Slam Dunk festival deliver a mouth-wateringly good bill of pop-punk acts year after year, but somehow they’ve managed to raise the bar even higher for their 2017 edition. From an anniversary celebration to a final farewell, and a secret special guest performance, the multi-locational weekend is packed with power. If you’ve been to Slam Dunk before, this year is set to smash all expectations. If you’ve never been before, it’s time to get yourself educated on the ultimate alternative party of the summer. Here’s a list of the five artists you absolutely cannot miss at this year’s Slam Dunk festival…
Enter Shikari
Slam Dunk seem to have a penchant for anniversary sets. Two years ago, the festival gave the headline slot to You Me At Six, who were celebrating ten years of being a band. This year, the bookers have outdone themselves tenfold. Celebrating the ten year anniversary of their seminal debut Take To The Skies, Enter Shikari’s headline set is one not to be missed. Expect the usual daredevil antics from frontman Rou Reynolds, a wall-of-death or two, and a few deafening choruses of ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’.
We Are The Ocean
Sadly, this year’s Slam Dunk festival will see stalwarts of the rock scene, We Are The Ocean, take to the main stage for their last ever performance before parting ways. Although the band have pulled out of the Hatfield date, those of you going to mosh in the North and The Midlands are in for a treat, as the band have hailed the occasion as ‘one last chance to celebrate the past, the present and the future’. So, if you want to scream your lungs out to songs from Cutting Our Teeth, Go Now And Live, Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow, Ark and the Self-Titled EP one last time, you know where to be.
Don Broco
It’s no surprise that with each year Don Broco are rising higher and higher in the festival bills. The Bedford-hailing quartet have established themselves as one of Britain’s finest live bands (and no, not just because of ‘the walk’). Frontman Rob Damiani’s muscular vocals and nice guy charm, coupled with the band’s explosive testosterone-fuelled rock is a winning combination that never fails to get a crowd on their feet. This year the four-piece will warm-up the main stage for headliners Enter Shikari and it may well be the last time before they’ve nabbed the top spot for themselves.
Vukovi
This year’s line-up presents such a feast of pop-rock heavyweights, it’d be easy to forget about the exciting new acts gracing the smaller stages. That won’t be a problem for Vukovi though, who have made themselves unavoidable after dropping their riotous debut album earlier this year. The Glasgow neophytes have been making quite a racket on and off the record. Armed with their anvil-heavy riffs, turbo-charged pace, and frontwoman Janine Shilstone’s sizzling vocals, the four-piece have been tearing up the UK’s live scene, setting a precedent for their first ever Slam Dunk set.
Deaf Havana
Deaf Havana haven’t half been through a shitstorm in the last few years. In the wake of their Old Souls record, the band were dropped from their record label, fell into debt, and even fell out of love with their craft. Miraculously, the band have made their highly-anticipated comeback with momentous new album, All These Countless Nights, which was unveiled earlier this year. If their recent headline show at Kentish Town Forum proved anything, it’s that the band have found a new lease of life both in their material, and in their live show.
It’s not too late to bag yourself some tickets to Slam Dunk 2017. Head to their website for more information.
