If anyone was hoping to be eased in gently to the 2026 festival season, the May Bank Holiday weekend weather had other ideas. In a sweltering Hatfield Park, 30,000 alternative music fans stubbornly donned their black band-tees and ventured out into the virtually shadeless expanses of the Slam Dunk arena for the 20th anniversary of the iconic alternative music festival.
New for 2026, two different stages were set up as dual threats, with Main Stage (East) and Monster Energy Stage both having completely independent left and right sides, one of which was being prepared while the other was live and kicking. Along with Scott’s Key Club Stage being fitted with a rotating drum riser for the same swift set up, the event organisers were able to reduce the time between sets down to practically nothing, meaning more bands squeezed into the day and more time to get sweaty in the pits.
Call Me Amour took first slot on the Key Club stage, along with their new drummer, creating a heavier sound than previous outings. Debuting their new song ‘Wrong Direction’, the four-piece took advantage of the fresh and enthusiastic crowd ready to take on the day.
Unpeople stared directly into the sun on Main Stage West while debuting their new single ‘Clouds’ without a hint of irony. Beautifully harnessing their catchy pop style four-part harmonies, layered on top of the occasional unexpected, but not out of place heavy breakdown, Unpeople are undoubtedly one of the most exciting rising acts in the UK music scene currently. Forming a part of the majority of festival lineups in 2026 this performance at Slam Dunk South sets the tone for what's sure to be a summer of chaos for Unpeople.
For something completely different, over on the Key Club stage Japanese alt-metallers SiM (Silence iz Mine) covered almost every rock genre imaginable on just their first track ‘KiSS OF DEATH’. The stylistic whiplash this band provides is addictive and intriguing, with reggae, metalcore and punk elements all entwined into their set.
Following on without a second to spare, Broadside used their appearance to appeal to the crowd to sell-out their upcoming UK tour. Singer Ollie Baxxter enthusiastically dedicating their song ‘Foolish Believer' to anyone stupid enough to follow their dreams, stating, “I pray that you do”.
Cancer Bats delivered the goods with a healthy dose of breakdowns and head banging, the band undeterred by the rising temperature over on Main Stage East.
Slam Dunk has always been a festival to evolve and learn from its previous iterations in so many ways. Main stage East this year was home to many of the heavier bands on the lineup providing an area of the arena where fans of hardcore situated themselves amongst their own, without having to worry about clashes and sprinting to the other side of the site between sets. Cancer Bats slotted in perfectly to this area which used to host the more ska, punk and skater vibe with the ‘Punk in Drublic’ stage.
Returning for the second year in a row. Zebrahead embraced the fun with an abundance of inflatables including beach balls and dinghies chucked into the crowd gathered in front of Main Stage West. Inviting John Feldmann of Goldfinger onto the stage for ‘The Perfect Crime’ the Californian pop-punk legends kept the energy right to the end of their set.
Also whipping the crowd up into a frenzy were Leeds upstarts, Static Dress with singer/screamer Oli Appleyard repeatedly calling for everyone to get “Off your fucking feet”. With the holy trifecta of the Cookie Monster, Elmo and a banana in the mosh pit, Static Dress attracted the attention of Slam Dunk Festival with an undeniable dedication to throwing themselves around, even in the stifling heat. Appleyard took a moment to acknowledge what a dream it was for them to play the festival as he remembered growing up attending as a punter.
Trash Boat elicited singalongs from the first song ‘Tring Quarry’ then proceeded to ram their set full of throwbacks, some tracks, singer Tobi Duncan explained they hadn't played in almost ten years. Not that you'd know that, the band still able to flawlessly execute their old-school fan favourites, Duncan ended up topless, leaning into the crowd at the barrier, with the energy reaching new heights.
Perhaps one of the most impressive parts about Goldfinger’s set over on Main Stage West was the fact that singer John Feldmann remained in his signature suit despite the ludicrous temperatures of the hottest part of the day. On the flip side, the sun provided them with what couldn't have been more perfect vibes for Goldfinger’s particular brand of bright, upbeat ska, irresistible to dance to, especially on their iconic hit ‘Superman’.
The Home Team cut a rug over on Scott's Key Club Stage with their funky brand of pop-punk. In another fantastic collaboration of the day, Ollie Baxxter from Broadside returned to the stage for their track, ‘Somebody Else's Face’. This is one of Slam Dunk's greatest strengths- bringing together bands who have history, providing ample opportunities for surprise appearances from scene kin. (Spoiler alert this certainly wasn't the last surprise collaboration of the day).
