Live Review: Slam Dunk North 2024

Head Automatica

It’s hard to imagine that the dance/pop/rock side project of a legendary post hardcore frontman would even warrant legendary status, but Daryl Palumbo is just built differently than most. With Head Automatica beginning to play as soon as the sun breaks through the clouds for the first time, Daryl sounds amazing and struts about the stage like a silver fox. A set focused on their twenty year old record ‘Decadence’ (with a few other tracks thrown in for good measure, including new song ‘Bear the Cross’, they mix up the order a little, saving the irresistible ‘Beating Heart Baby’ for near the end to send the delighted crowd away happy.

One Step Closer

Hitting the Key Club stage to a packed crowd and a raucous reception, One Step Closer are perhaps the most hyped band of the entire day. The Pennsylvania natives brand of emotive, hardcore tinged pop-punk is perfect for the early afternoon, with the sun finally starting to make its presence felt. With their music inviting everything from moshing, hardcore dancing and some particularly dangerous two-stepping thanks to the mud, they leave an impression on their fans new and old. This is one band who will definitely command a bigger slot if they return.

Photo Credit:

@samcorphotos

The Blackout

A legendary band who’ve performed multiple times at Slam Dunk over the years, The Blackout continued their reformation tour by treating festival goers to a playthrough of their seminal album The Best In Town in full. With one of the biggest gatherings of people of the day on the Go-Pro stage, the loveable scamp that is Sean Smith brought his irresistible energy to the fore. In a blur of screams, charming banter (“you can stick your London up your arse!”) and his infamous blonde locks, classics such as “Children of the Night” and “The Fire” are belted out and it’s as if they never left. Gavin Butler’s soaring melodies sound as luscious as they did back in 2009 and judging by the sea of waving hands, the crowd feels top of the world

The Ghost Inside

Despite being slightly edged out by Guilt Trip as the heaviest band of the festival, it doesn’t stop metalcore legends The Ghost Inside from trying to set a few people’s teeth wobbling. Their inspirational, take on metalcore core garners a massive reception which kicks off in style with ‘ Engine.45’. It isn’t long before the pits start to open and bodies start flying, which results in a set stoppage just before ‘Mercy’ kicks in, though thankfully the fan involved was okay and the ‘Life’s Swinging Hard, But I’m Swinging Harder’ breakdown still hits like a freight train. Their newer tracks don’t connect as much as their old material but few bands in the metalcore realm have the stage presence and chops as The Ghost Inside.

Funeral For A Friend

A truly special set awaits, as legendary Welsh post-hardcore crew Funeral For A Friend are performing shows without original vocalist Matt Davies-Krey for the first time. Taking over the mic and challenge of performing some of the most legendary post hardcore tracks of all time is Holding Absence frontman Lucas Woodland and he wows the crowd. Bringing a whole new dimension to tracks like ‘Juneau’, ‘Into Oblivion’ and surprisingly, a deep cut from Welcome Home Armageddon in the form of ‘Front Row Seats to the End of the World’ (which hasn’t seen the light of day for nearly a decade), Lucas makes the songs his own. Due to time constraints in the south, Hatfield missed out on the arms in the air, sing-along anthem that is History but thankfully that was not the case here. As the last notes of ‘Roses for the Dead’ ring out, every soul present knows they’ve just witnessed something they’ll be talking about for years to come.

Photo Credit:

@soph_ditchfield

The Wonder Years

Shockingly headlining the smallest stage at the festival and having to contend with a good chunk of their crowd heading off to see the main stage headliners during their set, The Wonder Years aren’t fazed by any of this. The legendary Pennsylvania Springsteen worshippers are incapable of putting on a show that’s less than perfect. An early highlight of the set is ‘Vulture’ making its second-ever appearance after yesterday’s debut, the track they wrote for the WWE, preceded by an emotional speech by Soupy about his love of wrestling. Barrelling through a set filled to the brim of powerful, catharsis-ridden emo anthems, those who stay to witness it get dragged through soaring choruses, beautiful lyrics and Soupy moving like a man possessed. For a band beloved by those on these shores, they get a more than fitting reception but a part of you also thinks that they should be on a much bigger stage than they are. However, any thoughts less than “holy shit, this is amazing” are soon dispelled, with the set highlight of ‘Passing Through A Screen Door’ making sure there’s not a dry eye in the house.

You Me At Six

And so the beginning of the end of You Me At Six commences. It’s a massive occasion for Slam Dunk to host the British alt-rock legends’ final ever festival performance. For two decades, Josh Franceschi and crew have, through their ups and downs, been a shining light in our music scene. Inspiring countless bands and having a worldwide fan base, they take to the stage at a festival they’re certainly no stranger to. The field is filled with the tired, the sodden, the mud-flecked, but as soon as the band appear, the day of torrential rain is forgotten. Kicking things off with ‘Save It for the Bedroom’ to a ludicrously loud reception, the band proceed to dive through their entire back catalogue. Nigh on every single word is sung back at them, such is the fervor they inspire. For an event such as this, the whole thing is a high point, not only for fans but clearly for the band who look ecstatic with the turnout. A particularly fun point is Josh being joined by Sean Smith of The Blackout for ‘The Consequence’. The stage itself is a beacon of shifting colours, matching the mood of the music and often the colour palette of the albums represented. As ‘Beautiful Way’ fades out and the final lines of “we’re fucked up in a beautiful way” is echoed by sore, worn out voices, many are in tears. For those who aren’t able to see the band on their 2025 farewell tour next year, this is the end for them, but what a ride it’s been.

Photo Credit:

@eddymaynard