LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: SLAM DUNK SOUTH 2026

2026 marks 20 years of Slam Dunk, as well as 10 years of The Key Club Stage and this year was filled with an incredible line-up filled with nostalgic bands (Good Charlotte, A, Dashboard Confessional, Broadside to name a few), festival titans (Bury Tomorrow, Knocked Loose, Malevolence), exciting debuts (Currents, President, The Home Team), viral bands currently on an unstoppable roll (Unpeople) and a tease of what the future may hold (Dead Pony, SiM).

Whether you came for the pop-punk/alt rock emo nostalgia, the moshpit heavy titans, or to see what the fuss of the new bands is all about, there was something for everyone! With the amount of rock and metal sub-genres out there, it’s getting increasingly difficult to please everyone; however, I’m happy to say that Slam Dunk managed to deliver yet again a line-up that offers stellar options for any fans.

A factor in facilitating this in 2026 was also the debut of the brand new rotating stage on Scott’s Key Club Stage, which is genius and worked like a charm! In previous years, the changeover between bands was roughly 20 minutes, but with the new system, it has been reduced to 5 minutes. The turntable setup allows one band to set up their gear on the back half of the stage while the previous band is finishing their set on the front half. The stage then rotates 180 degrees, allowing the next band to start playing immediately. The Key Club Stage has been undergoing massive developments in recent years, and they managed to find the perfect solution in order to ensure a smooth changeover between bands, without sound bleeds and reducing crowd surge in a confined tent, whilst only using one active PA system. This year, The Key Club stage was named in memory of the late great Scott Hickinson, manager of The Key Club venue in Leeds and an integral part of the festival team, who sadly passed away early this year due to cancer.

Photo: @STATEOFLOVEANDTRUSTALEX / Slam Dunk Festival

As a first-timer, this was an incredibly smooth experience. As soon as you get to Hatfield, all you need to do is cross the road and follow the path. Everything from General Admission to Guest/VIP and Accessibility queues was clearly labelled. As soon as you get in, you can already see the Main Stage West. The festival team also had a good selection of food vendors dotted around the space, along with drinks options and water stations, which were much needed during the May heatwave.

Every stage is really close to each other, which is fantastic. You can get anywhere within about 5 minutes' walking distance at a normal pace, or you could totally jog and get there in 3 minutes, which is a good sign for those navigating tough clashes and choices – and there were a lot of those!

The day started at Scott’s Key Club with Dead Pony from Scotland, and they are no strangers to the Slam Dunk faithful. Making their debut at the festival in 2023, performing on The Key Club Stage, they were cited as one of the weekend’s highlights, capturing the buzz band energy that Slam Dunk thrives on, and this time around it was no different! This set featured 7 songs, including the live debut of their latest EP EAT MY DUST (2026) closer, ‘Lost Inside of Me’.

Dead Pony has been building a lot of momentum over the last couple of years. They’ve been around in both grassroots and festival circles, clearly for a reason! They are known for their genre-bending sound, blending elements of pop-punk, nu metal, grunge and synth-rock. This is quite a trendy mix nowadays with the resurgence of Y2K pop-punk in the mainstream, however it’s a hard one to master, occasionally causing a sound that can be a little overstimulating. Dead Pony found the perfect balance that sounds amazing, not only on the record, but also live, giving them a charismatic edge in an era where it is quite hard to stand out from the crowd, particularly when there is so much talent out there.

“Life is shit right now, however, no matter what happens, remember there’s always light at the end of the tunnel”, shares Anna Shields (vocals) before performing their track ‘RAINBOWS’, adding a much-needed sprinkle of hope nowadays. To ground their set even more, before performing their latest song on the set ‘MANA’, she thanks the audience for coming along earlier to check out their set and that “being a band is getting harder and harder”, reminding their audience that whilst they released their debut album under LAB Records, they are fundamentally built on a DIY foundation and will continue to do so.

It is believed the band has taken a significant step toward total independence for their 2026 EP, EAT MY DUST!. The release is distributed via ADA (the distribution arm of Warner), but the copyright itself (℗ 2026 Dead Pony) shows the band now likely owns their own masters. This move allows them to enter a new era with even more financial and creative leverage, making this band the ones to watch just to find out how high their ceiling is. They’ve already played Download Festival (opening the massive Apex Stage in 2024), Reading & Leeds, TRNSMT, Glastonbury (via the BBC Introducing stage), and 2000trees, with their next massive festival appearance scheduled for All Points East on Sunday, 30th of August 2026, opening for Twenty One Pilots. The question is… what is next?

