By Rebecca Bush
Slam Dunk 2023 is here to make sure Festival Season is kicking into gear the right way. With an impressive lineup that promises to set the bar for summer nice and high.
The day did not start off without its hitches unfortunately and as a result, I spent the first half of the festival in my car taking in the Hatfield scenery. After a four hour sit in line with many, many people still in line behind me I walked into a lively and bustling sea of happy festival goers. A sold out Slam Dunk is a super busy hive of activity and it’s great to be back in the world of festivals, the sun is shining there’s music all around and despite my later than anticipated arrival there is still an exciting list of bands to check out.
First on my list is American pop artist Charlotte Sands who has risen to stardom as an independent artist on TikTok. She is clearly at home on stage and has a wonderful joyful energy that immediately has the crowd jumping. It’s a real feel good set with lots of singing along and it’s clear she has a solid fan base here in the UK. She rounds off her 8 song set with the song that started it all – ‘Dress’ and goes out on a high.
Despite the long queues for – well – everything, the Slam Dunk crowd seems to still be in high spirits as I wander through them to the next act this time on the Dickies stage.
Next up are Manhattan band Gogol Bordello, a wonderful collective of musicians inspired by Romani music and bringing their own very vibrant spin to it. There is an accordion player, a violinist, a guitarist among their ranks and it all adds up to one extremely rich on stage experience. It’s a crazy explosion of wonderful chaos, everywhere you look there is something to see every member of the band has an infectious energy and personality, none more so than singer Eugene Hutz who’s larger than life approach is spectacular to watch whether he be playing guitar or flinging red wine in the air the vibe is always just pure joy.
Back over the pond with next artist pop punk / alternative singer from L.A Sueco. He brings a wonderful chaos to Key Stage Left which is excitedly received by the crowd. He puts on a wonderful performance and expresses his gratitude to the masses for their attendance, interacting with as many people as he can and utilising every inch of the stage making it his own. Not content with simply interacting from the stage though during the set he brings on stage what he calls – ‘the crowd surf 5000’ having had his surfboard confiscated by customs (according to him) he has taken a table from the green room, removed the legs and created his name on the front of it with black electrical tape – so not only is he a great performer but he is resourceful too!! He takes to the crowd on his new toy to perform ‘Next Ex’ standing steady and singing is impressive and the whole crowd are singing along loud. It’s a really fun set and definitely a band worth checking out.
Key stage right is host next to Texas born Maggie Lindemann who is two thirds through a huge, near completely sold out, world tour promoting her debut album ‘Suckerpunch’. Hers is a more subtle chill energy but she still gets a great reaction from the crowd, however, there seems to be a little disconnect, she’s not really interacting with the crowd much and doesn’t seem to be encouraged by their enthusiasm and rather in her own world a little. As the set goes on she does liven up and the crowd stick with her throughout, all in all it’s a good performance and the everyone in attendance seems happy.
Pvris brand of alternative synthpop goodness fits in well on the lineup today. They are cool, laid back but pack a punch. Singer Lyndsey Gunnulfsen oozes with confidence and rightly so. Although not the most explosive performance of the day Pvris can work a crowd and the huge number of people gathered are testament to the band’s ability to be a draw. They were well received and the crowd were clearly loving the show.
Today’s highlight comes in the form of Creeper who headline Kerrang’s right stage. Hot on the heels of new single release ‘Cry To Heaven’ from upcoming album ‘Sanguivore’ they put on an absolutely stellar performance. The last time we saw Creeper they had just signed to Spinefarm Records and released their first single on the label ‘Ghost Brigade’ and the last time I saw singer Will Ghould he was a freshly severed head on the front of the Roundhouse stage in Camden! As the smoke pours in and the lights dim to purple Keyboardist and second vocalist in the band Hannah Hermione takes center stage and holds aloft that same severed head before tossing it off to the side of the stage and taking her place at the keyboard and hot on her heels are the rest of the band. Creeper are in their Vampire era and we are HERE for it dressed in Leather jackets, mouths bloodied, sunglasses on looking like they stepped out of the Lost Boys or The Hunger they belt out a set that has the whole tent jumping cheering and singing along. They may have only released their latest single two days prior but everyone sang along in unison – after all Creeper cult is, indeed, a cult! These guys always deliver and today was no exception a truly wonderfully spooky performance – they just keep getting better and better.
Key stage Headliners The Hunna are a welcome addition to any festival line up they are such a fun band to watch and they definitely know how to own a stage! The crowd has been in the sun all day but despite this there is a new lease of life that bursts from them for these guys. Latest self-titled album is a real rock and roll album and that is definitely what they embody. The band have recently released a single with New Zealand singer / songwriter Kelsey Carter ‘I Don’t Like You OK’ and she makes a surprise appearance to sing it with them live. They blast through a highly energetic set and absolutely kill it. The Hunna are another band you can rely on to put on a good show and that they did!
As the sun begins to set over Hatfield there is an excited buzz in the air for Rock Scene stage headliners Enter Shikari. Hatfield is near enough home for these guys and that’s always special. The stage is stacked with screens emblazoned with flames for opener ‘Set Me On Fire’ and its full steam ahead for a truly impressive show, not wasting any time there are smoke jets and flames right from the get go and a wonderful display of lights. Rou Reynolds is on top form owning every inch of the stage and commanding our attention. They really have pulled out all the stops and made sure festival season starts off with a bang!!
Despite the issues with traffic and queueing and missing a big chunk of the day Slam Dunk came through because aside from all that it is all about the music and there was plenty of that to be enjoyed!!
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