I braved the rain at SlamDunk 2024 in Leeds - where thousands left with 'smiles on their faces'

Fans tackled wet conditions, but the sun did shine from time to time. Leeds’ Temple Newsam played host to one of the best dates in the UK festival calendar. Thousands made an upbeat trudge through the grounds of the hall to the hilly setting of SlamDunk. Shortly before noon and with sound checks being completed, the festival’s North edition 2024 was underway. 

My first band of the day was Beauty School, who were making their UK festival debut at SlamDunk 2024. They opened up the festival on one of the smaller stages, but they caught a committed audience. A Canadian band with a lot of punchiness, their performance on The Key Club Stage gave fans in this corner of the festival a fun start to what would be a long, potentially muddy day of music. 

The one indoor stage was The Kerrang Stage and on a drizzly start to the day it proved to be a good spot to dry off. My first trip to the big blue tent was to see Honey Revenge. An LA-based band with Paramore vibes and plenty of energy from guitarists, Honey Revenge were also making their UK festival debut- another example of SlamDunk putting itself on the map. Their on-stage appearance had almost as much colour and flare as their tracks, and some synchronised high kicks from guitarists and lead singer combined to make an eye-catching set.

How many bands at SlamDunk would have their own horn section? A peppy and fun outfit with trumpets and saxophones called Big D & The Kids Table. A sea of ponchos and umbrellas enjoyed an action packed set as the rain continued to fall and despite the frontman claiming a ‘post-rain’ buzz had swept over the crowd, just as the rain started to fall even harder. 

In an effort to make the biggest pendulum swing of the day in terms of genre, the next band of the day was a Manchester outfit who are both on the up and on the heavy side of things. Guilt Trip made their presence felt on The Key Club Stage and had plenty of encouragement for their crowd - most of whom were keen to get in and around the near endless circle pit. 

It was a set that started heavy and just got heavier. The band has been going for eight years, and they dedicated songs to those people who supported the band from day one.

Moving on across the field and I caught the back end of We The Kings, a Florida band who brought creatures from another planet on stage with them, sort of.  Recording a music video for their song ‘Alien’, the band had several inflatable aliens bouncing around the crowd. A good, interactive band for the Main Stag, We The Kings rounded off their set with a favourite of UK fans rounded off with a rendition of The Killers’ Mr Brightside. 

Back under the tent of Kerrang, As Everything Unfolds gave a heavy and sweaty performance- a call for a circle pit was answered by a large chunk of the crowd. A screaming and pulsating display from lead singer Charlie Rolfe led the band forward in a rowdy display which gave a fine example of why they’ve been well complimented in the industry.  

Boys Like Girls took to the stage in the UK for the first time in 14 years, and boy was the wait worth it. They kicked off the second half of the day with a brilliant set on the main stage and frontman Martin Johnson Reminded the crowd that they first played SlamDunk back in 2008. A staple of the American indie rock scene all the way from Massachusetts. A 12 year hiatus and a new album on the way- they are most definitely back. Acoustic guitar with ‘Thunder’ got the crowd creating a serene scene of arm waving that looked like the choppy waters of an ocean that may have swamped SlamDunk had the rain not stopped. Ending with Great Escape, Martin instructed fans to get their phones out befrore starting the song and stopping after the chorus. “Let’s go back to 2008, so put them things away,” martin announced before starting the song again- an the sun burst through the clouds just as the chorus hit for the second time. Another band with brass instruments and the guys from Reel Big Fish behind them, Goldfinger but in a fun and energetic display. The punk rock and ska band walked on to the stage to the James Bond theme, and had a point of playing 1990s songs. At one stage they teased crowd with Metallica’s Enter Sandman which then became the Friends theme tune- which was in turn cut short. A true rollercoaster.

The headline act of the night was You Me At Six in what was to be their last ever UK festival performance. The band are calling it a day next year after a UK tour, so this made for an emotional set. The mudslide that was the main stage had fans slipping towards the front, and a quiet Sunday night in Yorkshire was pierced by the sounds of the band for the last time ever. The set list was littered with songs from the bands 20 year career. Fans came to warm themselves around the YMAS flame for one last time in the festival setting and a career at the top came to a close- a fitting way to end a festival that rarely disappoints SlamDunk was born and bred in Leeds, with the original festival coming into reality in the city back in 2006. The 2024 UK festival season is off to a flying start and the May bank holiday weekend festival is the perfect way to get ready for what the coming months have to offer. Thousands of music fans left this field in Leeds with smiles on their faces and no doubt plenty of memories to boot. A fair few will have perhaps found their new favourite band without even trying, which is the beauty of being a music fan at a festival.