Well, my trip from Scott’s Key Club Stage to Main Stage West is the exact impressive Slam Dunk journey of Unpeople, and they represent the evolution of the Key Club sound. 2026 marks their second appearance after their debut in 2024 on the smaller stage, and the crowd did not disappoint! There were loads upon loads of people who came to see and celebrate their undeniable rise. “Go ahead and live the dream”, shares Jake Crawford (vocals, guitar), thanking the crowd for coming early.

Their set included 8 songs, including the live debut of 'clouds'. After hearing a few of their songs live, what sets Unpeople apart from the standard heavy fare at Slam Dunk is the incredible contrast between their instrumentation and their vocals. While Richard Rayner and Luke Caley churned out polyrhythmic riffs, all the other members contribute equally to multi-part vocal harmonies in various songs, which is now the core element of the band’s signature sound.

They are the perfect example of a “band’s band” – musicians love them for their technicality, and fans love them for their incredible energy and stage presence. My favourite song live of the set was ‘smother’, and although this is a serious introspective song born of sheer desperation, according to Crawford, they don’t seem to feel any pressure playing these big festivals; if anything, they fit right in! They already have major festival slots booked across Sweden (Sweden Rock Festival), Finland (Ilosaarirock), the UK (Download, Burn it Down, RADAR), Switzerland (Greenfield), Czechia (Rock for People), and Germany (Hurricane), just to name a few. Aside from festivals, there is also currently a supporting-everyone phenomenon with Unpeople – it feels like they are supporting every major act right now, and well, they are. They are literally doing it as I type this, as they just recently announced they are supporting Don Broco’s UK dates in 2026. In the last two years, they have become the go-to opening act for some of the biggest names in heavy music.

If you haven’t heard them live yet, go and catch them before the mainstream does! Next time we see them, now that we got a taster, we will be there for the full set – no more clash compromises.

Okay, let’s talk about the much-anticipated Slam Dunk debut of Japanese band SiM (Silence iz Mine). After listening to SiM during the festival pre-listen prep, and what really stood out was their unique and self-described genre of Reggae-Punk, which is a chaotic blend of ska-core, heavy metal, and dancehall. Led by the charismatic and theatrical frontman MAH, the band – completed by SHOW – HATE (guitar), SIN (bass) and GODRi (Drums) – spent nearly two decades dominating the Japanese festival circuit (including their own curated festival DEAD POP FESTIVAL) , before truly cracking the international market.

Their sound and stage presence are so addictive, and this is the perfect band to have a dance with and engage. MAH has incredible crowd control, switching from a suave, jazz-like croon to a demonic growl in seconds. One moment you are dancing, skipping along with MAH and then one moment later your neck falls off from headbanging whilst your body fills with dopamine and your face involuntarily goes into a stank face.

This band is all pure vibes, fun energy. Honestly, they just put a smile on your face. Whether you learn the lyrics or not, it is guaranteed you will have a good time because one way or another, they will involve you, and you will have their chorus stuck in your head.

They played a total of 8 songs, including the unreleased song ‘DALALA’ off their latest album HOOMAN AFTER ALL (2026), which will be released on the 2nd of September. During this song, the vocalist stopped to split the crowd and said that when he says 1, “you kill each other”, which got a massive laugh from the audience.

While SiM had a cult following for years, their momentum went into overdrive in January 2022 with the release of ‘The Rumbling’. Tapped as the opening theme for the anime Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2, the track became a viral juggernaut. SiM represents the globalisation of Slam Dunk and SiM's international success. After their performances at both Download 2023 and Download 2025, many critics cited them as a turning point for Japanese bands in the UK, and this Slam Dunk performance proves that. SiM is the perfect example of how a band can stay true to a very niche, unique sound and still achieve mainstream festival success through their fun and positive energy performances.

5 days ago, they announced their new album World Tour, including 7 dates across the UK (Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol and London) at the end of January 2027. We are really considering going, and so should you.

