SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL PROMISES TO BE ‘A DAY TO REMEMBER’ WITH A SOLID 2025 LINE UP
Slam Dunk North (Bella Proudfoot/Northern Exposure)
FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Slam Dunk Festival 2025, 24th (South, Hatfield Park) and 25th (North, Temple Newsam) May
The UK’s premier pop punk and emo festival bounced back big time in 2024. 2023 included some huge bands on the line up, including The Offspring, Enter: Shikari and Bowling For Soup, and following criticisms that the festival was ‘oversold’ due to queues of over an hour for food and facilities and further issues with parking, the organisers listened and ensured the 2024 was a huge improvement, with virtually no queues all day that allowed festival-goers to enjoy The Interrupters, The All-American Rejects, Funeral For A Friend and You Me At Six on their final festival headliner ever without the fear of missing anything (just a shame the weather didn’t get the memo as it turned out to be a wet and muddy couple of days, especially at the north site).
2025 once again promises an eclectic line-up from across the punk rock spectrum, from pop punk to metalcore, emo to ska, with plenty of veterans of their particular scenes performing alongside many up and comers.The stage splits have yet to be released and the quality of bands on offer is that strong it’s difficult to say who the headliners will be, but it’s safe to assume metalcore kings A Day To Remember or Welsh pop punks Neck Deep will likely be headlining the main stage, the latter off the back of a huge sell-out UK tour at the start of this year!
As ever, pop punk and punk rock fans are massively catered for and there’s a heavy focus on the older bands that were prominent in the scene’s ‘golden age’ of the late 90s/early 2000s. Chicago dark punks Alkaline Trio put out one of the best punk albums of 2024, ‘Blood, Hair & Eyeballs’, and are a safe bet to be headlining the ‘punk’ stage – unless it’s Florida easycore pop punks New Found Glory, who are making their triumphant return to the UK for the first time since Slam Dunk 2019. NFG will be enjoying a reunion of sorts with fellow Drive Thru Records alumni Home Grown, with the Orange County pop punks reforming last year after 19 years, emo pop punk vets The Starting Line and post hardcore/emo band Finch, who will likely be playing one of the heavier stages with plenty of songs from their classic 2002 album ‘What It Is To Burn’. The Ataris will be reclaiming their crown as the boys of summer, Brighton’s As It Is reformed in 2024 (with a recently announced new album on Slam Dunk Records), Slam Dunk ‘house band’ Zebrahead return on the back of their ‘III’, ‘II’, ‘I’ EPs with their pop punk/rap rock mash up, Chicago’s Knuckle Puck will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their first album ‘Copacetic’, playing it in full, Bad Cop, Bad Cop will be bringing plenty of California riot grrl energy and Hit The Lights will also be performing.
Bringing a shot of sunshine will be ska punk legends and Slam Dunk regulars Less Than Jake, likely playing songs from excellent new EP ‘Uncharted’, along with fellow third wave ska band Save Ferris, California’s favourite comedy ska punk superheroes The Aquabats! who finally released their 7th album, er, ‘Finally!’, in 2024 and New Jersey’s Streetlight Manifesto. For those looking for something more laid back, emo revivalists Movements have you covered, along with some midwest emo from Hot Mulligan and a likely energetic show from Free Throw – plus emo/screamo veterans The Used return to Slam Dunk for the first time since 2022. Glasgow based band Twin Atlantic will be on hand for those craving a bit of indie rock on the back of their latest album ‘Meltdown’.
The ever popular Electric Callboy will be providing some metalcore comedy songs all the way from Germany, France’s nu metal-tinged hardcore band Landmvrks are set to perform following their new album in April and Long Island’s Stray From The Path will be around to supply that extra bit of heaviness with their fusion of hardcore punk and rap rock.
It wouldn’t be Slam Dunk Festival without some up and coming bands on the roster and this year will include Manchester-based power pop band Hot Milk, Welsh post-hardcore band Dream State and the brilliantly named punk rock band Winona Fighter, following their debut album in February.
There’s not many things better in this world than hanging out in a field with friends, having some beers and listening to your favourite bands, and Slam Dunk is once again set to provide a great day for all. Let’s hope the weather sorts itself out this year.
Slam Dunk Festival. Every summer. Forever.
Tickets on sale now https://slamdunk.seetickets.com/tour/slam-dunk-festival-2025/
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