Hatfield Park
Saturday 24th May 2025
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SLAM DUNK SOUTH – FESTIVAL REVIEW
Next year Slam Dunk Festival will celebrate 20 years of existence. A milestone for an event which started out as a small one-dayer in Leeds. Over those years the event has grown exponentially and taken over campuses, spawned into a multi North, South (and for awhile even Midlands) event and now takes place within two large parks in their spiritual homes of Leeds and Hatfield.
It’s the Hertfordshire version that we head to this cloudy May Bank Holiday Weekend for what has become the traditional opening ceremony for another stacked festival season.
Walking into Hatfield Park and again thinking about the growth of the event is unavoidable. For years A Day To Remember have been touted as the perfect headliner for the festival but always seemed out of reach. Their positioning at the top of the bill this year is itself therefore something of a milestone.
As however we consider the impact of this booking and the potential further growth of this beloved gathering, we turn our attention to another dynamic which has been so vital to building the Slam Dunk brand – championing new music.
EARLY AFTERNOON DELIGHTS
Yes, on a line-up dominated by big American acts, some of the most exciting bookings are the young homegrown acts spotlighted earlier on in the day. The first of which that we head for is Lake Malice who make the absolute most of their time on stage. Visually the band come across as stars with backing dancing adding to the big stage feel. It’s musically though that makes the crowd let go of any early morning inhibitions and get the party started.
Next, we head over to one of the two main outdoor stages where we catch the always emotive Dream State who attract a fairly sizeable crowd for the time of day. The lack of actual sunshine today does little to dent fans determination to enjoy themselves and watching the audience let loose, clearly the empowering sing-alongs of Dream State help!
Over the past handful of years Slam Dunk has suffered a few issues with poor layouts, overcrowding, sustenance options and traffic management just some of the problems that they have endured. This year thankfully everything is running pretty smoothly with no major obvious gripes.
One issue that becomes apparent is that the Key Club Stage is running late and messing with people’s schedules. This can be massively frustrating for avid music lovers but for us it enables us to catch Kid Bookie and Greywind who were initially caught up in some of those infamous Slam Dunk clashes.
Kid Bookie, despite some technical challenges, is his usual defiant and captivating self as he blasts out a number of tracks from ‘Songs for the Living // Songs for the Dead’ – one of our favourite albums of 2024. Greywind meanwhile showcase their fantastic recent singles such as ‘I.K.A.M.F.’ and ‘Acid Rain’ both of which sound huge in the tent.
A COMPETITION FOR SET OF THE DAY
Perhaps the new band that we were most excited to see today though was Winona Fighter and they certainly didn’t disappoint! Despite an abridged set due to the running time issues in the small tent, the band are phenomenal, and their blistering set says that they are very much going to be breakout stars in the coming years.
It’s soon enough time for our first dose of nostalgia today and that comes over in the bigger tent with The Ataris who have fans cramming in. A set focusing on their early material does wonders and the sing-along to ‘The Boys of Summer’ is one of the loudest of the day.
Before we spend the evening in the company of the bigger hitters however, we still have time to catch a short run of notable newer acts with Rain City Drive and Free Throw both impressive.
It’s Mouth Culture however that completely own the Key Club Stage and deliver a performance to rival Winona Fighter for the set of the day. Again, if this show is anything to go by then Mouth Culture are going to be gigantic. The likes of ‘Sharkbait’ and ‘No Shame’ get the audience engaged but it’s the finale of ‘Ratbag’ which leaves you wondering how anybody can top them today!
It’s another turn towards the nostalgic now as we head back to Main Stage East where Finch serenade a passionate audience with classics like ‘Letters To You’ and ‘What It Is To Burn’.
AN EVENING OF FESTIVAL FAVOURITES
A quick march over to Main Stage West for the first time today follows and the pop punk goodness that has been the backbone of Slam Dunk Festival is delivered with aplomb by New Found Glory and Neck Deep. These two acts typify the mix of big US acts and homegrown talent that has been the bread and butter of these stages for nearly 20 years.
Each of these two performances are exactly what they need to be and provide an enjoyable evening as the clouds grow and the temperature starts to drop. We are able to catch a short glimpse of Alkaline Trio next who have the big tent singing every word of ‘Stupid Kid’ as we return amongst the hordes leaving Electric Callboy to find a spot for our headline act.
The crowd present for A Day To Remember is likely the largest the festival has ever seen, and the band instantly have them onside as they smash out ‘The Downfall of Us All’ and ‘I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?’.
The pace never really relents despite the inclusion of a number of new tracks from their latest album, ‘Big Ole Album Vol. 1’. Despite their recent lacklustre outputs, the band can still deliver the goods live and on a day like this their whole set feels like a celebration of the scene which Slam Dunk has helped build.
As the band finish their performance and the fans make their way back home, everyone will undoubtedly look back on a great day out. The rain stayed away, the festival flowed well, and the bands all delivered. Another festival season is underway and whilst there is plenty to look forward to still, attention for Slam Dunk now will turn to delivering a monstrous 20th Anniversary edition in 2026!
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