Sticking to the same stage, we had Broadside marking their return after an eight-year hiatus from the festival. Broadside officially made their Slam Dunk debut in 2018, performing on the Key Club Stage. At the time, they were touring in support of their sophomore album PARADISE (2017), and their 2026 bill serves as a massive payoff for the UK pop-punk community. In the lead-up to the festival, they have been relentless on the road, supporting heavy hitters like The Maine and Our Last Night, introducing the updated sound of their new album NOWHERE, AT LAST (2026) to a broader alternative audience.

Oliver Baxxter (vocals) described the day as “the best day of his life” and a moment he was really looking forward to. He is one of the most charismatic vocalists, known for his storytelling between songs and his ability to make a massive festival field feel like an intimate club show, and this performance showed that, as he came across very well on stage, thankful and witty with the fans.

The tent was busy, the instrumentation was gritty, and it was filled with loads of voices singing back at them. “Thank you for the distraction, you guys are great!” says Oliver. “This is a song for anyone who had a bad day”, he shares before starting to get into the song ‘Cruel’, which also features Brian Butcher of The Home Team. The set saw a nice blend of old and new songs with the vocalist inviting everyone to “Shake that ass or at least shake something, an elbow, anything”.

This was another fun, party-inducing return to the stage with an energetic, honest performance from the band and a strong turn-up from a fanbase that clearly missed them. Of course, they made sure that their “old” fans were also satisfied when playing ‘Coffee Talk’ by calling them hilariously, well, old with “This song is old as fuck, if you know this, you might just be old as fuck” – which saw a few members of the audience hilariously nod in agreement. 

Unlike the chaotic pits of SiM or the technical intensity of Unpeople, a Broadside set is characterised by massive, arms-around-shoulders sing-alongs and collective fun ass-shaking. While they aren’t a new band by any means, critics still often refer to Broadside as the ones to watch for a mainstream crossover. Rock Sound and Kerrang! Both have noted that the band is currently in its Golden Era, with Baxxter’s songwriting reaching a level of vulnerability that sets them apart from their peers. They represent the resilience of the 2010s pop-punk scene – proving that a band can grow up with its audience without losing its core identity.

After Broadside, A was next on our list and considering that they arguably defined the Brit-rock sound of the early 2000s and are considered one of the founding fathers of the UK festival circuit, they were definitely worth checking out. Formed by the Perry brothers – Jason (vocals), Giles (keyboard/vocals) and Adam (drums) – alongside Mark Chapman (guitar) and Dan Carter (bass), the band stood out for their ability to blend the energy of pop-punk with a distinctly quirky British sensibility. Long before the Busted era of pop-punk hit the UK mainstream, A was already bridging the gap between underground skate-punk and mainstream success.

Their presence on the 2026 bill serves as a celebration of their longevity and the festival's nostalgia core, having played high-profile appearances at Slam Dunk 2013 & 2018 and drawing massive crowds of fans who remember them from MTV2 and younger fans who have discovered their influence through modern UK bands.

A huge part of the band's modern relevance comes from frontman Jason Perry’s career as a high-profile producer. He has been the creative force behind some of the biggest albums from other Slam Dunk favorites like Don Broco, TheBlackout, and McFly. This insider status means that when A plays a festival like Slam Dunk, they often perform to a crowd of other musicians who view them as mentors and pioneers.

“We haven’t made a record in 20 years and the years we made a new record, Arsenal won the league, you’re welcome!” jokes the frontman whilst sharing that their new album has reached the Official UK Album Charts, showcasing how impactful they are in the scene even after 20 years of absence. Their set leaned into unadulterated fun filled with synchronised jumping and massive sing-alongs, particularly to ‘Nothing’, which remains an era-defining anthem that still fills dancefloors at alternative club nights today.

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Dying Wish has become the face of the new wave of American Metalcore. While many modern bands lean into electronic or nu metal influences, Dying Wish draws its DNA from the early 2000s golden era – think of the 2000s-era Bullet For My Valentine or early Killswitch Engage – but infuses it with the uncompromising ethics of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) hardcore scene. For those that aren’t familiar, the PNW hardcore scene has a long history of left-leaning, counter-cultural organising rooted in activism.

