Slam Dunk Festival South
May 25 // University of Hertfordshire // Hatfield, England
Review by Madison Convey
British rockers Canterbury are no rookies when it comes to Slam Dunk, but as it was their first time performing on the main stage they certainly had something to celebrate about. They managed to successfully pack a crowd-pleasing variety of tracks from their three albums in to their short, half an hour set, including classic fan favorites such as ‘Friends? We’re More Like A Gang’ and some of their newer stuff (‘Think It Over’, ‘Expensive Imitation’, etc.) that shows just how much the band have grown as musicians in their time together. By the time they were wrapping up the quartet had the crowd in the palm of their hands, chanting back the easy to pick up lyrics.
Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! have managed to gain quite the following since their signing to Fearless Records, because if their catchy tunes don’t sway you, their stylish French flair will. The quintet’s set time was unfortunately changed to be earlier than scheduled without much warning, meaning that quite a lot of people who would have been there weren’t. Still, they clearly didn’t let it get them down as they owned Slam Dunk’s Monster Drink Energy sponsored stage with their metal-infused pop punk. Some of the audience might not have necessarily been there to see them, but they were certainly won over by Chunk!’s cover of ‘All Star’ by Smashmouth, taken from the recently released Pop Goes 90s 2, so that in the end most if not all of the crowd were moshing away under the band’s instruction.
The incredibly talented Natives have made quite the name for themselves in the UK thanks to their obsessive touring schedule, which has included stints supporting Mayday Parade and The Summer Set. Their brand of fun-loving pop rock is guaranteed to get any crowd dancing and those at Slam Dunk’s Cheer Up Clothing stage were no exception. Performing material from their recent album Indoor War as well as a track or two from older EPs, their audience spilled out of the small room and in to the hallway due to the amount of people who turned up and were entranced. The five-piece band who hail from Southampton, England, even have a sweet tradition of using a Polaroid camera to take a shot of the crowd, then offering the picture to whoever can dance the best to the track that follows; ‘This Island’, which showcases their knack for huge choruses and catchy melodies.
Travis Clark and co. of We The Kings hit the main stage early in the evening, performing to a tired but willing crowd. Their execution of singles such as ‘Say You Like Me’ and ‘Any Other Way’ managed to energize their audience in preparation for their unexpected cover of Jimmy Eat World’s ‘The Middle’, that Clark admitted beforehand was one of the songs that when he first heard made him want to be in a band. The band certainly managed to play to their strengths and the crowd ate it up, cheering loudly after every song wrapped up. As expected, We The Kings’ set came to an end with the belter ‘Check Yes Juliet’ that seemed to have every single person in the 1,000+ strong audience dancing and singing along to what was probably the song on their MySpace page back in the day.
Minnesota’s finest Motion City Soundtrack took to the main stage right after, bringing their oh-so-familiar, straight out of the 90’s alt rock with them. The large crowd might have not all been diehard fans, but almost everyone could easily sing along to the likes of ‘Everything Is Alright’ and the more recent hit ‘Her Words Destroyed My Planet’ which naturally kept the energy high. Being far from their first appearance at Slam Dunk, it was clear that Motion City Soundtrack knew what to expect, and how to execute a great set that would have the crowd entertained regardless of music tastes – and vocalist Justin Pierre’s wit was just the cherry on top of the cake.
We Are The In Crowd have spent a lot of time in the UK in recent years. From headline tours to festival appearances, and even a few support slots earlier on in their career, there’s no doubt that the New York pop rockers are a well received outfit when it comes to British audiences – and their stint at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival was no exception. Kicking off with ‘Long Live The Kids’, their staple opener since the release of their latest album Weird Kids, the crowd at the main stage were then treated to a set packed with contemporary tunes and older favourites including ‘Lights Out’ which is taken from their very first EP Guaranteed To Disagree and gave the audience the chance to see how much We Are The In Crowd have grown as musicians since.
Headliners The All-American Rejects put on a spectacular show as the sun set and the festival winded down. As a band who’s music has been enjoyed by a few different generations, it was incredible to see everyone come together to appreciate such a legendary band. Tyson Ritter was up to his usual on-stage antics; the flamboyant frontman act that has the crowd entranced in between songs, while the band as a whole pulls of a slick professionalism that shows just how long they’ve been in the game. Opening with ‘Dirty Little Secret’, the band continued on with picks from their impressive discography such as ‘I Wanna’, ‘Move Along’ and ‘Beekeeper’s Daughter’. Things were slowed down a bit for ‘It Ends Tonight’, and a lighter or two could be seen being waved in the air just before they carried on with ‘Gives You Hell’, that picked the pace back up and encouraged the crowd-surfers once more. Overall, a magnificent set that rounded off a day to match, putting to rest the southern part of Slam Dunk Festival for another year.
