You may not be able to tell by the weather but festival season is indeed on its way. In the North, that means big things – with tried and tested faves and brand new events just a few weeks away.
One highlight of our region’s outdoor music scene is Slam Dunk Festival Leeds – which returns in 2019 with a bang. Having earned a reputation for being an unmissable date among alternative music fans, the team behind this annual pop-punk party have amped things up this year, moving venue and gathering one of the best-looking line-ups in recent years. With this in mind, here’s a few reasons why Slam Dunk Festival 2019 could be the best one yet…
The Line Up
While enviable line-ups are by no means the be-all-and-end-all of a decent festival, they’re certainly an initial draw for many punters – and this year, the Slam Dunk team has gone all-out in curating an event that’s sure to be memorable. Just look at 2019’s roster: It started strong with a triple-hitter of All Time Low, NOFX and New Found Glory and snowballed from there. Bad Religion, Less Than Jake, The Menzingers and Bullet For My Valentine got in on the action, with hot up-and-comers like Real Friends, Tiny Moving Parts, Milk Teeth and Trophy Eyes jumping onboard swiftly after. As this year’s event edges closer, fan-faves Neck Deep joined the party as a last minute surprise with even more guests rumoured to be confirmed between now and May. If you love the genre, this line-up ticks all the right boxes.
The New Venue
A city centre event since its 2006 inception, Slam Dunk made a name for itself as a vibrant metropolitan event that expanded into some of Leeds most beloved venues and spaces. It did its job well, too. By 2018 Slam Dunk Leeds had become a sprawling experience which was unique in its concrete-based activity – but this year, all that’s set to change. For 2019 this alt-rock gathering will swap concrete for grass by heading to Temple Newsam Park, the same spot that once played host to the city’s larger sibling event Leeds Festival back in the early 00s. For both fans and organizers, this will be an interesting change. As the event gets bigger – it’ll no doubt take on a different vibe and we’ll be keen to see whether it manages to retain its electric atmosphere and independent vibe.
Clash-Free
The downside of too-good-to-be-true line ups? Clashes. They happen all too often at your favourite outdoor summer events and can be a real nightmare when you’re forced to pick between two must-see acts. Thankfully, Slam Dunk aims to put a stop to rushed venue hopping and crunch-point decision making by introducing clash-free schedules for selected stages. Wondering what exactly that entails? It basically means that a few (not all) of this year’s spots – the Jagermeister Stage and the Impericon Stage – will alternate their programming, allowing metalcore and hardcore fans to see all of the day’s acts. The same goes for alt-pop-punk fans too, with The Dickies Stage and The Marshall Stage going clash-free as well. Cheers, Slam Dunk!
Punk In Drublic
Not only are give-no-hecks legends NOFX co-headlining this year’s event but frontman Fat Mike is even bringing the band’s Punk In Drublic tour to the UK for the very first time. This means Mike will curate the day-long line-up for his own stage, cherry-picking a handful of icons from the punk scene to perform. Expect the likes of Bad Religion, ska-kings Less Than Jake, original rockers Ladwaggon and Sweden’s Millencolin, alongside a handful of LA noisemakers like Mad Caddies, Anti-Flag, The Bombpops and The Interrupters during Mike’s day-long takeover. This one-stop collection of punk royalty has already made waves in the States and Europe but is yet to arrive on our shores. You’d be silly to miss its UK debut at this year’s festival.
Words by Simon Bland. (@SiTweetsToo).
Slam Dunk Festival Leeds takes place on Saturday 25 May 2019. Buy tickets here.