Musically, the PNW scene, similarly to Dying Wish, is known for heavy and fast sounds with a focus on mental health, labor struggles, social justice and systemic critique. This was apparent as soon as we got there, as we arrived in the middle of a Free Palestine speech by Emma Boster (vocals). Emma Boster is one of the most influential women in heavy music today. Her presence on the lineup is a key talking point regarding the increasing diversity and representation within the historically male-dominated metalcore scene.

Her vocals are incredibly powerful live, with a strong range, and she is a master of crowd control. Their sets may have felt a little early for some here because they definitely got the crowd going with mosh pits, two steps and crowdsurfersmoving throughout their set. Musically, they sound flawless live, with the guitar work providing a wall of sound that feels even heavier in a festival environment than it does on the record.

In a metal trend that can sometimes feel overly produced and genre-hybrid, Dying Wish brings a sense of danger and old-school technical musicianship that appeals even to purist metal fans. This was only one of their handful of gigs this year, shares Emma. “We took a little break since we’ve been touring our asses off since the pandemic”, and now they are back in action with already a series of festivals booked and a support slot for Spiritbox later this year. Dying Wish is a band that continues to steal the show in the heavy scene.

On the opposite side, Hand Likes Houses showcased an absolute masterclass in crowd connection. Frontman Josh Raven didn't want to stay isolated on stage, deciding to dive right into the thick of the crowd on the third track. As if that wasn't enough, their cover of ‘Wicked Games’ absolutely went off.

The Australian quintet’s performance at Hatfield Park was a clear definitive statement. For anyone who has skipped a chapter or two of the band's ongoing narrative, the context is vital: original frontman Trenton Woodley parted ways with the group in 2023, leaving a gap in an identity built on his distinct, poetic delivery. Enter Josh Raven, formerly of The Faim, who has spent the last two years reshaping the band’s sonic footprint.

Raven didn’t commanded the space with a theatrical, hyper-emotive energy that breathed fresh life into the veteran outfit. While the purists may continue to debate the loss of the band's original post-hardcore complexity, it is impossible to deny the raw efficacy of their current form. Hands Like Houses are no longer looking backward, instead they are aggressively building a future designed for the main stage.

Moving on to a little bit of a Slam Dunk Royalty band, hailing from Leeds, Static Dress made their Slam Dunk debut in 2021 on the Key Club Stage, and despite the festival being their first major outing after the pandemic, the buzz was definitely there. The tent was packed with fans reportedly watching from outside the flaps, signalling the arrival of a new cult favourite. The group emerged in 2019 with a sound and aesthetic that feels like a long-lost time capsule from 2004. 

Drawing heavily on the golden era of post-hardcore, they have managed to do what many "revival" bands fail to: create something that feels entirely modern and forward-thinking. Musically, they are incredibly tight, navigating complex time signatures and sudden shifts from melodic emo to abrasive screamo without breaking a sweat.

At the heart of Static Dress’s cinematic identity is the fact that Olli Appleyard directs, edits, and colors nearly all of the band's visual output. Before the band’s inception, Appleyard was a professional photographer and videographer, and he applies that technical eye to every frame of the band's existence. Appleyard’s ambitions for the band also extend far beyond the digital screen. He uses physical media to ground the band's lore in the real world:graphic novels to expand on the characters and themes, limited-edition zines with photography, cryptic poetry and clues about their next era and ARGs including hidden phone numbers in music videos that fans can call to hear unreleased clips or coordinates leading to physical locations where fans could find secret items. As the band grows, it will be interesting to see how its cinematic universe evolves and translates live in future stages.

Photo: Eddy Maynard / Slam Dunk Festival

If the 2026 Slam Dunk lineup was a masterclass in bands figuring out who they want to be in the future, post-hardcore legends Saosin showed up to remind everyone exactly who built the foundation.

Astonishingly, despite being absolute cornerstones of the scene for over two decades, this weekend marked Saosin’s first-ever appearance at the festival. The result? A massive crowd on Main Stage East and a welcome that proved time hasn't diminished their grip on the genre one bit.

Saosin's live show has always been a blend of technical guitar work and soaring, emotive vocals. At Hatfield Park, the band managed to sound incredibly vital, balancing historic cuts with the promise of a brand-new era.

The crowd was treated to a blistering run through genre-defining tracks, alongside a glimpse into their freshly minted chapter under Sumerian Records.