Punk Rock Factory did what Punk Rock Factory do best and delivered a fun-filled set of punky covers of the silly, the upbeat and the catchy, including The SpongeBob SquarePants theme, ‘The Bare Necessities’ and ‘Life is a Highway’. Daring to cover those songs that nobody else would touch, they even chucked in ‘‘C’est la vie’ -originally by B*witched.
Taking Back Sunday walked out to ‘The Circle Of Life’ from The Lion King, Adam Lazzara exclaiming “I'm so happy to be here!” Happy or not, he was certainly quickly also very warm, removing his jacket after just the first song. Apart from an encore of ‘Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team), the entirety of the rest of their set was a playthrough of 2006 album Louder Now. A more niche choice for a festival set but certainly appreciated by the hardcore fans in attendance.
One of the most anticipated sets of the day from President over on Main stage East was unfortunately cut down the middle by a power failure. After only a couple of tracks, the band took a stage-hiatus for the majority of their slot, coming back in time to play only ‘Angel Wings’ ‘Destroy Me’ and ‘In The Name of the Father’. Despite the long wait in the middle of the set, the majority of fans remained in place and were rewarded with the enigmatic band's return.
Up against both Taking Back Sunday and President in the schedule were Tonight Alive who did a valiant job of holding their own, bringing out not only Harmony Cavelle of South Arcade to sing a powerful cover of ‘Lonely Girl’, but also Bonnie Fraser of Stand Atlantic who lent her vocals to ‘Disappear’.
Singer Jenna McDougall paused for a moment to acknowledge the legacy of the band's time at the festival. “Our last Slam Dunk was 9 years ago. Our first Slam Dunk was… agggh maths!”. In fact, Tonight Alive's first outing was way back in 2011, which if you can believe it is 15 years ago. So much has changed about the festival since then, but even since their last appearance on the bill a great deal is different. At that time the South edition of the festival was taking place at the Herts University Campus and Slam Dunk Midlands was still a thing.
The Suicide Machines brought their retro ska-core to Scott's Key Club stage, singer Jay Navarro prowling the barrier, shoving the microphone in fans faces. This set surely won the award for most smiles of the day, with the crowd absolutely in their element, screaming along to every single word.
As the set spun around, Vukovi took to the stage to cause some chaos. The Scottish duo wasted no time with niceties, singer Janine Shilstone and guitarist Hamish Reilly bouncing around the stage relentlessly, Shilstone grabbing a bottle of bubbly and spraying it over the crowd during ‘GUNGHO’.
Over on Main Stage East, Malevolence made a mark with a circle pit so massive, no one was in any doubt it was the biggest ever in Slam Dunk history, looking more like a hundred metre running track than the middle of a crowd at a gig. The Sheffield metallers also played host to a mosh pit proposal (She said yes!) The spirit and community of the metal scene, fully alive. Bringing out Knocked Loose’s Bryan Garris for ‘Keep Your Distance’ fever pitch was well and truly reached.
“Well you guys are a bit fucking lovely aren't you” grinned James Veck-Gilodi of Deaf Havana after hearing the reception from the crowd crammed into the Key Club tent. Leaning heavily on the 2011 album Fools and Worthless Liars, Deaf Havana took it even more old-school bringing out the big guns in the form of 2009 summer anthem ‘Friends Like These’ and Sean Smith from The Blackout to deal with the screaming parts.
“The name of our band is Good Charlotte, but tonight, this is the good thing”, Joel Madden gestured around the packed-out field in front of him. ‘The River’ was the song to welcome back Pop-Punk royalty to Hatfield for the first time since 2018. With the crowd split between them and Knocked Loose, the two ends of the festival site catered to the variety constantly at play in the rock community.
For the casual listener, Good Charlotte are one of those bands that seep into the very fabric of alternative music. You may think you know a couple of songs, but before you know it, you're screaming along to practically every word of the set with nostalgia dripping from every pore.
Reminding the crowd that Good Charlotte has been around for 30 years now, (collective groan from our backs, everyone) Madden gauged the temperature with a cheer from those who had seen the band before and those whose first time it was. With a pretty even split, it's amazing that even three decades down the line there are still people who haven't managed to catch the Maryland rockers before 2026.
Scattering their biggest tracks throughout the set highlights included ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Chronicles of Life and Death’, ‘The Young and the Hopeless’, then ending with the fantastic run of ‘I Just Wanna Live’ ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’ and ‘The Anthem’.
With 20 years under its belt, and a vast amount of growth and adaptation in that time, Slam Dunk has become the bellwether for the year of alternative music events, becoming a home for a variety of rock genres to come together and celebrate the amazing legacy bands while giving a platform for the hungry up-and-coming. With no signs of fatigue, Slam Dunk may already be an institution, but in many ways, does still feel like it's in its infancy of what it could be.
Thanks Slam Dunk, Here’s to the next 20.
