Photo Credit: Maryleen (North – Pics #1 to #65) and Anthony Hunt (South – Pics #66 to #131)
As we arrived in hot, sunny Hatfield fresh off our train from Kings Cross it was time for one of our favourite days of the year. Slam Dunk South! For us this really marks the start of the festival season as we get always get a chance to see some of our favourite bands whilst finding new ones in between. With the festival celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, we had photographers at both South and North to capture some of the magic of the day.
Making the most of our day, we were there before the arena officially opened and then still had a chance to explore the stage layout ahead of Pest Control’s opening set on Main Stage East Left. The Leeds outfit kicked off the festival with their punchy tracks including P.M.C and Year Of The Pest. The crowd needed no time to kick into action and the arms flying much to the delight of vocalist Leah Massey-Hay. (NC)
Straight after on the stage next door came Heriot, a name who have graced our pages many times before. ‘When this kicks in show me what you’ve fucking got,’ exclaimed Debbie Gough watching them understand the memo and opening up the first pit on one of the hottest days of the year. Tracks including Commander Of Pain and others from debut Devoured by the Mouth of Hell are gritty, punch in the face level of energy but sweetened with the sight of the enjoyment the band are having onstage. (NC)
Taking things down a notch over on Scott’s Key Club Stage was Dead Pony playing to a packed out and very hot tent. We were drawn in by the familiar chorus of RAINBOWS which we found ourselves singing along to on approach to the tent. Led by Anna Shields with a captivating stage presence making use of the full stage, the band have perfected their live show making them one of the most constantly enjoyable to watch. Surprisingly this was their first time at Slam Dunk, which feels pretty wild to us but maybe it’s just because we and many others in the tent have seen them a number of times before. (NC)
Our first visit to Main Stage West was for Unpeople; a set we had a feeling would be one of our favourites of the day and we were proved right very early on. It might have been early in the day but there was a real air of excitement, as Waste kicked in and the dual vocals of Jake Crawford and Em Lodge were showcased playing off each other. Their heavy, raw and pit friendly tracks nearly all feature choruses for Slam Dunk attendees to pick up instantly, chant along to and blissful melodies to keep swirling round your head for the rest of the day. Closing with The Garden, it was a singalong final as Luke Caley took to a fans shoulders down in the pit still managing to play despite being spun in circles in the Southern sunshine. If you haven’t caught Unpeople live yet, where have you been? Make it a goal for 2026! (NC)
Watching Cancer Bats so early on in the day felt incredibly weird, but with such a stacked line-up someone had to take on the earlier slots. Showing off their frantic energy with opener Golden Tanks, Liam Cormier led the crowd with ease, a man of select words but a master of many songs. The enthusiasm from the stage doesn’t take long to filter into the crowd as Cormier explained, they were celebrating twenty years of their debut album Birthing The Giant which shared the anniversary with Slam Dunk. Performing tracks including Death Bros and Hail Destroyer, mixed in with new material Stay Stuck made it clear the Canadian hardcore outfit are here to stay. Keep your eyes peeled for new music, new tour and even more from Cancer Bats as we definitely will be. (NC)
Arriving onstage as words of don’t call it a comeback filled the air, it feels in a way like more like a welcome home as Trash Boat arrive to celebrate ten years of their debut album Nothing I Write You Can Change What You’ve Been Through. Frontman Tobi Duncan is visibly overjoyed to be back on the stage, performing tracks including How Selfish I Seem and Second Wind which haven’t had live outings since 2019. In a thirty-five minute set, we were all being a little too ambitious expecting to hear everything we’d hoped for but if we needed more of an excuse to get to their one off KOKO show, this was it. (NC)
Heading over to the Monster Energy Stage Right, it was time for another album anniversary to get a mention (it seemed to be a theme this year!) and this time it was Boston Manor’s Be Nothing. Arguably in our eyes, one of the best debut albums of the 21st century. This wasn’t ever meant to be an album run through, which meant we weren’t sure where the setlist would be taking us but we’ve never been left disappointed after a Boston Manor set so didn’t see this starting now. Sliding Doors saw the crowd chanting along to ‘Everything’s just getting worse,’ as Henry Cox’s vocals fluttered from clean to heavy in an instant with crowd surfers taking to the air. The beauty of the setlist was the variety and musical evolution as emotive Lead Feet and Laika continued the singalongs. With four anniversary shows lined up for later this year and a promise that there won’t be a 20th anniversary looks like 2026 is the year to celebrate Be Nothing and whatever else Boston Manor have brewing! (NC)