Next on this stage was Guilt Trip, hailing from Manchester, and they are the spearhead of the modern Manchester Hardcore (MHC/MCHC) movement. While the UK scene has always been vibrant, Guilt Trip - led by the vocals of Jay-T- brings a specific flavor of hardcore that leans heavily into crossover thrash. Think the speed and riffs of Power Trip mixed with the crushing breakdowns of Madball.

Guilt Trip made their Slam Dunk debut on the Key Club Stage in 2024, and it was one of the most talked-about heavy sets of the weekend, known for the absolute chaos in the pit and the ability to make a festival tent feel like a sweaty basement show. Returning this year, they are no longer openers, but established hitters of the main stage.

Guilt Trip is only getting started, and to jump from The Key Stage to the Main Stage bang-on middle placement in only two years is impressive. They are a band that demands and deserves your attention. If this is how big their show and growth are already, it’s only bound to get bigger and better from here.

Up next was The Home Team, and they didn’t disappoint! This year’s edition marked their long-awaited official debut. Despite their massive rise in popularity over the last few years, this performance represents their first-ever appearance on a Slam Dunk bill.

The best way to describe their sound is a high-octane blend of groovy, technical riffs and smooth, almost R&B-influenced vocal melodies. Led by the incredible range of frontman Brian Butcher, the band – completed by Jonathan Slawson (guitar), Grian Villanueva (drums) and Luke Barrios (bass) – has carved out a niche that feels catchy and complex. While they are often grouped with pop-punk, they prefer the term heavy-pop.

In summary, they brought the party, they got everybody clapping and pulled an impressive crowd for their debut. “Make some noise if you want to shake some ass… make some noise if you came to get rowdy”, says Brian, and that sounded rather familiar… Well, that’s because it was.

Oliver Baxxter (Broadside) has returned the favour and joined The Home Team on stage to perform ‘Somebody Else’s Face’. The Home Team fans knew this would happen, as the two bands are really close friends and have supported each other’s careers for years: they've toured together and frequently joined forces on stage.

This was a “special day across the pond” shared by the vocalist, and if you are looking for clean vocals, dance, sing-alongs, and groove to contrast the heavier sets, this is the perfect fun band for you to see next – and guess what? They’re coming to the UK in November, so if this is a bit of you, go shake some ass!

Next, and what turned out to be my only visit on the Monster Stage, was Australia’s Stand Atlantic. They have spent the last decade systematically dismantling the pop-punk box the industry tried to place them in. While 2018's SKINNY DIPPING established them as leaders of the new school, their more recent output has leaned into industrial textures, hyper-pop influences, and a chaotic, anything-goes energy.

This setlist at Slam Dunk also included the live debut of ‘Velcro’, a track Bonnie Fraser (vocals) describes as a rare departure from her usual heartbreak themes to a more "lovergirl" anthem. This translates to a setlist that swings wildly between the raw emotional release of their early work and the brash, neon-soaked confidence of their newer material. This setlist featured a strong showcase of the new, versatile material from their latest album WAS HERE (2024) and a collection of older classics for their day-one fans, such as ‘Lavender Bones’ and ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’.

Their newer material showcased a defiant, modern tone, moving away from the early pop-punk tropes to a more mature and complex sound. Their latest material is also absolutely built for the large stage – ‘WARZONE’ and ‘KISSIN’ KILLER COBRAS’ in particular hit like a truck live, and tracks like ‘SEX ON THE BEACH’, ‘GIRL$’ and ‘KILL[H]ER’ sit closer sonically to their earlier catchy choruses material that you can’t get out of your head. ‘GIRL$’, a song “dedicated to the girls” also saw a massive crowd engagement after Bonnie encouraged the crowd to get down “unless you have a knee injury, sit down!”.

Despite being signed to Hopeless Records and having released earlier heartbreak material, the growth of this band is nothing short to hopeful – they are the perfect example of a band that has kept themselves relevant by nurturing their current fanbase and progressively developing their lyricism, vulnerability, and sound to welcome new fans.

With their new single release, Slam Dunk Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Warped Tour coming up in July, Nexus Festival in September, as well as two UK shows in October supporting Simple Plan – not sure if it’s hopeful thinking, but they are picking up momentum to what may soon be a new album announcement? Let’s keep our eyes peeled!

