This weekend I got to experience my first ever Slam Dunk, commencing the beginning of my festival season for 2026. Celebrating 20 years of the festival meant Slam Dunk had a line up fit for the occasion. Having intently studied the festival set times in advance, I was making it my mission to see around 10 bands through the day. This was only scratching the surface of the 50 acts who were on the line-up.
Local lads, Beauty School, were given the privilege of opening the main stage. They drew in a large crowd for it being still technically the morning and were a great start to the day with their energetic set. ‘Lately’ was definitely a highlight. These guys have a bright future ahead for sure.
I then made it my mission to catch Scottish favourites, Dead Pony, in amongst most of my choices from further afield. Having seen them before, I knew the level they could deliver and I was not disappointed. With a set consisting of old favourites along with tracks from their newly released EP ‘Eat My Dust!’ they made sure to impress those venturing away from the main stages to Scott’s Key Club Tent with their effervescent stage presence. Scots who had travelled south for the day got a wee shout out and it was definitely a proud feeling seeing a band from our country play alongside all these huge names.
I made a swift exit towards the end of Dead Pony to catch Chicago band Madina Lake. Having enjoyed a few of their songs at the time as well as their debut album ‘From Them, Through Us, To You’ I was eager to get the chance to see them in action. Where frontman Nathan Leone may have lacked in vocal accuracy, he most definitely made up with the energy of his performance, spending much of his time interacting with the crowd. It maybe wasn’t pitch perfect but it was sure a good time.
Bayside followed on the right side of the stage, managing to squeeze a 25 year career’s worth of music into 35 minutes. This may have been a difficult feat for most but Bayside had the knack of choosing songs that resonated with their audience, whether those songs were 25 or 2 years old. Musically this was the most proficient set of the day so far and I was absolutely blown away with them live.
Set Your Goals injected some extra fun into the day with bubble machines and inflatable beach balls. Bringing the summer vibes with tracks from ‘Mutiny’ and ‘This Will Be The Death of Us’, the latter being an album I enjoyed massively at the time, of course summer jam was a top tier moment.
After taking in some of Set Your Goals, it was time to keep the good vibes going with Zebrahead who were tearing up the main stage with their high-energy set. A highlight included them sending out 3 friends on inflatable rafts to surf the crowd during All My Friends Are Nobodies.
Goldfinger kept the energy high and were perfect for the incredible weather we were experiencing. They delivered us to ska-punk heaven with the crowd in the palm of their hands. You’d have to be soulless not to have a smile on your face watching them – just pure infectious joy. I would have called myself a casual listener of the band so it was a surprise to have them up there as one of my favourites of the day. The crowd help up red balloons before their final song, a cover of Nena’s 99 Red Balloons with lead singer, John Feldmann, giving the youngest, fittest frontmen a run for their money at the age of 58. Absolute pros from start to finish.
There will never be a day when I will not love Dashboard Confessional. Such emotive lyrics, such dramatic singalongs and a flawless performance from frontman Chris Carrabba who showed he is just as captivating solo with an acoustic guitar as he is with a full band behind him. Despite providing some of the quieter and slower moments of the day, the crowd were as engaged as they were with the bands going hell for leather. I even got goosebumps during Vindicated which is a hard task with the weather so hot!
Taking Back Sunday were next on the main stage. The instrumentalists of the group were tight musically but I couldn’t help but feel let down by eccentric frontman, Adam Lazzara’s vocal performance. The Amityville emo rockers played album ‘Louder Now’ in full, which was also celebrating its 20 year anniversary, and although the snake hips and mic swinging was very cool, I may have had a better time just listening to the recorded version. Nice to be reminded how many great tracks are on there though.
Leaning towards the poppier side of the line-up were electronic pop-punk gurus Motion City Soundtrack. Songs both old and new were received excitedly by fans, with a catalogue so strong there were no lulls in the set to be had. MVP of the day has to go to keyboard player Jesse Johnson who was giving 110% jumping all over the stage in between his parts. Ending with Everything Is Alright followed by The Future Freaks Me Out was an excellent choice.
I was pleasantly surprised to gain a space in the tent for Deaf Havana‘s celebration of ‘Fools and Worthless Liars’: an album that I spent a lot of time with in 2011 and probably my favourite phase of the band. It was clear to see many others also had an attachment to these songs, singing along passionately to each track. 15 years later these songs hold up well and fans will be able to catch them touring the album later in the year.
It was time for the headliners of the weekend. Good Charlotte had an impressive tiered stage set up with engaging visuals. This being a European exclusive meant the main stage area was rammed. There was still plenty room to find a good spot but this was definitely the busiest the stage looked all day. There was lots of fire and pyro, accompanying the heavier moments of the set and of course all the tracks from ’The Young and the Restless’ were the ones that got the people going. Vocal harmonies between the brothers were solid throughout and they made sure to voice to the crowd how grateful they were to have this opportunity in their career spending time talking about their humble beginnings. A nostalgic trip of a set with new songs that held their own with the classics.
Other aspects of the day…
Food: There was a great selection of vans – if you weren’t fussy you could get food easily without queueing. I opted for a chicken nugget meal, some churros and a mac and cheese to end the evening.
Drink: Again there were so many options available with a craft beer tent as well as your regular bars. Although the level of heat meant that many people were maybe spending more time staying hydrated with the water points – these were quick to access and also in good working condition.
Merch: Pre-order collection took a bit longer than hoped for considering it was meant to be the quicker option. There looked to be some organised or unorganised chaos behind the scenes! Quality of the merch itself and the variety on offer was definitely not to be sniffed at though.
Toilets: If you chose location and timing wisely, you’d never have to queue too long. Left of main stage and entrance village were the best for wait times. Obviously cleanliness declined as the day went on but I saw nothing outwardly crazy or more disgusting than your average day festival.
Atmosphere: Advertised as a family friendly festival I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was very wholesome seeing the future generations of pop-punk and metal fans having a great day out. Crowds on the whole were massively respectful and for being surrounded by 24,000 people for the day, I don’t think I was annoyed once. If you wanted to be in the circle pit, you could be in the circle pit but also at the same time if you wanted to stay away from all that, you could still enjoy bands at close range.
Overcrowding: Something I’ve spoken about more and more at recent festivals has been the issue of ‘overselling’ making the crowd experience unpleasant and stage-hopping difficult to execute. This was NOT an issue at Slam Dunk. The only time it felt overly busy was during the headline act which is normal and expected. It was still manageable to manouevure your way to areas you wanted to reach with a bit of patience.
V.I.P.: I visited the area once for quicker bar access at the start of the day, however, location (out the way beside the metal stage) and a busy schedule meant I didn’t really get the good out of it. If you’re planning to take it easy and spend time at one stage nearby, I’m sure it’s worthwhile.
Traffic management: This was fantastic with allocated routes sent out to attendees in advance and separate car parks for travellers from the North & South as well as coaches.
Festival entry & exit: Entry to parking was swift as well as exiting at the end of the evening. Although the uphill walk from the carpark to the arena did put me through my paces in the scorching heat. Entry to the festival itself was also fairly quick and hassle-free for the size of the event.
Value for Money: With the way the set times were, the uses of right and lefts of stages and swift changeover times meant you could fill your day with constant music if you wanted. The line-up was filled with bands from afar who may not make an appearance here very often, meaning it was worth every penny.
Overall, a stunning day out made so much better with the fantastic weather. A festival I would definitely recommend to others and attend again if the line-up happened to be up my street.
Enjoy sets from bands mentioned in the playlist below.