With the sun beating down, energy levels dipping and choices needing to be made about who to watch this was the first big clash of the day for us. Taking Back Sunday, Tonight Alive AND President. We headed over to catch part of Taking Back Sunday with their Louder Now twenty year anniversary set. After being slightly disappointed by some of our recent TBS live experiences, we were hoping this set and album would get us right back on track. A power trio opening of What’s It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?, Liar (It Takes One To Know One) and MakeDamnSure saw Adam Lazzara’s mic swinging taking centre stage with some questionable vocals to match. Unfortunately with a lot of talk around the tracks, it felt like they were just missing the mark and something didn’t quite feel right. Weirdly, the lesser played tracks such as Twenty-Twenty Surgery and Spin landed better vocally and were when the set felt stronger. (NC)
After watching part of the questionable performance from Taking Back Sunday, we headed over to try and catch some of Tonight Alive’s set. In the process we saw one of the biggest crowds we’ve seen during the day for President but soon realised right here watching Tonight Alive was where we should have been the whole time. Arriving during their cover of Little Lion Man, we wondered where Jenna McDougall was but it soon transpired she was down in the circle pit having the best time with the fans who had waited so long for this day. In their first Slam Dunk set since 2018, they took the time to team up with Stand Atlantic’s Bonnie Fraser for flawless dual vocals on Disappear giving chance to escape in our minds and also ensure we lived in the moment. Closing their set with sultry Temple, the band were better than ever and the crowd were loving every second. Our only regret? Not catching their full set! (NC)
Bury Tomorrow hadn’t graced a UK festival stage since Download 2022, so their appearance on the Main Stage East at Slam Dunk felt like a long-overdue homecoming. Three years is a long time in heavy music, and the crowd gathered in front of the stage made clear they hadn’t forgotten. Daniel Winter-Bates steps forward and the response is immediate. Before the full band crashes in, he delivers the opening verse of Choke alone — a deliberate, menacing build that makes the eventual drop hit harder. When it lands, so does everything else. The pits open up instantly, and from that moment Winter-Bates barely stops working the crowd, drawing out every ounce of energy the Main Stage East has to offer.
Abandon Us is where the set catches fire. Pyros shoot up across the stage as the song kicks in, and the pit expands to match. There’s a ferocity to how Bury Tomorrow play it that doesn’t feel like a band going through the motions of a festival slot. Let Go keeps the temperature up, and Villain Arc gives the set a moment of genuine menace before What If I Burn pulls the crowd back in with one of their more visceral recent cuts. What’s impressive is the balance Bury Tomorrow strike between the long time faithful and those clearly encountering them for the first time. There are sections of the crowd who know every syllable, arms locked around strangers, screaming back every line. There are others watching with the slightly stunned expression of people realising they’ve stumbled into something they didn’t expect. By Boltcutter, the latter group looks thoroughly converted.
Tom Prendergast’s clean vocals sit well against Winter-Bates’ abrasive delivery throughout, the two threading together in a way that keeps songs like Yokai from feeling one-dimensional. Instrumentally, the band — rounded out by Davyd Winter-Bates, Adam Jackson, Kristan Dawson and Ed Hartwell — are tight in the way that only comes from years of playing together. Nothing feels loose. There’s no slackness in the transitions, no moment where the energy dips because the machinery behind it faltered. Then comes Black Flame, and with it, an onslaught of crowd surfers that keeps the security barrier team genuinely on their toes. With Winter-Bates stepping down from the stage, high fiving each person that comes over the barrier. It’s become something of a ritual at this point, and Bury Tomorrow lean into it. The song has always had that effect on a crowd, and here it earns it all over again.
