there was any way these two headline sets were missed, do not take the chance to miss the headline tour. See them off in style. It’s what they deserve.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Maryleen Guevara // @maryleenphoto
