For the second year running, AlreadyHeard ventured down South to take in the sights and sounds of Slam Dunk 2026. With the festival celebrating its 20th anniversary, it promised to be a day full of jubilation with a stacked line-up across Hatfield Park.
Our day started with witnessing one of the UK’s best up-and-coming bands, Unpeople. Their Main Stage West saw the quartet showcase their bouncy brand of alt-rock with hooks aplenty. Recent single, ‘Clouds’slots into their growing repertoire with ease as lead vocalist Jake Crawford delivers an intense display. He’s backed by a harmonious trio in Luke Caley, Em Lodge, and Richard Rayner. The ever-infectious closure, ‘The Garden,’ sees Caley rocking out on someone’s shoulders in the middle of the circle pit. With a Download main stage slot just weeks away, Unpeople are certainly on a wave of momentum ahead of releasing their debut album.
While Unpeople represent the new class of UK rock, veterans ‘A’ were on hand to give us the first dose of nostalgia for the day. With their new album (and first in over 20 years), ‘Prang,’ freshly released just a day before, Jason Perry and company take the opportunity to bring some of its memorable moments to Slam Dunk. ‘Hello Sunshine’ feels perfectly appropriate with the UK experiencing a late May heat wave. New cuts such as the emotional ‘Shit Summer’ and ‘Walkover’ are complemented by longtime fan favourites, ‘Starbucks’ and ‘Nothing’. Whereas ‘Kings of Lowestoft’ sees Perry, dressed in some form of Western getup, introduce a group of line dancers to the stage, probably a Slam Dunk first in its 20 years. Despite some slight sound issues, ‘A’ certainly didn’t feel out of place at Slam Dunk.
After briefly witnessing Hawthorne Heights close out their Monster Energy stage set with ‘Ohio Is For Lovers,’ heavy pop-punks Set Your Goals make a rare visit to the UK. On the Monster Energy’s right stage, the Californian band are in the party mood, throwing out beach balls as they deliver ‘Summer Jam’ and ‘Echoes’ to the delight of those who have followed since the 2000s.
A first visit to the Main Stage East catches Static Dress in the middle of an explosive set. The Leeds-based group fight through the intense heat to give a great account of themselves, merely days before releasing their second album, ‘injury episode’. Frontman Olli Appleyard is compelling, showing versatility in his delivery, elevating the band’s equally crushing and cathartic set.
Slam Dunk‘s willingness to cram as much music as possible into the day was equally exciting and brave. For example, a walk into Scott’s Key Club Stage tent sees the stage being rotated ahead of Origami Angel‘s set. Opening song, ‘Dirty Mirror Selfie’ gets interrupted due to technical issues. However, the Washington DC duo manage to get things back on track with ’24 Hr Drive-Thru’ and ‘Where Blue Light Blooms’. Whether it’s people wanting some shade from the heat, the “Gami Gang” certainly won over some new fans with their eclectic brand of emo-punk.
Despite the festival being 20 years old, this is Saosin‘s first Slam Dunk. They utilise their time well, as comeback track, ‘Starting Over Again,’ sits on par with emotional post-hardcore highlights ‘Voices’ and ‘7 Years’. The latter especially received an overwhelming response as they closed their set.
Back over the Monster Energy stage, The Menzingers are clearly beloved as they deliver a highlight-filled set. Alongside singles from their upcoming ‘Everything I Ever Saw’ album, the Philadelphia quartet’s reliable mix of blue-collar punk and heartland Americana rock is eaten up by the devoted crowd. ‘I Don’t Wanna Be an Asshole Anymore,’ ‘Good Things,’ and ‘After Party’ are still firm favourites, demanding to be sung in unison.
As the chorus from the latter song rings across Hatfield Park, we have to peel ourselves to head back to Main Stage West to witness Taking Back Sunday celebrate the 20th anniversary of ‘Louder Now’. Although there’s a debate to have about album sets at festivals, when your opening trio consists of ‘What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?,’ Liar (It Takes One to Know One),’ and ‘MakeDamnSure’ you can forgive TBS for taking such a risk. With a line-up consisting of past and present members, it’s satisfying to see guitarists John Nolan and Fred Mascherino share the stage, especially for those who have followed the band for over 20 years. While the ever-charismatic Adam Lazzara leads with his usual carefree style, bringing slight imperfections to their set. After running through ‘Louder Now’s later hidden gems ‘Miami’ and ‘Error: Operator,’ they end their slot with a triumphant run-through of ‘Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)’.
With the sun getting low, Motion City Soundtrack provide a vivid reminder of their power-pop/pop-punk prowess. They serve up a mix of longtime favourites and highlights from last year’s ‘The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World’ record, with plenty of crowd participation as MCS make a long overdue but welcome return to the UK. Synthesiser player Jesse Johnson is enthusiastic throughout, leading the sing-a-longs from the dedicated fans. MCS classics ‘L.G. FUAD’ and ‘Everything Is Alright’ are sung back in cathartic unison, still feeling strangely relevant.
The Main Stage East closes with a pairing of gargantuan heavy names. First, Malevolence continues their rise with a wrecking ball of a set. The Steel City crew, led by the commanding Alex Taylor, was intent on showing why hardcore is thriving right now. The SDF masses are whipped into a chaotic frenzy as ‘So Help Me God’ and ‘On Broken Glass’s dense riffs and Taylor’s growling vocals soar above the Hatfield field. It’s perfectly brutal, heavy, and impactful.
They’re the perfect taster ahead of the Main Stage East headliners, Knocked Loose. As a band who have been on a wave of momentum for two years, and in the middle of shows supporting Metallica, the Kentucky band aren’t ones to phone it in. Their sound is humongous, dense, and at times, intimidating, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. Appearing as silhouettes against the sickly green crucifix from the ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’ artwork, flames complement the fury of ‘Don’t Reach for Me’ before the steeling pounding of ‘Belleville’. Throughout Bryan Garris’ screams yelp with ferociousness, demanding the crowd to go crazy and two-step. While guitarist Isaac Hale’s demonic voice commands them to “spin spin spin”. As the disorientating thrill of ‘Deep in the Willow’ gives way to ‘Everything Is Quiet Now’s heart-pounding finale, it’s clear that Slam Dunk‘s move to embrace its heavy side has paid off.
As we depart the festival grounds, Main Stage West headliners, Good Charlotte, are treating fans to one final dose of nostalgia, performing a variety of old-school hits: ‘The Young and the Hopeless,’ ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous,’ and ‘Anthem’. It brings a memorable Slam Dunk Festival to a close on a vibrant high.
However, Slam Dunk Festival South wasn’t entirely perfect. Besides the lack of car park stewards and slow bar staff, issues of sound bleeding from opposite stages, such as Main Stage East to the Monster Energy stage area, somewhat spoiled some sets. Meanwhile, the swift switchover on the Scott’s Key Club Stage led to delays. And then there’s President losing 20 minutes of their much-anticipated set because of a power outage.
Nevertheless, Slam Dunk Festival 2026 lived up to its promise of celebrating its legacy and impact. By bringing together a host of classic emo and pop-punk names, stellar homegrown talent, both old and new, and doubling down on its heavy offerings, it showed why Slam Dunk has become such a momentous occasion in the UK festival season.
Visit slamdunkfestival.com for ticket information and more.
Main photo credit: @photosbylorna / Gala PR