DEATH (Ever Colder) closes out the set with the kind of weight that earns it that position — a song that feels like a full stop rather than a fade out. The recent announcement of a headline show at Brixton Academy in February adds context to what we’re watching. This isn’t a band reintroducing themselves or coasting on goodwill. They’re a band that sounds sharper than they did three years ago, playing to a crowd that’s spent that time waiting for exactly this. Slam Dunk gave them the right stage. Bury Tomorrow did the rest, proving that a festival headline slot should definitely be on the cards. (AH)
Never seen a Vukovi show before? Prepare to listen to and follow Janine Shilstone’s every command. Those are the rules including ‘get that fucking pit open right fucking now’. The powerhouse frontwoman made an entrance ensuring all eyes were on her as THIS IS MY LIFE AND MY TRAUMA and GUNGHO kicked off the set. At times it felt like the electro backing was a bit too overpowering to take in the vocals and guitar lines properly, but the energy from onstage was enough for us to let that slide. The Scottish duo take putting on a live show to a new level, clearly impressed with the crowd’s response Shilstone gets down to the barrier to make her presence known (as if it wasn’t already). La Di Da is a brilliant way to round off a brilliant set which felt more like a party as the tent bounced, chanted and sung along with smiles on their faces. A live show done right. (NC)
There’s a reason Malevolence keep getting bumped up festival bills. Main Stage East was packed — partly in anticipation, partly because Knocked Loose were due on after them — but by the time Alex Taylor had restarted Trenches for the second time, any suggestion this crowd was here for anyone else had evaporated.
That restart sets the tone immediately. Taylor brings the crowd in to sing the opening, listens, decides it isn’t good enough, cuts it dead and demands more. It’s a standard move thirty seconds into any Malevolence set, but it works precisely because he means it. When Trenches finally kicks in properly, the pit that opens up feels earned. Half the field surges forward, and the circle pits that form in the first two minutes make clear this isn’t a crowd that needs warming up.
Malevolence have always sat in an interesting space — metalcore with the swagger of hardcore and a groove that owes as much to the ’90s as it does to anything in the current heavy scene. Live, that combination is relentless. Life Sentence into So Help Me God gives the front rows no time to recover, and Taylor holds the crowd with the kind of authority that doesn’t need to announce itself. He just expects compliance, and gets it. Crowd surfers begin stacking up at the barrier, and they don’t stop for the rest of the set.
Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid appears for Karma, adding a rawness that the song suits well. The two share the stage comfortably, Neufeld bringing his own presence without pulling focus from the set’s momentum. Then Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose walks out for Keep Your Distance, and the crowd reacts accordingly. Garris is one of the most compelling front men in heavy music right now, and alongside Taylor the two turn the song into something that feels genuinely dangerous. Circle pits spread further back into the field, and for a moment it seems like the whole crowd has collectively decided to abandon any sense of self-preservation. Self Supremacy and Higher Place demonstrate why Malevolence have the catalogue to sustain a set at this level. These aren’t songs being dusted off for a festival crowd — they land with the same force they would headline a club show. The band are locked in throughout: Josh Baines, Konan Hall, Wilkie Robinson and Charlie Thorpe playing with a tightness that makes the heaviest moments feel inevitable rather than effortful. There’s no showboating, no filler. Just a band that knows exactly what they’re doing and does it without fuss.
Somewhere in the chaos, a couple got engaged in the middle of a circle pit. Taylor caught wind of it after she said yes, stopped to congratulate them, and the crowd responded with the kind of warmth that sits oddly but perfectly against the preceding carnage. It’s the sort of moment that only happens at a show where the crowd is fully invested, and it said something about the atmosphere Malevolence had built that it didn’t break the energy — it added to it. Serpent’s Chokehold and On Broken Glass push through the back end of the set with zero concession to fatigue, before If It’s All the Same to You closes things out. By the end, the barrier security had earned their keep, the pit had claimed more than a few casualties, and the crowd that had technically shown up early for Knocked Loose looked very much like they’d already had the set of the day. Malevolence didn’t just fill the slot. They made it theirs. (AH)
At Scott’s Key Club Stage, Deaf Havana were the final act to take to it at Hatfield this evening. Yes, there was another clash on the cards with State Champs and Malevolence but with the band one of our must watch of the day nothing was going to make us miss this! As more and more people moved forward into the tent, we were feeling pretty grateful the sun had disappeared for a slightly cooler evening to allow us to celebrate Fools and Worthless Liars 15th anniversary celebrations kicking off. There’s a generation of people who have a big connection to Deaf Havana and this album from soundtracking life experiences to bringing friendship groups together.
