Slam Dunk North Gives Alternative Fans in Leeds A Day to Remember [Photos]

The week leading up to the return of festival season in the UK saw weather reports changing on a daily basis however, by the time the gates opened at Temple Newsam in Leeds where Slam Dunk Festival arrived for the Northern leg of the weekend bash, the dreaded rain was mostly kept at bay allowing thousands of fans to enjoy a great day of alternative music headlined by US pop-punk/metalcore stars A Day To Remember.

Arriving just before lunch, British alt-metal rising stars Lake Malice are kicking off proceedings for us on the Kerrang Stage. We’re barely three songs in when guitarist Blake Cornwall, encouraged by vocalist Alice Guala, is right in the middle of the earliest circle pit of the day. To a soundtrack of brutal Spiritboxesque techy metal, the Brighton-based band have woken up Slam Dunk 2025.

When you talk about Slam Dunk, thoughts take you to Warped Tour and bands like Hit The Lights and Knuckle Puck who both sling out an absolute war chest full of pop-punk anthems to a packed out main stage. It’s still only early afternoon but both bands bring smiles, singalongs and energy to the day with the first crowdsurfers pouring over the stage as Knuckle Puck in particular prove to be a smash hit with the impressively sized-crowd at the main stage.

Slam Dunk North @ Temple Newsam Park (Leeds, UK) on May 25, 2025 (Gallery 1)

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Over on the second main stage, things are taking a heavier turn. First up another favourite of the UK crew, Dream State, are whipping up a frenzy with their alt-metal anthems. Having progressed through the ranks at Slam Dunk, the band are almost veterans of the festival now with vocalist Jessie Powell, commanding the stage like she owns the damned place.

Speaking of owning the place, the past twelve months have been huge for Swedish symphonic metal crew Imminence. Making their Slam Dunk debut, the band recently laid waste to the UK with some unforgettable shows so it would be interesting to see how their symphonic, atmospheric sound would translate to the outdoor British weather. Thankfully, the incessant wind doesn’t blow away the intricacies of their sound but, while they’re certainly one of the more unique bands on the bill, it just feels like their sound is better suited to more intimate surroundings.

On the otherhand, both Landmvrks and Stray From The Path have no problems smashing their way through the overcast weather. First up the French outfit who cause security a massive headache when frontman Flo Salfati announces “This one is for the crowdsurfers…” and bodies spit out of the raging circle pit and over the barrier throughout their crushing set. Rap/hardcore crossover crew Stray From The Path are another band who are quite comfortable when it comes to tearing shit up on a live stage. Whipping up a multitude of circle pits, the band career through new tracks like “Kubrick Stare” with unbridled ferocity.

Slam Dunk North @ Temple Newsam Park (Leeds, UK) on May 25, 2025 (Gallery 2)

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Apparent technical difficulties at Slam Dunk South in the Key Club Stage tent didn’t seem to have followed the festival up the A1 for a repeat performance in Leeds, other than during Kid Bookie’s set. A home for some of the more exciting up and coming acts, The Key Club Stage saw Delilah Bon whipping up a frenzy with her growing legion of fans. Make no mistake thought, while she might be dressed in splashes of pink, there is nothing cute and pretty about her rage-fuelled anthems as she proves again that she deserves a much bigger platform than this. Elsewhere, 2025’s nu-metal wrecking crews Split Chain and Graphic Nature bring the mood down a bit with their crunching, downtuned metallic fury putting a modern brutal twist on a genre which, twenty-five years ago, took the alternative music scene by storm.

Main Stage East saw pop-punk superstars Neck Deep and New Found Glory bring a splash of colour to the early evening. Watching both sets, it’s hard to pick who has the bigger catalogue of anthems? Whereas Neck Deep are still the newcomers to the pop-punk scene when compared to Jordan Pundik and his American bandmates, it’s impossible to seperate the two when it comes to banging sets. Young and old fans bounced, danced and sang their hearts out to two of the most fun bands the pop-punk scene has to offer.

Speaking of old favourites, Slam Dunk made sure that fans got their fair share of the classics as well with California emo favourites Finch treating teary-eyed fans to favourites from their groundbreaking What It Is To Burn album while punk rockers The Used smash through a full run through of their debut album. Their appearance at Slam Dunk has been hampered by a few false starts but under the early evening cloud in Temple Newsam, Leeds welcomed Bert McCracken and his bandmates back like returning heroes.

Slam Dunk North @ Temple Newsam Park (Leeds, UK) on May 25, 2025 (Gallery 3)

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One of the most highly-anticipated sets of the festival saw pop/metal/dance lunatics Electric Callboy almost torch the festival site to the ground. Heavy winds may temper the full pyrotechnic display the band had planned but there is still plenty to crank up the temperature as flames, confetti and an absolute sack load of pumping electro-metal anthems have a packed field dancing into the night. While they’re relegated to the slightly smaller of the two main stages this year, make no mistake, Electric Callboy are ready to take over the world. The question now is is the rest of the world ready for Electric Callboy?

Following Electric Callboy’s insane Main Stage West performance, the first festival of the year comes to a close with headliners A Day To Remember and what a fitting choice to sign off Slam Dunk 2025. A band who were born to headline festivals, the American pop-punk/metalcore troop are in unstoppable form. A twenty song set is packed with huge anthems. Huge anthems with huge poppy hooks and even huger moshy sections, A Day To Remember are exactly what Slam Dunk is all about. It’s been a long, fun day but Jeremy McKinnon and co make sure that they bring Slam Dunk 2025 to a close and send fans home with the likes of “2 Sucks” and “All Signs Point To Lauderdale” ringing in their ears.

As the sun sets on our first festival of the Summer, there are surely going to be plenty more unforgettable moments to come over the next four months but, for now, Slam Dunk has lit the fuse on another exciting calendar and has already set the bar ridiculously high.

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