As the sun started to dip, it was clear that the main stage was getting significantly busier as Dashboard Confessional took the stage. There is something uniquely special about thousands of people in a field screaming emo anthems from twenty years ago, and Chris Carrabba (vocals) knows exactly how to command that energy. "We don’t play hardcore music," he joked to the sea of black t-shirts, "but we get invited to stages like these to play alongside all of you. Thank you, Slam Dunk, you stole our hearts."

Dashboard Confessional are the elder statesman of the "emo" side of Slam Dunk. While they don't play every year, their appearances serve as a spiritual anchor for the festival's roots. The setlist was a "no-skip" journey through their most iconic work, including ‘The Sharp Hint of New Tears’, ‘The Good Fight’, and the soaring ‘Stolen’.

The energy shifted from quiet contemplation to an all-out roar during ‘Screaming Infidelities’, ‘Vindicated’ and closed with the anthem ‘Hands Down’, which saw a sea of finger-pointing and voices that threatened to drown out the PA system itself. In a 2026 scene that is increasingly heavy, they represent the emotional foundation that allowed pop-punk to thrive. It was a wholesome, heart-on-sleeve performance that felt like a collective deep breath before the evening's heavier onslaught. They closed out with a promise to be back soon, and based on the sheer volume of the sing-alongs, they’ll be welcomed with open arms.

In a massive statement of intent, Currents made their official Slam Dunk debut directly on the Main Stage East. They represent the new melodic era of metalcore - technical, emotive, and sonically massive - which has become the new gold standard for the festival circuit.

They opened with the crushing ‘LivinginTragedy’, and the set was a balanced mix of aggression and atmosphere, with ‘RememberMe’ and ‘TheDeathWeSeek’ showcasing Brian Wille’s incredible ability to flip from screams to beautiful cleans. By the time they reached the melodic euphoria of ‘BetterDays’, the "Slam Dunk debut" label felt irrelevant - they looked and sounded like a band that had been headlining this stage for a decade.

The backing vocal harmonies on the choruses added a layer of depth that really resonated in the open air as well. "Thank you for coming to hang with us," the band shared, clearly humbled by the debut reception.

This debut is arguably the strongest debut of Slam Dunk this year, and Currents didn't just join the Slam Dunk family; they claimed a seat at the head of the table.

If you haven't caught their debut at Slam Dunk, Currents have a stacked co-headlining Europe and UK tour scheduled for November 2026 as part of their THE SILENCE FOLLOWS TOUR together with ERRA, alongside special guests Caskets and Aviana, which goes on sale on Friday, the 29th of May at 10 AM.

Meanwhile, Tonight Alive brought the pop-punk vibes on the Monster Stage East. Stepping onto the stage at Hatfield Park, the Sydney four-piece felt like an essential emotional anchor for a festival crowd eager to celebrate its roots.

The set served as a triumphant, career-spanning celebration. Frontwoman Jenna McDougall is a force of nature. She remains one of the alternative scene's most compelling forces, a vortex of spiritual energy, fierce crowd command, and flawless vocal delivery.

The performance was a beautiful trip down memory lane, Jenna noting their first Slam Dunk was all the way back in 2013, and it was packed with special moments. We got gorgeous harmonies from South Arcade's frontwoman Harmony Cavelle on ’Lonely Girl’, a guest appearance from Stand Atlantic’s Bonnie on ‘Disappear’, and a parting blessing from Jenna: "May the rock god bless you." Amen.

Moving on to the weekend’s most divisive act: President. After a meteoric rise that saw them booked for Download 2025 before they’d even released a single note of music, the air was thick with both curiosity and scepticism.

Their sound is a slick high-intensity blend of metalcore and electronica, an undeniably polished sound filled with powerful vocals from The President. After 2 songs in, however, just as ‘DOOM LOOP’ was going to debut live, the lights and sound cut out completely, leaving the stage in total silence. To their credit, they held one of the biggest crowds of the day despite the delay.

When the power finally returned, they were left with a mere 10 minutes to play. In keeping with their cryptic persona, the vocalist offered zero dialogue - a move that fits their political campaign aesthetic, though, in the face of such a disaster, a quick "thank you for waiting" wouldn't have gone amiss. The set was reduced to only 5 songs (compared to the 8 songs in Slam Dunk North). It was a short, sharp, and slightly unlucky set, but those few minutes of music proved exactly why the hype is real.

