Slam Dunk 2013

There’s something about listening to pop punk in the summer that makes Slam Dunk one of the most wonderful days of the year. It’s a Bank Holiday weekend and the sun is gloriously shining; Hatfield University is quickly getting sweaty.

The Vans Off The Wall stage is packed for Gnarwolves’ debut visit to Slam Dunk South. Overflowing out of the space, the audience is already in full swing; voices raised, crowdsurfers surging towards the stage. Blasting through a set mixed with both new and old material, it’s an extraordinarily exciting, but still somewhat humbling, display from the trio. Simmering with promise, their short time on stage is special, and a little surreal.

As the festival unfolds, the Macbeth stage is set to boast some of the brightest bands in modern pop punk, and The Story So Far are no exception. Fresh from a full tour of the UK, which took in not one, but two shows in London, the Californian five-piece appear on stage and instantly inject a dose of adrenaline into their audience. Just moments in to the first chords of their opener ‘Roam’, the crowd are hooked and singing along with every word.

Fireworks’ return to Slam Dunk marks two and a half years since they last performed on our shores, and the first UK live outing for their 2011 full-length ‘Gospel’. The result of such a wait is rapturous, and whilst the crowd is admittedly smallish, every one of them appears to be bubbling with happiness at their return to arms. Plummeting straight into ‘Gospel’ opener ‘Arrows’, the six-piece’s witty brand of pop punk is as insatiable as ever, and it’s great to finally hear their newest tracks in a live environment.

Meanwhile, in the pleasant heat of the Sunday afternoon, Kids In Glass Houses can be found bounding around the main stage. Having taken the last year off to concentrate on a brand new album, it’s been a while since we’ve been privy to their pop rock ditties. Now they’re back and stretching their performing legs, the band seem rejuvenated. Tracks like ‘Saturday’, ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Matters At All’ shine epically, and make everything feel that little bit more like summer.

A complete contrast, the darkly lit room where The Wonder Years are about to play is packed with quiet anticipation. As soon as the band’s frontman Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell steps centre stage, the atmosphere shifts and the audience erupts into life. Blasting through a set fuelled with tracks from their most recent three albums, the crowd sings back at Campbell with utter conviction, and it’s hard not to feel a little taken aback. Songs like ‘Local Man Ruins Everything’ and ‘Woke Up Older’ are explosive but poignant, catchy but cathartic and there’s an untouchable energy hanging in the air.

Returning to the main stage, Deaf Havana open their set with a rather interesting cover of Robbie Williams’ ‘Let Me Entertain You’, and frontman James Veck-Gilodi has mostly lost his voice. An obvious issue throughout, the new look six-piece do their best to overcome problems, and thanks to a mass of singalongs, their set ends on a much more triumphant note.

All Time Low end proceedings. With the sun setting and many a satisfied punter singing along, their set carries that wonderfully reassuring sense of nostalgia. That’s the wonder of Slam Dunk; it’s the place to discover some of your new favourite rock bands, while getting reacquainted with some of your golden oldies.