SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL 2021 // TEMPLE NEWSAM, LEEDS

After a year away Slam Dunk is back and better than ever becoming arguably one of the best single day alternative festivals in the country. 

DON BROCO PERFORMING AND HEADLINING SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL 2021 - 04.09.2021
PICTURE BY: | WILL GORMAN

★★★★★ (5/5)

With the return of live music, thousands of fans descended to Temple Newsam Park in Leeds for what was set out to be a sensational day. 

Arriving at the site the atmosphere was incredible, with thousands of bustling fans exploring the arena.

First up on my list was McFly, who performed a secret set on The Key Club stage, often reserved for upcoming and emerging bands McFly treated it like any other stage. Their rager of a set featured fan favourites Star Girl, Five Colours In Her Hair and All About You, with fans belting out the lyrics as loud as they could. Their short and snappy set was full of energy from start to finish.

Next up was Malevolence on the Jägermeister stage. While a band I’ve never heard of before , I was blown away with their performance. Their set had the crowd moshing with swirling circle pits while the 5 piece screamed their brutal vocals and played their chuggy riffs.

Staying in the Jägermeister tent for Comeback Kid and Your Demise left me battered and bruised however there was no time for rest with one of the best upcoming bands within the scene: STATIC DRESS which took on the Key Club stage. Coming to the scene out of nowhere they’re a fresh breed taking elements from the early 2000s Post-Hardcore scene as well as Emo to create what can only be described as a fresh new sound that the whole scene needed. Jumping all over the stage and screaming into the microphone vocalist Olli Appleyard knows how to put on a show while sounding phenomenal.

Quickly dashing back to the Jägermeister stage allowed me to catch Trash Boat. I managed to catch the last four tracks of their set. Most notably Don’t You Feel Amazing, a bit different from their usual sound however this allowed the crowd to belt out the lyrics filling the whole tent. While Strangers had the whole crowd off their feet, closing with the scorcher He’s So Good I couldn't think of a better way to close their set.

Running back to the Key Club stage I managed to catch the rest of WARGASM’s set. With their punk and metal influences I was pleasantly surprised. Their energy was amazing and the relationship they had with the crowd had everyone off their feet. They are definitely a group on my watch list.

Next up was Vukovi on the Key Club stage. I’ve been waiting FAR too long to see them, and they did not disappoint. Starting with Hurt was a great way of easing the crowd in before smashing into Violent Minds which is when the crowd woke up with one big pit forming. Skipping to La Di Da, saw a circle pit forming before smashing into one big mosh pit. Run/Hide was where the crowd went berserk with pit after pit all while the duo tore up the stage. If I'm being honest Vukovi stole the show and was easily the best set of the day.

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SLAM DUNK 2021 - NORTH - 04.09.2021
PICTURE BY: | WILL GORMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Returning to the Jägermeister it was time for Bury Tomorrow. They wasted no time by launching into Choke off their third album, Cannibal. From the get-go, the group were on top form and had the crowd moving. Their set featured scorchers such as Earthbound with its bloodthirsty verses and chanting choruses. Having seen the five piece back in 2019 on their last tour since COVID, it’s fair to say the group have missed performing and gave it their all.

Up next were Sheffield's While She Sleeps, the metalcore stars of the weekend. If you’ve been to a WSS show you know what to expect: twisting riffs, chanting choruses and a ton of head banging. Starting off their set with Sleep Society couldn’t have been a more fitting track to start off their set, which draws on the classic formula of their early metalcore days yet somehow managed to revolutionise their sound to put them at the forefront of British metalcore. Wasting no time the group smashed into Anti-Social to then the absolute rager that is Brainwashed. Skipping to fan favourite You Are We had the whole tent screaming the lyrics “I THINK THIS SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES." The group closed their astounding set with the heartfelt track Nervous and the nu-metal inspired banger that is SYSTEMATIC. Their set was bouncing from start to finish and sounded top-notch.

Last but not least, Don Broco. Broco first played Slam Dunk back in 2011 and I don't think any of them imagined headlining ten years later. Seeing the group finally play the headline stage to thousands of fans after so long was an incredible sight. Heading to the main stage after leaving the Jägermeister stage I managed to catch the end of Automatic before the group smashed into Technology, complete with flashing pyro and striking lasers. Tracks like Gumshield, Priorities and You Wanna Know, had the whole arena bouncing and singing as loud as they could. One surprise of the set came from the track Action where the group brought out special guests Awsten Knight from Waterparks and Loz Tayor from While She Sleeps to give a powerful performance of the single. One True Price from their upcoming album Amazing Things had its first live debut and went down a storm. Closing their set with fan favourite Everybody and T-Shirt Song, thousands of t-shirts spinning around the arena. If I had one complaint for the set, it would have to be the lack of the fan favourite Thug Workout, however the group performed an excellent set. The four piece were beaming with excitement to finally be performing after 18 months away and sounded incredible.

Overall, Slam Dunk was a phenomenal day and was one of my highlights of the year. We look forward to #SD22

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REVIEW BY: |
WILL GORMAN