Gig Report: Slam Dunk Festival South 2026

Some days just feel special, and I can confidently say that music festivals are those days. This past weekend, I went to the Slam Dunk Festival in Hatfield. Now, I usually go to the North version of the event in Leeds. However, for this year, I made my way across the country to this day out. When the line-up was first announced, I was immediately excited. Some names that I’ve never seen before, and some that I’ve seen all too often, but excited to see again. I was pretty sceptical about the headliner, Good Charlotte. The last time I saw them perform live, they were not great, but I was willing to give them another chance. Some of the big names that I’d never seen were acts like Sublime, Goldfinger, A, Madina Lake and Motion City Soundtrack. I'd like to see as much as possible. I will admit that for a 20th anniversary, the line-up felt like it was missing something. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Anyway, I was determined to have a good time no matter what. Like at any festival, clashes happen, and since I can’t clone myself to see everything, I had to pick my battles. In the months leading up to the festival, I had a rough idea of who I would like to see and which stage they would be at.

Getting into Hatfield Park for the festival and taking in the venue sight, there were a few thoughts floating through my mind. Number one, the heat. The sun was out in the UK for a hot day, so I had to take precautions to stay safe in the sun. Number two, the size of the park. Hatfield felt bigger than Leeds, so there was more distance between stages, or at least, it felt that way. Also, I needed to know where food was and what I could eat. Luckily, I’m not a drinker, so the bar queues wouldn’t be too much of an issue. The biggest negative was the lack of cellular service. So there was no real way to contact my friends that I had come with. Once I separated, I got ready to spend the majority of the day on my own. However, I was pumped for the day to come.

I started my day at the Key Club stage for Call Me Amour. This was a great energised way to kick off the day with a fun and bouncy set from the Isle of Man. Their fusion of dark synth electronica and heavy guitars was interesting, though some of the electronica sounds were a bit drowned out by the live instruments. I won’t lie, their energy was infectious and got the early day crowd moving. The heat was advantageous to them as they played in the only stage inside a tent, during the early morning to mid-day sunlight. So people were seeking shade. I’ve only listened to a handful of songs, but I really appreciated their set. It left me wanting more. Which is as much as you can say for an early-day band. They were incredibly charming, and I’m eager to see what they do next. It was a fun opener and my first chance of the day to jump into the circle pit. That’s something that I loved about this day… The people. No matter where I was, the people were so friendly and just there to have fun.

Moving over to the Monster Energy stage. I caught what was supposed to be the set for the American band, A Loss For Words. I was so gutted for the band as sound issues would plague their set. They tried to keep up as much energy as possible, and I felt that had they not gone through those issues, they would have had a blindingly good set. From what I heard, they did seem to have loads of energy and hype. It was a shame, but sometimes these things happen.

I stuck around the Monster Energy stage and awaited Madina Lake. I remember listening to them when I was younger, though I have never had the opportunity to see them live. This is the reason I love festivals, so many bands to see. Madina Lake came out swinging. Damn, they sounded exactly like their albums. Nathan Leone was a beast. Despite the warm weather, he was just running around like someone spiked his cornflakes. The crowd was fabulous as well, singing along to every song. Especially the big hits, “Never Take Us Alive”, “House of Cards” and “Here I Stand”. You’ve gotta give it up for the guys on instruments. Matt Leone and Mateo Camargo were moving around the stage and putting attitude into the bass and guitar, respectively. Chris Mason was just pounding the drums, adding that punchiness into the set. The sound was excellent, and the atmosphere was even better. I’m so happy that this was my first time seeing them. What an experience.

The heat of the midday sun burned into the festival grounds, and I would march to Main Stage East. The metal stage. I hadn’t really planned on seeing a heavy metal show this weekend. I much prefer seeing bands to dance and sing-along to, rather than mosh and scream. Though I did have one exception planned… Cancer Bats! I have seen them every time I’ve had the chance, so I knew that I was going to enjoy myself. After a brief stop at the water refill point, and applying a little more sunscreen. It was time. This was freaking amazing, and what a set! They were performing an anniversary set, dedicated to their debut album, Birthing The Giant. Which is now 20 years old. No, that doesn’t make me feel old at all. Though not a full album set, they still threw in enough throwbacks to make it feel worth it. I jumped into the circle pit, which eventually collided with a mosh pit. Cancer Bats were going absolutely ape shit on stage as the crowd matched their intensity tenfold. This set was a good mix of old and new. Old, going all the way back to the band's creation and then the new with their new single “Stay Stuck”. I was happy to be in this crowd. Though I did end up regretting it moments later. Cancer Bats would end with their monster singles “Pneumonia Hawk” and “Hail Destroyer”. I was done after the former, but expended a little more energy to join the pit for the latter. After the Canadian punks wrapped up, this reviewer was exhausted. A combination of the heat, moshing and screaming was enough to bring me to the edge of heat exhaustion. So I stumbled back to Main Stage West for water and shade as the sun was starting to go behind the stage.

