Vol. 88
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Tag: Live Review
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Vol. 87
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Slam Dunk Festival
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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Vol. 83
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Vol. 81
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Frank Turner
Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Thursday 10th April 2025
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FRANK TURNER – CAMBRIDGE – LIVE REVIEW
📸 Denis Gorbatov
Cambridge has spent the day soaking up the lovely spring sun, but as the evening breaks it’s time to head into the beautiful Corn Exchange for an evening of song and revelry!
Frank Turner lives by the mantra – always on tour, and he remarks that this evening is his twentieth appearance in Cambridge in as many years! There is a reason that he can live his life on the road and that fans will always come to his shows, and that is the community that he has built.
Showing how attuned he is to the struggles of the industry, a portion of every ticket on this tour is going to the Music Venue Trust. More than that though, he has hand picked a local opening musician for every show!
MINNIE BIRCH
This evening the chosen act is Minnie Birch, who opens her set with a haunting a cappella number which instantly sucks the audience in. This of course is an audience of Turner community members, and they give this unknown opener the opportunity to showcase her clear talents.
Penultimate song, ‘Accident of Birth’ is a standout moment which brings forth thunderous applause from an appreciative audience. These opening slots are indeed a big opportunity for those selected and Birch can be proud that she nailed her chance to shine with aplomb.
AMIGO the devil
Special guest on this tour is Amigo the Devil who steps the noise levels up considerably with his full band bringing his folk-rock-country-metal-punk sonic explosion to life on stage. It doesn’t take long for that welcoming audience to fully embrace the charismatic singer, who holds the venue in the palm of his hand throughout his fantastic set.
Yes, the crowd really does hang off every word of his story-centric songs and particularly enjoy his captivating presentation of ‘I Hope Your Husband Dies’.
You can see that the entire band is having fun and that transcends to the whole venue as the show continues. When they leave the stage, you feel that every single member of the audience would’ve been happy having more Amigo the Devil in their lives and that’s job done for the support act!
FRANK TURNER
Time is really flying this evening and that’s usually a good sign too. It’s not long at all it seems before Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls hit the stage and break straight into two new tracks, ‘No Thank You for the Music’ and ‘Girl From the Record Shop’ from latest album, ‘Undefeated’. The fans though treat both tracks as if they are old favourites, before letting fully go as the band launch into the rousing ‘1933’.
‘Undefeated’ is Turner’s tenth album and comes at another time of change and reflection for a man who has battled through a lifetime of ups and downs. That fan and friend community that surrounds him however continues to ensure he still emerges undefeated as it were.
That record is the focus of the show, and the tracks selected are some of the highlights of the night including very personal tracks ‘East Finchley’ and ‘Somewhere Inbetween’.
With ten albums to pick from however, the science of setlists for Turner only gets harder. Obvious picks punctuate the set such as ‘Recovery’, ‘Photosynthesis’, ‘If Ever I Stray’ and ‘The Next Storm’. It’s the deeper cuts though that always keep Turner shows unique and special and tonight it’s great to see outings for ‘One Foot Before the Other’ and ‘Tattoos’.
There is of course a second reason why fans keep coming out to these Turner shows and it’s because a good time is as guaranteed as these things can ever be. Over the course of now 3000+ shows, Turner has perfected his craft and tonight he is again an unstoppable force on this stage.
That is perhaps demonstrated best during the final encore ruckus of ‘Polaroid Picture’, ‘Get Better’ and ‘Four Simple Words’. You could even go as far as saying that this feels like the best all-round version of Turner so far, which given his pedigree is certainly saying something!
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Vol. 80
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Vol. 79
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Beans On Toast
Colchester Arts Centre
Thursday 27th March 2025
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BEANS ON TOAST – COLCHESTER – LIVE REVIEW
📸 Denis Gorbatov
It’s a day with a Y in it, so you better believe that Beans On Toast is touring! Tonight, as the sun sets on what’s been a glorious spring day, Colchester’s local music lovers congregate in the beautiful surroundings of the city’s Arts Centre for an opportunity to revel in his tales and song.
EVY FREARSON
Colchester Arts Centre is one of the best independent venues in our beautiful country (with possibly the best toilets – seriously check them out) and it’s only right that tonight we have a local opening act to get the evening rolling.
Evy Frearson is an Essex born singer-songwriter who this evening showcases a haunting alt-folk sound which is rather fitting for this deconsecrated church! Whilst her time on stage is short, she is able to mesmerise those in attendance and undoubtedly leave them wanting more.
Frearson finishes her set with her fantastic new single, ‘Kiss Me In The Winter’ and serves as Exhibit A for the case of always getting down to venues early to support the support act!
WILLIAM CRIGHTON
Exhibit B for that case soon arrives onstage as a longtime friend of our headliner, William Crighton, takes things in a grittier direction with his brand of storytelling folk-rock.
Crighton has welcomed Beans On Toast over to his homeland for a number of shows and tours and now he is clearly enjoying his trek around the UK with Beans. His Aussie charm helps to bring his songs to life and the crowd eat up every word of the likes of ‘2000 Clicks’ and set closer ‘Priest’.
It has to be said that whenever Beans On Toast tours, he always manages to pick interesting and engaging support acts and Colchester has been blessed with two of them.
BEANS ON TOAST
Soon enough, it’s time for that man himself to hit the stage and on both legs of his tour supporting latest album, ‘Wild Goose Chasers’, he has been accompanied on piano by Matt Millership (known to fans as Tensheds or King Killership).
The man known as Beans On Toast, Jay McAllister releases a new album on his birthday each December and in recent years he has mixed up his recording process each year. This latest release was written in collaboration with Millership and it’s great to see the pair bring these songs to the stage together.
Whenever Millership takes on the musical lead tonight, it allows Beans the freedom to roam the stage and deliver his ever-thought-provoking lyrics with even more verve. The likes ‘Faith in the Moon’ and ‘Why?’ segue perfectly amongst fan favourites ‘A Beautiful Place’ and ‘Watching the World Go By’.
Mid-set Beans picks up his trusty guitar and delivers a run of songs solo including some fan requests and local-based tracks given his status as an Essex lad himself. Later Millership returns and we even see a Millership, Crighton and Beans team-up for Randy Travis cover ‘Send My Body’.
We also get a glimpse of where Beans is going with his new material this year with three new tracks making their way into the setlist including the return of his scathing political commentary on tentatively titled ‘Counter Culture’ and ‘Taylor Swift II’!
Beans has long established himself as an underground national treasure and fans that head out into the now considerably cooler March night do so glad that they left the house and supported live music.
Look at the upcoming shows section of his website and it would be fair to wager that it will never be blank. For that, we should all be grateful for the work ethic installed in Beans On Toast because any night spent in the company of ol’ Beano is always going to be glorious time.
So, the moral of this review is simply to do yourself a favour and next time Beans comes to town, do the right thing and pop along!
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