Thirteen Bands You Need to See at… Slam Dunk

Our second festival this weekend sees alt/rock/metal/hardcore double-header Slam Dunk Festival (more coverage here) returning for two days in Hatfield and Leeds. Another suitably stacked line-up, there are plenty of big-hitting names across multiple stages and V13 will be at both sites to bring you full coverage.

In preparation for the alternative party of the year, we’ve picked out 13 acts from across the stages who should be on your hit list.

1. Youmeatsix

This is going to be an emotional one. After announcing the band are to split after nearly 20 years together, the UK alt-rock favourites confirmed their final UK festival appearances will be at Slam Dunk this weekend. Even though a world tour is being mooted for 2025, and there are plenty of dates following this, it feels like these two shows will hold extra special meaning for both the band and their fans.

2. Mallory Knox

In contrast, another British alt-rock favourite, Mallory Knox, will be making a comeback with a pair of reunion shows at Slam Dunk this weekend. Having been part of the same blossoming alternative scene that spawned the festival headliners, the band announced their return from a five-year hiatus earlier this year with this pair of shows seeing the band reunite with original frontman Mikey Chapman.

3. Head Automatica

If you’ve had chance to listen to “Bear The Cross,” the first new music from the electronic/pop crew Head Automatica, like us, you’re probably well excited for their return to UK stages at Slam Dunk. It’s been ages since we have heard new music from the Daryl Palumbo-led outfit and even longer since we’ve seen the band performing on these shores. “Bear The Cross” only cements our opinion that this set will be one of the weekend’s highlights.

4. Palaye Royale

Palaye Royale is no stranger to these shores, and 2023 saw them ripping up festival stages at many of the major UK festivals in the calendar. Both Download and Reading & Leeds faced the tornado that is Palaye Royale live, and this weekend, it is the turn of Slam Dunk. Expect swagger, chaos and plenty of rock ‘n’ roll debauchery when Palaye Royale hits the stage this weekend.

5. Taylor Acorn

Hailing from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, Taylor Acorn may be a name you’re not too familiar with. However, with her pop-punk anthems gaining digital numbers that would make your eyes water, her emo/pop-punk covers have won over fans across the alternative scene. At the weekend, Acorn arrives in Slam Dunk, and by the end of her set, we think she’ll be heading home with a whole raft of new fans.

6. Guilt Trip

For those of you who like something a little harder, Manchester metallic/thrash/hardcore bruisers Guilt Trip will give you precisely that fix. If you want a break from the alt-rock, pop-punk or emo sounds elsewhere, then Slam Dunk has got your back, as these Manchester boys will be whipping up a circle pit for you to work off some of that pent-up energy.

7. H2O

H2O are one of those bands who have been around forever. Unlike the newcomers on the bill, the New York punk rock veterans have been peddling the raucous tunes since 1994. Gigs like these are a stroll in the park for bands like H2O these days, but if you’re a newcomer to the punk scene and want a dose of no-frills, rowdy American punk rock, H2O should tick those boxes.

8. The Interrupters

It’s late, your feet are tired, you don’t fancy watching YouMeAtSix, don’t head for the exit. Head over to catch ska-punk favourites The Interrupters who we guarantee will give you your second wind and have you wanting Slam Dunk 2024 never to end. Packed full of ridiculously-infectious ska-punk, the Los Angeles, led by the sensational Aimee Interrupter will make sure you’re dancing right up until security shove you out of the exit gates at the end of the night.

9. The Ghost Inside

Melodic hardcore crew The Ghost Inside have just released their stunning new album, Searching For Solace and are making a welcome return to UK shores. The much-loved Californian hardcore band have been on a life-changing journey to reach this point and, considering that their new album documents those experiences, expect their Slam Dunk return to be equally as emotionally charged.

10. As Everything Unfolds

High Wycombe melodic/synth/metalcore quintet As Everything Unfolds are one of those bands that simply do everything right. They’ve got the poppy hooks, the moshy bits, the screamy bits and the big anthemic choruses. It really is a question of what is not to like about the band which is in all honesty… not a lot. The band might be early doors on the bill at Slam Dunk but it’ll be well worth the effort getting there for their set.

11. I Prevail

Now, if we’re talking about bands with big poppy hooks, huge moshy bits and an absolutely colossal breakdowns, then they don’t come much bigger than fellow Slam Dunk headliners I Prevail. While it looks like the Michigan melodic metalcore troop might be down one member for their trip to Slam Dunk, their explosive headline set is going to be one that flattens whatever is left of the Hatfield/Temple Newsham sites come the end of the weekend.

12. RØRY

Over the past couple of years there has been a raft of new solo artists coming through the alternative scenes who really press all the right buttons with the younger fans of the subculture. One of those artists is London alt-rock artist RØRY who uses her music to tackle the darker side of her life story. From trauma and dysfunction to addiction and sobriety, RØRY is an artist who has been through the ringer and, as you will see at Slam Dunk, will put on one of the most heartwrenching performances you will probably see across the multiple stages.

13. State Champs

We love it when a band wheels out a fan-favourite set at any festival and Slam Dunk is no different. As well as returning Welsh chaps The Blackout, New York pop-punk favourites State Champs will be performing their hit album The Finer Things in full at Slam Dunk this weekend. The album dropped in 2013 so it’s probably been quite a while since we’ve heard some of the tracks off it live. All the more reason to add them to your “Bands To Watch” list don’t you think?

For more details on the line-up for this weekend’s Slam Dunk Festival, head over to the Official Slam Dunk Festival Website here.

Slam Dunk 2024 Fesitval Admat