Essential Playlist: Slam Dunk Festival 2018

Slam Dunk Festival 2018 is almost here and this year’s line-up looks better than ever! With the annual festival still being held over three different locations, Leeds, Birmingham and Hatfield. The festival is the perfect place for fans of rock, pop-punk and alternative rock to celebrate their May bank-holiday. With Good Charlotte and Jimmy Eat World as the main headliners and the likes of Frank Carter and the Rattle Snakes, Comeback Kid and Creeper on the bill, there’s no doubt there will be plenty of mosh pits and crowd surfing throughout the weekend! Check out our Essential Playlist for Slam Dunk Festival 2018 below or listen along on our Spotify playlist!

Starting with the weekend’s headliners…

Good Charlotte – “Keep Swingin'” (feat. Kellin Quinn)

American rockers Good Charlotte have a string of classics from their six studio albums, with likes of “The Anthem” and “Little Things” being crowd favourites. Their most recent album Youth Authority will be no exception. One song from their latest album that we recommend is “‘Keep Swingin'” featuring Kellin Quinn – the lead singer from Sleeping with Sirens, who are also playing at the festival that weekend. The song comes across as a middle finger to all the critics the band have faced during their time together. It’s only worth a guess that Quinn could even make an appearance onstage with the band if the song is on the setlist…

Jimmy Eat World – “The Middle”

Jimmy Eat World are more than deserving festival headliners! With nine studio albums under their belt, it only makes sense to suggest one of their most successful songs “The Middle” from their 2001 breakthrough classic Bleed American. The feel-good, live-in-the-moment anthem is worthy of any spot on your Spotify playlist, whether that’s for a party or just to pick yourself up. It’s a crowd favourite and a must-see live.

State Champs – “Slow Burn”

Pop-punk band State Champs’ catchy song “Slow Burn” comes from the perspective of lead singer, Derek DiScanio who sings about his struggles about being separated from the girl he likes whilst he’s away on tour and how difficult it is to keep the relationship going. This bonus track comes from their second studio album, Around the World and Back.

Comeback Kid – “Somewhere, Somehow”

Comeback Kid are no strangers to Slam Dunk Festival as they played back in 2015, but this year they’re back with their latest studio album, Outsider. “Somewhere, Somehow” is the second track off their new record and still captures the hardcore attitude that the band has carried for many years. Could this possibly be one of the best songs to start a circle-pit to? We think so.

Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes – “Vampires”

Frontman Frank Carter has explained “Vampires” as being about his place within the music industry and the pressure his relationships can get put under due to his success. In a track commentary for their second debut album, Modern Ruin, he talks about how as an artist he becomes selfish as he focuses on his career and when he doesn’t do so, he becomes miserable. The song itself will be ideal for mosh pits, along with the rest of the album! You can click here to watch the commentary.

Twin Atlantic – “Heart and Soul”

This track’s taken from Twin Atlantic’s third studio album, Great Divide. “Heart and Soul” is one of the more upbeat songs from the alternative four-piece. The Glaswegian rockers will be sure to attract big crowds over the weekend with their simplistic yet moving lyrics, the likes of “Make A Beast of Myself” and “Brothers and Sisters” are must listens, too.

Four Year Strong – “Wrecked ’em? Damn Near Killed ’em”

“Wrecked ’em? Damn Near Killed ’em” is a sucker punch of a song from four-piece pop-punk band Four Year Strong. Taken from their second album, Rise or Die Trying, the band have more than plenty of songs to choose from. With their heavy undertones and pop-punk melodies, Four Year Strong are still growing strong.

PVRIS – “Half”

From their second studio album, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell. “Half” is from the perspective of lead singer, Lynn Gunn’s personal struggle with depression and feeling overwhelmed with her ever-growing success. She took to Twitter back in 2017 to voice her struggles and to apologise if she came across not like herself during her performances. She said the stress was due to the upcoming album, which is now released, so hopefully, she’s feeling better. Despite being more mellow in comparison to the other bands on the line-up, PVRIS is by no means worth any less of your time.

Knuckle Puck – “Nervous Passenger”

With Knuckle Puck releasing a new EP called Sifted (out on the 4th of June), it makes sense to talk about one of the songs from their new mini-record, which is a reconfiguration of their second debut album, Shapeshifter. Their most recent release of “Nervous Passenger” is a stripped back version of the original. It does however still manage to capture the insecurities highlighted through the lyrics, maintaining its sincerity and vulnerability.

Creeper – “Black Rain”

Creeper played at Slam Dunk Festival back in 2016. Since then, they’ve released their debut studio album, Eternity, in Your Arms. “Black Rain” is the opening track to the album, kicking it into style. The ‘goth punk’ vibe from the band can be heard throughout the opening track along with the rest of the album, and with them still being a fairly new band compared to the rest of the bands on the list, I’m sure this won’t be last you’ll hear of Creeper.