It wouldn't be Slam Dunk without a bit of rain, but this year things got taken to another level. In the midst of mud, torrential rain and the occasional spots of sun, the first big alt festival of the year had its second day and played host to bands of all shapes and sizes across the alt spectrum. It would be a day filled with album sets, festival debuts and, perhaps most notable of all, the final festival appearance of legendary UK group You Me At Six.

Take the snarl of early Gallows, the ramshackle riffing of Every Time I Die and give it an (un)healthy dose of self anxiety and a sense of feeling lost in the world. What do you get? You get Tether, the next big name in British hardcore.

The big emo day out of the year is right around the corner - here's our picks for the 10 best bands to see this weekend.

Showing the world that pop-punk doesn't always have to be a bad thing, Pennsylvania crew One Step Closer look to bring a little bit of sunshine and sadness into your life with their second record, All You Embrace.

On the first actually glorious day of the year in Newcastle, three bands that sound like three different types of musical chaos took to the second room of The Cluny. This was Pupil Slicers first ever headline tour and to celebrate, they were playing their 2023 record Blossom in full. Joining them were the frankly indefinable Irish rabble God Alone and the Swiss chaotic hardcore punk group Coilguns.

Looking to shake up the hardcore blueprint with an EP that looks to change the way you view hardcore, the willfully bold Life's Question look to whet your appetites for their future directions on their new self titled EP.

Existing on the chaotic, emotional side of metalcore, wristmeetsrazor have battled through lineup changes and fighting for a place in a crowded scene, but will they emerge victorious with Degeneration?

The world is a constant cycle of sadness and anger, seemingly repeated in different shades and flavours.

Abrasive, oppressing and likely to grind all sense of hope into a fine powder which will be blown away in a light gust of fetid air - but enough about what being in Hull is like, let's talk about the new Mastiff record.

Determined to venture to every corner that the genre has to offer, Metalcore veterans Darkest Hour are back to show the kids just how it's done on their tenth studio album, Perpetual | Terminal.

Two of the UK hardcore scene's most political, deadly bands join forces for a split that is more ignorant than someone who watches GB News every day.

A band mourned like few others when they called it a day back in 2019, Casey have returned and they're hopefully here to stay. Has the band's absence resulted in a record worthy of the adoration and clamour, or will How To Disappear vanish without a trace?