Before they had even taken to the stage you could feel the love which was in the room and it felt pretty magical. James Veck-Gilodi walked onstage to a huge cheer, into The Past Six Years vocally faultless and with the crowd as the second vocalist; this was one of those wow moments of the day as the tent closed out the track. Back as a full band, this was a singalong set from I Will Try to sincere Little White Lies which everyone was belting out. Emotions were running high, ‘I’m struggling to control my ability to sing, I’m struggling to control my emotions and I didn’t think that would happen,’ explained James visibly moved by the response whilst glancing at brother Matthew. Upping the heavy factor came with Leeches and Friends Like These with the unexpected addition of screaming Sean Smith; it might have been a bit messy around the edges but honestly everyone was having too much fun to even care. Sunny anthem Sinner and further throwback Boston Square were times when James needn’t have sung due to the overpowering crowd volume showing just how loved this band are.
Taking time to thank the crowd, band, crew, friends and old band mates from along their journey it was clear how special the Slam Dunk set was for Deaf Havana. With the album anniversary tour taking place in the Autumn, it’s already looking set to be one of our favourite tours of the year even if it’ll probably be one of the most emotional! (NC)
By the time Knocked Loose took to Main Stage East, the crowd had already been through the wringer. Malevolence had seen to that. But the field that greeted Bryan Garris and the rest of the band was bigger than anything seen all day, packed to the edges and humming with the particular tension of a crowd that knows exactly what’s coming and wants it anyway.
Blinding Faith opens the set and the pits are immediate. There’s no easing in, no introductory pleasantries. Knocked Loose have never been a band that builds toward the chaos — they start there. Garris is commanding from the first note, working the crowd with the kind of intensity that makes you forget there are twenty thousand other things happening at a festival. For the duration of this set, nothing else exists. Don’t Reach for Me and Mistakes Like Fractures keep the temperature rising, and when the pyros detonate during the latter the crowd lurches forward as one. It’s the first real production moment of the set and it lands perfectly, the heat and noise hitting simultaneously in a way that makes the song feel even heavier than it does on record. Isaac Hale is a constant menacing presence throughout, stalking the stage and feeding off the crowd’s energy in a way that keeps the band’s intensity from ever feeling performative. He doesn’t look like he’s playing a festival. He looks like he’s trying to start something.
Oblivion’s Peak gives the set a moment to breathe — briefly — before Belleville arrives with the Forget Your Name intro threading in underneath it. From the moment that riff drops, the crowd surfers come in waves. Garris leans into it, urging more over the barrier, and the security team goes into overdrive. It becomes less a song and more a collective act of controlled disorder, the crowd and the band locked into something that feels mutual rather than performed. Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine and Kevin Otten anchor the rhythm section throughout with a solidity that makes the chaos on the field feel supported rather than frantic, while Nicko Calderon’s guitar work cuts through the mix with a clarity that does justice to the record.
Piece by Piece and Moss Covers All sustain the momentum through the middle of the set before Take Me Home pulls something rawer out of the crowd. Hive Mind, their newest track featuring Denzel Curry, lands with the kind of weight that newer songs don’t always manage in a live setting — the crowd already knows every word, and the field responds accordingly. God Knows pushes the energy back into the red, the pits during it among the largest of the evening, spreading wide across the field in a way that makes the stage look like the eye of a storm.
