Slam Dunk North - Gigs, Girl Power and Good Vibes

Festival season is well underway, and what better way to kick it off than by attending the Slam Dunk Festival?

Slam Dunk has been a staple in the pop-punk scene since 2006, starting off as a small-scale event with a few artists in Millennium Square to the epic day festival it is now hosting over 40 bands across six stages in Temple Newsam (North site) and Hatfield Park (South site).

I've gone to many gigs on my own and I'm used to travelling, but I won't lie that I was initially apprehensive about attending such a large festival as a solo girl. That was until I was invited to a solo girls group and what an absolute dream that group is!! In the weeks leading up to the festival, there were daily discussions on who needed a gig buddy, where people were travelling from, meeting points and bonding over similar interests.

We met up in the early hours at Leeds station and instantly hit it off as though we had known each other for a lifetime. We made our way to Temple Newsam via one of the many coaches set up by the organisers and the excitement was building up and up, by the end of the short journey we were singing our hearts out to You Me At Six and the laughter would not stop. Still giggling we made our way to the security checkpoint, and then we were in! We arranged several meeting times throughout the day at the craft beer tent before we split up to go see the bands that we wanted.

Now if I weren't excited before, the next band I went to see were The Blackout. I have seen this band so many times as a teenager and I'm grateful to call Sean a friend. What. A. Show!

Celebrating 15 years since “The Best In Town” album came out and they played it in full, my little emo heart was so happy and the guys smashed it. It was amazing to see this band back together. The energy they bring to every set is unmatched, and they still sound just as strong as they did when I was a teenager.

The sun even returned during their set which made the vibes even better.

The Ghost Inside were now ready to dominate the Go Pro stage.

I have followed this band for years and every time I see them they still blow me away. This band has proven that nothing can stop them and I'm so glad that they continue performing up to this date. Opening up with “Engine 45”, playing other hits such as “Wash It Away” and “Death Grip” before having an intimate moment with the crowd about the accident that happened in 2015 and going into their song “Aftermath”, you'd be lying if you said it didn't get you emotional.

I quickly ran over to the Slam Dunk stage to catch the back end of the State Champs set, I've seen this band a few times now but they always bring such good energy that is hard not to get involved with.

I had another little breather after this set with some of the solo girls before heading back to the Slam Dunk stage because it was Boys Like Girls time! Opening up strong with “Love Drunk”, the whole crowd bounced along. Other highlights of this set for me were “She's Got A Boyfriend Now”, “Thunder”, “Hero/Heroine” and “The Great Escape…”

I was over the moon with them and would happily see them again!

Now, as a teenager I used to love the All-American Rejects album “Move Along”, it was practically on repeat at one point (sorry mum) so knowing that I was finally getting to see them was making me so giddy and they did not disappoint. Every song on that setlist was one that I loved, Tyson Ritter was hilarious on stage and really interacted with the crowd to keep the excitement going throughout.

Hits such as “Dirty Little Secret”, “My Paper Heart” and “Swing, Swing” were such incredible throwbacks.

He danced around with no shoes on before making us aware that this was keyboard player Scott Chesak's last gig with them. They finished with “The Last Song”, where Scott dove off the stage to crowd surf before quickly running back up to finish the song, a perfect ending.

Time for the main event which was You Me At Six's final festival appearance, the band announced earlier this year that they will be splitting in 2025 after twenty years of being a band and the alternative scene was understandably knocked by this.

I made my way close to the front to get a good spot and then it was time to sing along as loud as I could to a band that has been so important to us. Kicking it off with “Save It For The Bedroom”, the band and crowd went wild, not one person stood still and you could feel the energy all around you. The stage lights, the sound and the atmosphere were perfect.

More songs in the setlist were “Reckless”, “Kiss And Tell”, “The Consequence” (they even brought Sean Smith out), “Jealous Minds Think Alike”, “Always Attract” (with Elissa Franceschi), “Underdog”, and they finished off with “Beautiful Way”.

A brilliant end to their festival reign and back where it all began with Slam Dunk Records. All in all, Slam Dunk Festival, you were absolutely amazing as always. The Slam Dunk crew really do know how to put on the best events and the rain will never stop the party!

Also if you are ever worried about attending a gig or festival on your own then please reach out to other solo travellers, the girls I went with to this are going to be friends for a long time and we're already planning several more gigs together.

Cannot wait for next year!

PD: New dates have also just been added, so try to snap them up if you can!

My first band of the day were Caskets, over at the Go Pro stage, I've known a few members of this band for years now and I always make sure to catch them at any show that I'm at. Matt and the gang knock it out of the park every time and it's been incredible to see this band grow into what it is now.

The rain did start to pour during this set but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits and the crowd could be seen still dancing and singing along to tracks such as "Hold Me Now", "Lost In Echoes" and "Glass Heart".

After that incredible set, it was time for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to come out on the same stage. Now if you were a teenager in the mid-noughties you would understand how important this band is to the scene and you could really tell by the crowd they pulled in.

Their set was a huge nostalgia trip with songs like “False Pretense”, “Your Guardian Angel”, and “Face Down”, and they even did a cover of Blink-182's “All The Small Things” which the crowd loved. Everyone around me was dancing with each other and shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

Once finished I made my way to the craft beer tent to meet up with some of the other solo girls to have a breather as I had a break between bands I wanted to see.

We excitedly told each other about the bands we had just seen, checked on everyone to make sure they were staying safe, took a group photo and got some tasty food together from one of the many food vendors at the site.

Words and images by Hollie Wood

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