I’d been looking forward to this day for months. Finally, I
get to see a string of bands that I’ve discovered very recently do what they do
in action, as well as some good old timers. Having left the house at 5:30am to
travel to Leeds for the festival, I barely slept a wink on the trains, buses
and automobiles as I got as excited as a 5-year-old awaiting their birthday
party. The last time I was this excited about going to a music festival was in
2010 when I fulfilled my childhood dream of seeing all-time favourite band
Blink-182 at Reading.
After checking into my Bradford hotel, and sprinting across
the town twice throughout the pissing down rain (not entirely what I had in
mind, but if you think that was gonna spoil my mood you couldn’t be any more
wrong!), I headed to Leeds University. As it turns out, Leeds is an absolute
maze of a city and this complex is impossible to find. However, when I do
eventually get through all the queues and into the students’ union, all the
magic of being at a music festival starts coming back to me: The crowds of
people, the merch tents everywhere, the sound of Drop C and D-tuned guitars
howling out of every corner, and the shitty overpriced watered-down beer served
in plastic cups (everything good has to have a downside, right?). Anyway, I’m
here and I’m ready to watch some bands.
Chunk! No, Captain
Chunk! (Monster Energy Stage)
French easycore band Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! are something
of a marmite band: you either get it or you don’t. Personally, I love them, and
having belatedly heard their latest album “Pardon My French”, I was very
excited to hear them play live. And I have to say, they don’t disappoint. As
the Monster Energy Stage at the Leeds edition of Slam Dunk is set up in an
outdoor marquee, the atmosphere is top-drawer. Chunk open with an 8-bit version
of “Restart”, which sounds something like an 80s games console, before bursting
into the real thing. They blend together nicely the best tunes off of both
their albums, and it’s a great set which has everyone in the tent jumping. The
highlight, though, was the Smash Mouth cover “All Star”, which relates to the
crowd in two ways. First of all, for the majority of the audience this is a
blast back to childhood (namely the Shrek soundtrack), and secondly the way the
cover is put together to sound as though the band wrote it themselves. So
evidently, this caps off a truly great set from the Parisians.
Rating: 4/5
State Champs (Atticus
Stage)
I did manage to catch the very end of A Loss For Words’ set
here, and I was very impressed with the energy of the band. I would like to
have seen the full set, but as I wasn’t too keen on the latest album they
brought out, I opted to watch Chunk instead. Anyway, State Champs are on next.
Their latest album, “The Finer Things”, is easily the best pop-punk album I’ve
heard this year. Full of great anthems, guitar riffs and break downs, as well
as some really articulate and coherent lyrics. People who I’ve seen recently
are probably getting sick of hearing me talk about them, but nonetheless I was
very excited about this set. And sure enough, as soon as they come on stage
they blast into “Deadly Conversation”, one of their best songs. This set has
everything you would expect from a pulsating punk show: Energy, crowd
interaction, tight instrumental play, and a genuinely feeling of sheer
excitement for both the band and the audience. They play just about every song
I was hoping to hear, and they do it very well indeed. I’m actually pleasantly
surprised by the reaction of the crowd, who are singing along to every song
played, and this just adds to the enjoyment of the set. State Champs play a
truly brilliant set before closing with their signature song “Elevated”, and
it’s a job well done. I thoroughly enjoyed a set that I was very eager to hear.
Rating: 5/5
Motion City
Soundtrack (Main Stage)
This is arguably the most mainstream band I’ll see today,
but it really does bring me back a few years and brings back some great memories.
As Motion City Soundtrack have released two albums in the last two years,
neither of which I’ve heard, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this set.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of old classic “L.G. FUAD”,
which also turns out to be a real crowd-pleaser. Mad-scientist-like frontman
Justin Pierre is on form, sliding into every song with confidence and charisma.
They recite material from their 2010 album “My Dinosaur Life”, which I
personally enjoyed, including “Her Words Destroyed My Planet” and “A Life Less
Ordinary”. They close with another old classic, “Everything Is All Right”, and
it’s an enjoyable set for everyone involved.