Sit & Mourn, shortened but no less effective, shifts the atmosphere briefly before Suffocate snaps it back. Then comes Billy No Mates, a cut from their 2016 debut Laugh Tracks that gets the kind of reception only a song that’s been in the live set for nearly a decade can earn. The diehards in the front rows know exactly what’s coming the moment it starts, and the pit that opens up for it feels like a long-standing debt being repaid, and then Counting Worms — and with it, the confetti cannons. It’s an unexpected moment of spectacle from a band whose aesthetic runs toward the bleak, and it works precisely because of that contrast. The crowd, drenched in confetti and sweat, loses its mind as they try to catch a physical memento from an unforgettable show.
Deep in the Willow is where the set reaches its emotional peak. It’s a song that hits differently under an open sky with a field this size behind it, the crowd singing back sections with a sincerity that cuts through the noise. There’s a moment mid-song where the collective voice of Hatfield Park is louder than the PA, and it’s the kind of thing that makes festival sets at their best feel genuinely unrepeatable. Then Everything Is Quiet Now, and with it, the wall of death. Garris splits the crowd, the field opens up like a fault line, and when the signal comes the two halves collide with everything they have left. By this point that’s still considerable. The song closes the set in the way only a closer of this quality can — not just ending things, but making the ending feel necessary. Like the only possible conclusion to everything that came before it.
Knocked Loose headlining Slam Dunk was never in question as a booking. What the set confirmed was that they’ve grown into that position without softening a single edge to get there. The production was bigger, the crowd was the largest of the day, and the songs hit as hard as they ever have. Garris and Hale pushed Main Stage East to its limits, and the crowd pushed back just as hard.
Some headliners close a festival. Knocked Loose ended it. (AH)
Closing out Slam Dunk South 2026 was Good Charlotte, a band who don’t often head over to the UK infact it’s their first visit since 2019 but good things truly came to those who wait. As we heard The River kick off, it was a dash out of the tent from Deaf Havana to the sea of people watching the band who had chosen them over Knocked Loose.
Dance Floor Anthem is a classic, released back in 2007 the crowd made up of both old and new fans were singing along to round off a brilliant day. The Madden brothers vocals never miss, working flawlessly together during tracks including The Chronicles of Life and Death. Acknowledging the fans support, Hold On saw a see of lights taking over Hatfield Park lighting up for the people we love. This was a discography spanning set from the band, with hits scattered throughout and a time where we found ourselves saying ‘I’d forgotten they wrote this song!’ especially during Keep Your Hands off My Girl which we seemed to remember every word to.
The formula of tracks might at times feel repetitive but if it works, then why change a good thing? More recent release Rejects sings of the changing friendships we go through and gave times for them to reach out to fans both old and new to thank them for allowing them to continue their lives shows with their family and kids surrounding them this time too. Closing with a power punch of punchy Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous and The Anthem, there were circle pits, arms flying around and a beautiful in sync chorus of ‘Another loser anthem whoa-oh’ to round it all off.
Visually too this was an arena worthy show from fire to being locked in a castle the effects were captivating, musically it was slick and the vibes were everything we needed to end our day at Slam Dunk. Good Charlotte were the perfect headliner for Slam Dunk 2026 and with a duo of shows lined up for later this year, we won’t be missing out on the chance to get a second dose of their live show in 2026. (NC)
As the sky lit up with a firework display to close off twenty years of Slam Dunk, it felt like a brilliant birthday party for the festival. With the weather firmly on side, sunburnt music lovers everywhere we looked and smiles fixed on faces whilst heading off home or to one of the infamous afterparties, we’d had another brilliant day in Hatfield and can’t wait to hopefully do it all again in 2027!
Written By: Nicola Craig and Anthony Hunt
Photo Gallery Featuring:
Maryleen – Boston Manor, Bury Tomorrow, Cancer Bats, Dying Wish, Good Charlotte, Guilt Trip, Heriot, Knocked Loose, Malevolence, Pest Control, Stand Atlantic, The Menzingers, Tonight Alive, Unpeople and Vukovi
Anthony Hunt – Angel Dust, Boston Manor, Bury Tomorrow, Cancer Bats, Comeback Kid, Dying Wish, Guilt Trip, Heriot, Knocked Loose, Malevolence, Static Dress and The Home Team
