Known as the unofficial start to festival season, Slam Dunk returned bigger and better in 2023!
Back to two locations rather than the popular three, we visited Temple Newsam on Sunday to catch some bands in the sun!
Review by Erin Moore, Photos by John Hayhurst
The festival this year is sold out and it’s obvious that people are hungry for the diverse mix of alternative bands that will grace the stages today.
First up for us were Heriot, their unique sludgey metal was the perfect wake up call for a Sunday morning. Frontwoman and guitarist Debbie Gough with piercing screams that would’ve been heard in the queues on the M1 getting into the festival.
Tracks like ‘Dispirit’ and ‘Cleansed Existence’ go down well- these are a band to watch out for in the future.
Next up on the Dickies Stage were Millie Manders & The Shutup. A band who probably deserved to play higher up the bill, but with such a strong line-up on that particular stage today, they still had a great turn out early on. Millie as a front woman is a force to be reckoned with and her energy is electric- with her backing band to match. ‘Your Story’ a certified bop. Then up on the Rock Scene stage were fan favourites Vukovi, the Scottish outfit always bringing good vibes and a party atmosphere to any stage. It only took three songs for front woman Janine Shilstone to jump off stage and get into the mix of the crowd. Singing into people’s faces and iPhones, they leave a memorable mark on the Leeds crowd. Ending the set with huge anthem ‘La-Di-Da’, these will be higher on festival bills in the future.
Trash Boat are one of those bands who have been around for years yet are still the ones to watch, their live show is unmissable as they sound as stunning live as they do on record. Tobi Duncan is captivating, the way he commands the audience is unrivalled. Closing their set with two bangers from their 2021 release ‘Don’t You Feel Amazing’, today Trash Boat should.
Known as the ‘Slam Dunk House Band’ Zebrahead have only missed one or two of the festivals EVER. This year they’ve got a mid afternoon slot on the Dickies Stage and draw a massive crowd. The legends of the scene never ever disappoint and the energy bouncing between audience and band is huge. Managing to fit 10 tracks in their what seemed to be a super quick set, they managed to fit in songs from their almost 30 year career! The 2006 aptly named ‘Anthem’ closing out a solid set for the American outfit.
Holding Absence are going from strength to strength, the British outfit are moving into a new era of the band in support of their album which is to be released in Summer 2023 ‘The Nobel Art Of Self Destruction’. Singer Lucas Woodland has a voice so powerful it soars up the hill that the stage is placed at the bottom of, note perfect. The Leeds crowd get a taster of what is to come on the new album with the band playing two new tracks. They don’t leave the northern mob without playing a plethora of their hits including the incredible ‘Afterlife’. A solid set from a great British band.
Gogol Bordello are an interesting outfit, they have both an accordion player and a violinist on stage. Having been a band since 1999, they know how to command a stage no matter the time of day but lucky for them there was a huge turnout for the Ukrainian punk rockers. With the mixture of vocalist on stage and the fusion of Romani, punk and rock elements, it makes for a vision of creativity and energy on the stage. The anthemic ‘Start Wearing Purple’ goes down a treat as expected, a strong and jolly set.
Creeper are such a special band, they’ve grafted so hard over the past couple of years to establish themselves as the godfathers (& mothers) of gothic punk in the UK. This is not their first Slam Dunk festival, they know how to entertain a Northern crowd like this and to start their show, keyboardist and backing vocalist Hannah Hermione graced the stage with a decapitated head of vocalist Will Ghould… what an entrance! Alice Cooper would be proud.
Unfortunatley having to cut short ‘Suzanne’ due to an incident in the crowd (thankfully everyone was ok!) the band blast through hits from their back catalogue including the pop punk banger ‘Hiding With Boys’. The set ends with the always stunning ‘Misery’, possibly the loudest crowd singalong of the day! Creeper are always incredible and it’s exciting to see where their next era takes them with their new album ‘Sanguivore’ out on Friday 13th October. We cannot wait!
No strangers to Slam Dunk, British outfit Enter Shikari are our headliner tonight. They graced the Rock Scene stage to rapturous applause and cheers. If you’re a band that can start a set and include the tracks ‘Sssnakepit’ and ‘Juggernauts’ in the first three, you know you’re in for a good show. With pyro, flames and fireworks, the set literally began with a BANG. Having just released their new album ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ in April, the band play the title track from the album. When describing the new album, front man Rou Reynolds stated that they “wanted to make a high energy album of bangers” and this has translated into their already energetic and chaotic live show. Bringing guests in the form of Wargasm and Cody Frost, Shikari know how to put on the perfect headline show. Always the highlight of any Enter Shikari show are the ‘three claps’ to begin ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ and the Leeds crowd this evening did not disappoint, everyone in unison it gives a feel of a school assembly if you went to the coolest alternative school ever. Setting every one up for the long queues out of the festival, it almost doesn’t matter because it’s worth it to see Shikari at their best. If they aren’t headlining Download or Reading and Leeds in the next few years then it’s an absolute travesty.
The only remaining thing to say about this years Slam Dunk is that for quite a large number of the punters it was a difficult experience due to not enough food vendors, adequate toilet facilities and poor organisation of the car parking. The queues were at times horrendous and Slam Dunk have issued a statement to say that this will be improved for next year. Lets hope so, this was a deserved sell out and every band that played really gave it their all for the punters and we look forward to an improved festival next year.
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