Rating: 4/5
Real Friends (Atticus
Stage)
Real Friends are another pop-punk band that I’ve discovered
fairly recently, and I have posted a blog previously on up and coming pop-punk
bands, in which they were included. So naturally, I’m eager to see what they
offer on the live front. Returning to the Atticus Stage, placed in a small
crowded room, this is in stark contrast to the sizeable auditorium which I’ve
just come from. I’ve now got three or four beers in me and am having a good
time, made even better when Real Friends come on stage and open with my
favourite song of theirs “Floorboards”. One thing I notice about this band is
just how much fun they are having in playing this set. There’s a grin on the
singer’s face that says “fuck, people are singing along, this is awesome!”
which occurs multiple times throughout the set. The only real complaint I have
about this set is that it just doesn’t quite live up to the standard the State
Champs set earlier in the day. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and everyone’s
having a good time, but there’s something lacking. Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it
more had they come on before State Champs, but none the less it is a great set,
topped off by the ballad “I’ve Given Up On You” and closing with “Late Nights
In My Car”.
Rating: 3/5
Hit the Lights
(Atticus Stage)
Next up, Hit the Lights are taking to the stage. I used to
absolutely love listening to “This Is a Stick Up, Don’t Make It a Murder” in my
car, but then-singer Colin Ross has since departed, being replaced by former
guitarist and back-up singer Nick Thompson. Therefore, I felt like this band
had lost something. Again, don’t get me wrong, they have been good since Colin
Ross departed, but they seem to lack that edge they had before. Nevertheless,
this is a good performance, featuring a good string of tracks from that
previously mentioned album, including “3 Oh 9”, “Save Your Breath” and closing
the set with the timeless classic that is “Bodybag”. Overall, there is good
energy, a good set of songs that also included “Breathe In” and “Drop the
Girl”, and again a sense of genuine enjoyment in what they are doing for a
living. Well done to the Ohio quintet.
Rating: 3/5
Less Than Jake
(Macbeth Stage)
It’s getting to that stage now where it’s late in the day,
everyone is tired, legs are aching and the sense of sobering up is starting to
occur. I head down to the Macbeth stage, in the basement of the Leeds
University complex where there is a low roof, a set of steps leading down to a
standing space (which is ram-packed by the way!) and an excellent turnout,
which tells me that atmosphere tonight is going to be electric. I waited for
around 9 years to finally see Less Than Jake at Portsmouth Guildhall as a
birthday present back in February, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I’m hoping
for a similar story here in Leeds tonight. When they take to the stage for an
hour-and-a-half long set, it is everything I hoped it would be. Blasting out
anthem after anthem, brilliant atmosphere, witty on-stage humour, and an
all-time favourite proving that after all these years they’ve still got it. Chris
and Roger are both now in their forties, but they’re still doing what they do
best, doing it well, and having a great time doing it. Memorable moments
include the band almost forcing an
unknowing security guard to crowd surf across the standing space, inviting
their oldest fan, a 63-year-old Irishman, onto the stage along with a couple to
dance with them, and hearing every song you want to hear, with the possible
exception of “Gainesville Rock City”, which they left out for some reason. Upon
starting the encore, they even played “Rest of My Life”, a song I’ve not heard
since at least 2007, so you know this is a good setlist! They close with
another classic “The Science of Selling Yourself Short”, and the masterpiece is
complete.
Rating: 5/5
So that’s it. That’s my Slam Dunk Festival day complete, and
it is the success that I hoped it would be. I had hoped to catch some of Bury
Tomorrow’s set, but the Monster Stage is so packed that there’s no chance of me
getting anywhere close, and to be quite honest I’m exhausted so it’s back to
the hotel for me and a good night’s sleep (which I didn’t even get much of as
it turned out!). This trip though, was well worth it, and I hope to return next
year if the line-up is as good. I do recommend Slam Dunk Festival.
