Slam Dunk Festival is a live music event that typically takes place on the May Bank Holiday weekend. It’s situated in three different places in the UK over the course of three days; it’s a one-day festival with the accessibility of being in the South, the Midlands and the North.
With Slam Dunk Festival 2018 being just over a month away, and cram-packed with tons of exciting acts, what better time is it than now to plan out your day. Not sure who to go and watch? We’ve got you covered.
In no particular order, here are 10 must-see bands at Slam Dunk Festival 2018.
1. Grayscale
Grayscale are a pop-punk five-piece from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the past few years, Grayscale have gained a lot of traction in the music industry, gaining a heavy stream of fans along the way. In March 2017, they signed to Fearless Records, releasing their first single off the label, ‘Atlantic’, along with a music video. When the band announced their album, Adornment, they released another single, ‘Beautiful Things’, on the same day. You can catch Grayscale on the Rock Sound Breakout Stage!
2. Twin Atlantic
Twin Atlantic are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. They have four studio albums, with their highest charting singles, ‘Heart and Soul’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’, being from their third album, Great Divide (2014). The band have supported Blink-182, Thirty Seconds to Mars and My Chemical Romance. Twin Atlantic have played a variety of other UK festivals, including Reading and Leeds Festival, Download Festival and T in the Park. Their fourth and most recent album, GLA (2016), saw the lead single ‘No Sleep’ peak at number 15 in the UK Rock Charts. You can catch Twin Atlantic on the Monster Energy Stage!
3. Broadside
Broadside are a pop-punk band from Richmond, Virginia. Their first album, Old Bones, released in 2015, features some of their huge hits, including ‘Coffee Talk’, ‘Storyteller’ and ‘Playing in Traffic’. In 2016, they toured all summer long on the Vans Warped Tour in the United States. Just last year, Broadside released their second album, Paradise, which features songs such as ‘Hidden Colors’, its title track, ‘Paradise’, and ‘I Love You, I Love You. It’s Disgusting’. You can catch Broadside on the Signature Brew Stage!
4. PVRIS
PVRIS are an American alternative rock band from Massachusettes, made up of Lynn Gunn, Alex Babinski and Brian MacDonald. They have two studio albums, White Noise (2014) and All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell (2017). PVRIS continue to leave us in awe with every new release, and their passion and dedication is evident in the way their songs come to life when performed live. They’ve played at Warped Tour, Chicago’s Lollapalooza and Osaka’s Summer Sonic, supported bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Fall Out Boy and Mayday Parade, and embarked on their own headline tours worldwide. You can catch PVRIS on the Jägermeister Stage!
5. Woes
Woes are an upcoming British pop-punk band from Scotland. They’ve recently released a new single, ‘HLB2’, from their forthcoming EP, Self-Help. The band have received countless support from fellow British pop-punk band Neck Deep. There is a big future ahead for Woes and we can’t to see what happens next. You can catch Woes on the Signature Brew Stage!
6. Astroid Boys
Astroid Boys are a British band from Cardiff, Wales. Their music has been described as a mix of punk, rock, hardcore and grime. In early 2017, the band were apart of BBC Radio 4’s documentary, Generation Grime. The documentary centres around how the genre of grime has rapidly become widely popular within the UK music industry and follows Astroid Boys on one of their UK tours. The band recently released their debut album nearing the end of 2017, titled Broke. You can catch Astroid Boys on the Impericon Stage!
7. State Champs
State Champs are a pop-punk band from Albany, New York. Their two albums, The Finer Things (2013) and Around the World and Back (2015), are ones we would highly recommend having a listen to. State Champs have recently announced their brand new album, Living Proof, which is to be released on the 15th June. Their first single, ‘Dead and Gone’, from the upcoming album gives us a taste of what’s to come. They’ve supported bands such as New Found Glory, A Day To Remember, 5 Seconds Of Summer and All Time Low, as well as going on an abundance of their own headline tours. You can catch State Champs on the Jägermeister Stage!
8. The Faim
The Faim are an Australian four-piece, made up of Josh, Michael, Stephen and Sean. They’re fairly new to the global music scene, releasing their debut single, ‘Saints of the Sinners’, earlier this year. Forming in 2014, The Faim have been making waves in Australia since; spreading their music and energy wherever they go. Before embarking on their recent UK tour supporting Lower Than Atlantis, they performed a sold-out show in their hometown Perth. You can catch The Faim on the Rock Sound Breakout Stage!
9. Speak Low If You Speak Love
Speak Low If You Speak Love is the side project of State Champs’ bassist Ryan Scott Graham. Primarily making acoustic indie rock music, it’s something a bit different to everything else we’ve recommended so far. Nevertheless, Speak Low If You Speak Love contains raw honesty, bursting with passion and emotion. You can catch Speak Low If You Speak Low on the Acoustic Stage!
10. Lower Than Atlantis
Lower Than Atlantis are an English rock band that formed in 2007. Their most recent album, Safe in Sound (2017), peaked at number 8 in the UK’s Official Album Charts. There is no doubt in saying that Lower Than Atlantis provide an incredible amount of energy in their songs; ‘Work For It’, ‘Here We Go’ and ‘Emily’, to name a few. You can catch Lower Than Atlantis on the Monster Energy Stage!
Slam Dunk Festival 2018 will take place in Leeds City Centre (North) on the 26th May, Hatfield Park (South) on the 27th May and Birmingham NEC (Midlands) on the 28th May. Tickets for all three locations are available here.