I did plan on going to more stages throughout the day; however, after expending my lifeforce to the Cancer Bats moshpit, I decided to plant myself at Main Stage West and wait for the day's headliner, Good Charlotte and just watch every band that would come on. Luckily, the remaining bands for my day ended up being entertaining in many different ways. As I got to Main Stage West, the band A was wrapping up. I remember listening to them as a kid, as my older brother had their album, Hi-Fi Serious. I was sweating up a storm, and I found some relief in the afternoon shade. A ended their set on their massive early-2000s hit “Nothing”. The crowd seemed to be happy with the performance, and I was happy to hear a song live that I’d been hearing since childhood.

After a rest at the barrier, it was time for Slam Dunk Festival’s house band, Zebrahead, to take to the stage. I’ve seen this band so many times over the years, and they have never let me down. This was no exception. For the longest time now, I’ve said that they are the most consistent live band I get to see. Every single time, they crush it. Their music is just fun, bouncy music that you can just bounce along to. This was so much fun and brought a big smile to my face. Be it the classic singles, “Hello Tomorrow” or “All My Friends Are Nobodies”, or the new singles like “Smoke Signals From My Couch”, you can’t really go wrong with Zebrahead. I took the chance to sing along in my horribly out-of-key voice. It didn’t matter, though, because Zebrahead are just one of those bands to get lost in. Their frantic guitars mixed with the mad vocals of Ali Tabatabaee make for one hell of a combo. Add to that a white-hot afternoon crowd for Slam Dunk, and it was just an excellent set. Zebrahead basically did the same set that they performed last year, complete with giant inflatable balls and their crew in inflatable rafts, crowd surfing. It felt like one giant house party.

The fun didn’t stop for a second as they were followed up by their cohorts in the legendary Goldfinger, and I found my energy levels that had depleted earlier. Goldfinger raced through their set on Main Stage West. The ska-punk legends didn’t waste any time or a single note. Their set consisted of hits and some of their newer numbers from their new album, which was released this year. Where I was in the crowd, the hype was real as people were singing and dancing along to the big numbers. The set had its fair share of comedy, too, as frontman John Feldmann bantered with the Hatfield audience. The fast and frenetic set got people moving as the temperature around Main Stage West was mercifully going down. It felt like Goldfinger had wrapped up their set quickly, undershooting their stage time just a little. All while still managing to get their big song “Superman” and their cover of Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” in. Goldfinger understood the assignment of a festival: get in, do the hits, feck off stage. They were super efficient, and I’m sure a festival organiser's dream band.

The day was getting into the evening, but there was still so much music to play. I picked a nice spot to view the stage for the American emo-rock legends, Dashboard Confessional. So, I’m going to say it. This… This was my favourite set of the whole damn day. The musicianship, the stage presence, the crowd interaction, the freaking setlist… It all came together for them, and I couldn’t have been happier. I was even shocked by myself. As the set progressed, I felt my inner teenager come out and sing along to the songs that I used to listen to on the school bus. I got really emotional during songs like “Stolen” and “Vindicated”, which were massive songs in the 2000s. I knew from the moment Chris Carrabba came out with an acoustic guitar that this was going to be a set that would stay with me. It just got better and better. I had originally planned not to see them, but the day had other plans, and I thought to myself, “You know what? This might be my only chance to see Dashboard Confessional perform live”. So, I stuck around. They were just the best-sounding band I’d heard all day. Carrabba’s voice was amazing; he could be so gentle, but at the same time put immense power behind it. When they eventually got to “Screaming Infidelities”, I had just emotionally reverted to being the teenager who watched way too many teen dramas. They ended their set on “Hands Down”, which was just the best feel-good song they could have pulled out on a bright sunny day. This was simply the best thing I could have watched, and I wouldn’t have if I had stuck to my original plans. Life is funny sometimes.