The noise surrounding President usually boils down to two labels: "industry plant" or "gimmick." Much of this stems from the wide speculation surrounding the man behind the mask. If true, their rapid ascent isn't planting - it’s the result of decades of networking and trust built within the scene. While the rise felt sudden for sure, they put themselves in the firing line at Download, and that is to be respected. If the music hadn't delivered, they would have been dead on arrival. Thankfully, the songs stood up to the hype.

As for the gimmick label, critics have drawn comparisons to Sleep Token, which the lead singer has called “fucking lazy and largely superficial”. Firstly, masks and anonymous bands have been a thing for decades.

Ultimately, theatricality is a tool for world-building. By framing shows as "rallies" with a stage podium, masks and suits, merch as "uniforms" and music videos as “broadcasts”, President fits their name and have already created a sonic and visual universe that helps them stand out in a saturated market. It’s an industry-wide reality: in 2026, you often need more than just talent to cut through the noise.

President has just announced their UK and European "Campaign" later this year, with UK pre-sale tickets going live on Wednesday, the 27th of May, 10 AM and some of these venues are quite small considering their momentum. Something tells us the tickets will go quick, so keep an eye out if you're thinking of going!

Photo: Niamh Louise / Slam Dunk Festival

Next up was true Slam Dunk metalcore royalty, Bury Tomorrow. Over the last decade, they have performed on nearly every iteration of every stage this festival offers, and their promotion to a high-billing slot on Main Stage East in 2026 felt like a well-deserved coronation. They represent the gold standard of British metalcore - proving that you can maintain a career for nearly 20 years by being genuinely good people who write massive, soaring anthems.

"This is my villain arc... move somebody!" barked Dani Winter-Bates, and honestly, the crowd didn't need telling twice. At this point, they might as well change their name to Bury Today, because we were absolutely buried under a relentless tide of crowdsurfers. It was easily the craziest crowd activity of the weekend; at one point, I had three people on top of me simultaneously. I lost my phone in the madness, but luckily it was found.

Despite the "villain" jokes, the heart of their set was incredibly moving. Dani gave a powerful speech about how society tries to divide us, stating, "We believe music and society should bring us closer. Sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity - we are all the same." He encouraged everyone to get on their friends' shoulders and put their arms around the person next to them, creating a beautiful image of unity across the massive crowd. In summary, this was a high-energy triumph.

They came, they saw, and they buried us under a sea of riffs. The announcement of their Brixton headline show was the perfect cherry on top. “On such a stacked bill, we didn’t think anyone would come down to see us, but you’ve packed this place up, and we want to thank you for that”, – shares the band.

Bury Tomorrow is currently playing European festival dates and is gearing up for a headline Australian tour in September, followed by a massive UK and European Tour in February and April 2027 with Stick To Your Guns, Windwaker, and Elswood Stray.

Stepping into the 19:15 slot just as the festival sunset began across Hatfield, Scottish two-piece VUKOVI delivered a masterclass in modern alternative metal that made the tent feel significantly too small for their current trajectory.

Coming off the back of their ferocious recent album cycle for MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN, their set was an assault that proved they are operating at the absolute peak of their powers. The music is structurally heavy, erratic, and aggressive, yet Shilstone commands the crowd with the infectious, glittering energy of a pop icon.

The performance featured champagne being poured directly onto the crowd, Janine getting up close and personal by standing right at the barrier to hold onto fans, and a relentless demand for a circle pit. Absolute rockstars.

If you wanted to find the "trenches" of Slam Dunk 2026, you went to Malevolence. This was the biggest mosh of the day, hands down. But hey, what is a massive mosh without a proposal? Indeed, this is exactly where two fans got engaged in the middle of the pit, and she said yes!

They tore through 'Karma' and 'Self Supremacy' with terrifying crowd control. Malevolence is the bridge between underground hardcore and mainstream metal success. Hailing from Sheffield, they are the local heroes of the UK scene. Their history with Slam Dunk is a story of hard-won growth as they’ve climbed from the smallest club stages to becoming a Main Stage staple through a DIY till I die attitude. The vocalist even shared a bit of history: "We played this song to every label possible and nobody gave a fuck... but guess what? We’re now playing it on a Bank Holiday weekend thanks to all of you!"

