Slam Dunk 2025 • Festivals • DIY Magazine

One year away from its 20th anniversary in its home city of Leeds, Slam Dunk is now a mainstay on the alternative calendar, with a predominantly pop-punk offering in comparison to the likes of Donington’s (traditionally) heavier counterpart or Outbreak’s hearty lean into hardcore. Its line-up, as ever, blends the new with the old – never afraid to fully embrace the nostalgia that has largely underpinned its two-decade-long history, but also a staunch champion of rising talent, it’s possible to track some of Slam Dunk’s early small-stage upstarts through the ranks to the headliners of today.

2025, though, sees A Day To Remember take top billing - an apparent dream booking for the festival and no doubt a fan favourite, given the throngs of onlookers who swarm to one of the event’s two main stages as the sun begins to set. A peak performance befitting a band who stand tall atop some of the scene’s pioneers (and who themselves surely influenced ADTR’s own formation), it signifies just what Slam Dunk continues to do best, the epitome of both legacy and innovation.

That legacy bleeds throughout the rest of the line-up, too - one that welcomes scene champions such as Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory and Zebrahead towards the latter half of the day. It is perhaps the double-header of Finch and The Used, both tantalisingly positioned one after the other on the festival’s Main Stage East, that is a particular highlight, showcasing the sheer calibre of artists on display.

Finch’s Nate Barcalow sounds pitch perfect as he belts out tracks from 2002’s ‘What It Is To Burn’ and 2005’s largely underrated ‘Say Hello The Sunshine’, the latter seeing him unleash thunderous screams and heavy riffs that far outweigh much of what has been seen elsewhere. But it’s The Used who deliver the set of the day, ending their trio of full-album performances over in the UK with their self-titled debut in full, welcome The Blackout’s Sean Smith for screaming duties on ‘A Box of Sharp Objects’ to fully cement the record’s position in emo history.

Elsewhere, the newcomers aren’t far behind, with the Key Club Stage presenting a captivating performance by Nashville-based outfit Winona Fighter - one which comes complete with a huge cover of Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ (included, in Coco Kinnon’s words, to ensure everyone gets to dance).

Long bubbling under the surface, Heart Attack Man bring a healthy dose of gruff pop-punk to the table, while Californian crossovers Scowl close the stage with a brilliantly brutal performance in keeping with the hype they have garnered in the past year. On the main stage, meanwhile, Hot Mulligan draw huge attention for their atypical blend of punk, joking with the audience that "the nice bands are over, and now it's time to be screamed at". It makes for a great set in the glimpse of afternoon sun.

And as that sun sets, the Kerrang! stage welcomes this year's most evident success story, as Hot Milk deliver a triumphant performance drawing a crowd away from the main stage. Having first appeared at Slam Dunk in 2019, the band's third outing here gives easy credit to their rapid ascent, rounding out the long weekend with a huge headline tour announcement.

If the Key Club stage is presenting the new, and the main stage is hosting a dream act, it’s here that Slam Dunk comes into its own, booking artists who are fresh and exhilarating, championed from the start, and more than ready for the big time.