After another brief break, the nostalgia train just kept on rolling. Up next was the infamous Taking Back Sunday, whom I have not seen live in 12 years. So, I was pretty pumped for this. While the warning signs were on the wall about the band's vocals declining in quality over the years, I simply did not care when it came to their set. They were also celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Louder Now. Since I have already had a throwback band in Dashboard Confessional, why not go for two? So, was the singing the best? No. Did I care? Also, no. Did I spend every minute of the set singing along to classic pop-punk? Absolutely! Also, it’s not like the singing was that bad. A little croaky and pitchy. When it came time for the choruses, I heard no real issues. Also, the rest of the band sounded great. The mixing of the instruments could have been better; however, there was nothing that was an outright dealbreaker. I still had a big old smile on my face. I think that with Taking Back Sunday, an entertaining performance outshone the middling production and questionable singing. Taking it all in as a package deal was still great. Also, just being in that crowd singing those songs, all as one… That’s what it’s all about!

The evening rolled on, and it was time for the band I was most excited for going into the festival, Sublime! It’s surreal thinking I get to say I’ve seen Sublime. I mean, I know it’s not the genuine article, but that is an impossibility due to the passing of the original frontman, Bradley Nowell. However, his son Jakob has taken the reins and has taken the band to places the original trio never got a chance to. So, how was it? I really enjoyed myself. I left this set with a grin on my face and an itch satisfied. I think there was only one big problem with their set… The bass was way too loud. I could literally feel the bassline vibrating my body, and at times it drowned out Jakob’s vocals. I think the crew must have realised at some point in the set, as it did get turned down about 4 or 5 songs in. However, other than that, there was no real problem with the set. Would I have preferred a few more of their faster punk songs? Yeah, of course. That doesn’t mean that I disliked the set they did. It was a very down-tempo, chilled-out set. Other than songs like “Ebin”, “Wrong Way” and “Date Rape” picking up the speed a little, it did feel like a set to just vibe to. Songs like “Badfish” and “40oz To Freedom” were highlights for me. They also managed to get in some of the new songs ahead of the new album release coming in June. However, they did rush through “Until The Sun Explodes” just a little as they were running out of time, due to starting late. They finally ended on the song everyone knows, “Santeria”, which got everyone in the crowd singing along. This was the band I was most hyped for, and I think they did a great job, at least from where I was standing. I grooved, I danced, and I sang long. There’s not much more you could ask for, really, is there?

It was finally time to close off this epic day. I managed to meet up with the group I came to the festival with, and we got into position and were ready for Good Charlotte. I was really sceptical going into this performance. The last time I saw this band, they let me down big time with a lacklustre performance. So, let me say this… I have never been happier for my scepticism to be defeated. These guys were exceptionally good. On point, on key and a blindingly good set to boot! Filled with hits, b-sides, new songs, and nostalgic throwbacks. This set, in my opinion, should be a template for a Slam Dunk headliner. While I’m not overly familiar with the Good Charlotte back catalogue, there was more than enough here to keep me going and entertained all the way through. I think the first, third and last third of the set appealed to me the most. However, I could see how much this whole thing meant to the crowd around me. They did hook me early with hits like “The River” and “Girls & Boys”. It was a unifying feeling singing along to “Hold On” with such a big crowd. I will say this, I couldn’t fault the Hatfield crowd on this one. I haven’t mentioned this, but the crowd has been a bit hot and cold through the day. Singing the choruses but not the verses. However, during Good Charlotte, every person in range of my view was singing to every syllable of every song. I wouldn’t say that Joel Maddon was the most charismatic of frontmen. Though I could chalk that up to him just being overwhelmed by the UK crowd welcoming them with such open arms. However, you could see the emotion on the band's faces and how much this meant to them. There was just something so human and genuine about their performance. The set was capped off by a flurry of hits. “The Young and the Hopeless”, “I Just Wanna Live”, “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous”, and finally “The Anthem” put the best bow on the gift that was this day out. Their pyro and fireworks went off, thus marking the end of another year.

This was just such a good day out. Even though I didn’t stick to my original game plan, I think what I did watch I enjoyed immensely. Even with some of the flaws of the sets, nothing really put a damper on my spirits. We’ll see what next year brings, but I do hope to return to Slam Dunk Festival.