The set wasn't just pure aggression, though. They slowed things down for 'Higher Place', which resulted in one of the biggest sing-alongs of the East Stage of the festival, with people climbing onto each other’s shoulders. They even brought out Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose during ‘Keep Your Distance’ to add some extra fire to the performance. It was a set that felt like a victory lap for Sheffield hardcore, proving that you don't need a major label to dominate a main stage.

They were the undisputed kings of the UK crossover scene, and if you weren't in the pit, you definitely wished you were.

If Slam Dunk 2026 had a final boss, it was Knocked Loose. Their relevance to the festival circuit right now is unparalleled; they have successfully made high-art, dissonant hardcore a mainstream attraction. They represent the new peak of heavy music - uncompromising. Finally, we have Knocked Loose, a band that should probably be renamed Neck Loose because their set was essentially one hour-long, non-stop breakdown.

Opening with ‘BlindingFaith’, they proceeded to dismantle the audience for 60 minutes. The setlist was a punishing run through ‘Mistakes Like Fractures’, ‘God Knows’, and the now TikTok-famous bark in ‘Counting Worms’. They closed the day with the double-hit of ‘DeepintheWillow’ and ‘EverythingIsQuietNow’, leaving the field in a state of shell-shocked silence as the feedback rang out.

The crowd activity was strong; however, it was visibly tired after Malevolence and Bury Tomorrow. This still didn’t stop Garris to creating moshpit vortexes and a constant stream of bodies flying over the barrier surfing.

Every time you thought the song had peaked, it would drop even lower, hitting a frequency that you could feel in your teeth. I can safely say that while the energy was unmatched, there will be serious repercussions tomorrow; thousands of us are going to wake up with very, very stiff necks. It was the perfect end to a legendary day.

Knocked Loose are currently playing stacked European dates and supporting the industry's finest in BMTH, Gojira and Metallica

Photo: Sophie Ditchfield / Slam Dunk Festival

On the Main Stage West, legendary headliners Good Charlotte made their highly-anticipated comeback and closed things out with a masterclass in arena-level pop-punk. Marking their highly anticipated European exclusive return, the Madden brothers & co had the field in the palm of their hands from the moment the pyro erupted during the opening song ‘The River’.

"We love being in the UK," Joel shouted, looking out at a sea of thousands before asking everyone to get their lighters (and phone screens) up for an emotional rendition of ‘Hold On.’

Relying heavily on The Young and the Hopeless and The Chronicles of Life and Death, the set list was a non-stop barrage of singles, prompting singalongs all around the field. It was pure, unadulterated fun.

The band also dropped a massive bombshell for the British fans, too: "We’re coming back in the fall, we’re doing two shows!", having announced a headline tour the same morning. Indeed, the production was scaled for arenas, perfectly mirroring the ambition of the band's newly announced tour.

By the time ‘I Just Wanna Live’ and ‘The Anthem’ rolled around, the party was at its peak. As the final, explosive choruses brought the curtain down, Good Charlotte most definitely reestablished themselves as absolute pop-punk royalty, perfectly setting the stage for their massive UK arena run this November.

Wrapping up the day, it’s clear that Slam Dunk 2026 was a definitive celebration of twenty years of alternative culture. From its humble beginnings as a Leeds club night to this massive, multi-stage beast in Hatfield Park, the festival has retained to independent heart while successfully pivoting to the heavier, more diverse sounds of 2026.

Whether it was the nostalgia of Dashboard Confessional or the punishing, neck-snapping reality of Knocked Loose, the 20th-anniversary lineup felt like a perfect bridge between where the scene has started and where it’s going. Despite the unfortunate technical issues for President, the day was a seamless success.

Slam Dunk remains the ultimate homecoming for the UK’s alternative community, and if this year was any indication, the next twenty years are going to be just as loud, chaotic, and brilliant. Final verdict? A solid 10/10 day.

Words by Vlad-Paul Ghilaș (& Florelle Servageon on Tonight Alive, Hands Like Houses, VUKOVI, Saosin and Good Charlotte)

Photos by Florelle Servageon