Slam Dunk South 2016 - 30/05/2016

This was my third time attending Slam Dunk festival and it's always been the highlight of my year. Since Panic! at the Disco were announced as headliners way back in November I knew it was going to be an extremely special day, but my excitement has been rocketing up over the past few weeks as I've discovered more bands to look forward to.

Because PVRIS were the last main stage openers, it feels as though Moose Blood should have been higher up on the bill - they're a UK act and they've gathered such a dedicated fan following over the last couple of years. They easily drew one of the biggest crowds of the day, which isn't surprising when you consider that they filled the Fresh Blood stage to capacity when they headlined it last year.
However, hundreds of people were still queuing to get in when they started; the band could have easily drawn double the amount of people to their set if they'd been able to get there.
Starting with brand new song 'Honey' was a mistake. It was the only new song that made it into the set, so the rest of their stage time was just a standard Moose Blood set, the likes of which the majority of the audience had already seen. The band released brand new song 'Knuckles' on Radio 1 this evening, which would have been a perfect inclusion in their Slam Dunk set and it would have allowed them to really measure the reaction to their new songs. 'Honey' has only been out for a matter of weeks and a large proportion of the crowd already knew most of the words, proving that the new music is being accepted just as eagerly as the old; it would have been interesting to see if the other new songs went down just as well.
While the rest of the set was predictable, it was still beautifully performed. I had to miss two songs in the middle while I ran down to coldrain (I have it on good authority that the setlist below is accurate) but it was difficult to walk away. Eddy Brewerton is so damned charismatic that it's difficult not to be absorbed as soon as he walks on to a stage, made even sweeter by the fact that there's not an iota of cockiness in his persona: he's a humble guy who's found himself in an extraordinary situation and couldn't be more thankful.
'Blush' will finally be released in August - you don't want to miss it.

Setlist:

Honey

Swim Down

I Hope You're Missing Me

Chin Up

Bukowski 

I Hope You're Miserable 

Boston

Pups 

Gum

It was difficult to walk away from Moose Blood's set, but after missing coldrain when they opened for Bullet For My Valentine I was determined to catch a bit of their set. They suffered from their early stage time, having a much smaller crowd than I'd expected, but the people that were there were extremely energetic, and the band put on a great performance. I only saw a couple of their songs, but I'm interested in hearing more from these guys.

If Slam Dunk had been a month later, With Confidence's set would have been much better attended. The room was full (they're one of the most recent signings to Hopeless Records, so that's not shocking!) but when debut album 'Better Weather' releases on June 17th it's going to get So. Much. Bigger.

I featured With Confidence on one of my New Music Monday posts soon after they were signed and I've been keeping an eye on them since. The closer the album gets, the more songs they release and the more excited I find myself.
I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay for their entire set, but I made it all the way up the three flights of stairs to the tiny Fresh Blood stage and managed to catch the start of newest single 'Keeper'. Standing at the back of the room and watching the crowd explode was sheer insanity; you don't get that reaction with new bands too often, but With Confidence mean a lot to a lot of people already. Vocalist Jayden Seeley shared that they "were a bit worried because this room is off to the side a bit, we didn't know if anyone would be able to find it, but this is fucking beautiful!" and it really was, particularly for how early in the day they performed.
In the excitement of the day and seeing so many bands, I almost managed to forget about With Confidence - don't judge me! But despite the fact that they nearly slipped my mind, I was sat at my desk today humming to myself: one lyric stuck on repeat in my head all day, a phrase that was pop with a bite to it. I was surprised when I figured it out and it was 'Keeper', but that's testament to the fact that they write extremely songs: I challenge you to listen to it and not have that chorus stuck in your head for days.
I managed to hear a song from each of their eras during the beginning of their set - from the brand new 'Keeper' back to 'Tonight', from their debut EP - and I'm going to need to explore their back catalogue thoroughly because there wasn't a dull moment. I would have loved to stay for their whole set, but I'm hoping to see them when they open for Knuckle Puck and Real Friends in December.  

Setlist:
Keeper
Tonight
Take Me Away
Higher
Godzilla (*)
London Lights (*)
We'll Be Okay (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

Listen to 'Bulletproof' here - an instant hit.

Setlist:
Daughter of the Sea
Speaking in Tonuges
Bulletproof
Rising Up
Winter Kiss
Brother in Arms (*)
Bones (*)
I Want Out (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

Waterparks set was my most anticipated of the day. After featuring them on New Music Monday I couldn't help buying 'Cluster', the EP they released back in January. It's all I've listened to for the past two weeks... There's just something about this band. They're going to be huge.
As well as this being Waterparks first appearance at Slam Dunk, it was their first time ever playing outside of America - I was grateful to be a part of the experience. It was obvious that they were still nervous despite this being their third date, but watching them setting up you could see the excitement building between the trio. Vocalist Awsten Knight was determined to get a fog machine, convincing vape-users to get up on stage with them, but when one of the staff told him that vaping wasn't allowed in the room he protested his innocence, shouting "I'm sorry, I don't make the rules! You were almost the best human fog machine I've ever had!".
It was a funny start to what became a hilarious set. There were a few issues with technical stuff towards the beginning of the set - things that were out of the band's control, but quickly got resolved - and everything was going smoothly until the end of 'Silver', when guitarist Geoff Wigington got a little too enthusiastic and broke his guitar strap. Awsten started talking to the crowd, explaining that they were from America "if you can't tell by me saying y'all and being ignorant of most things", joking that he liked England because "y'alls money's tight. We went to the Queen's house too!". Asking if anyone had met the Queen he was left disappointed, but he shared the fact that he once chased Adam Lazzara around at Projekt Revolution, running alongside his golf kart on the opposite side of the fence before meeting him in a signing tent later and begging him to hang out with him.
It was the smartest thing he could have said. The crowd had been getting a little restless, wondering who the blue-haired punk was and why he was rambling up on stage, but in that moment everyone was on his side. People were shouting out other anecdotes about famous people, and when Awsten shared that he'd been trying to meet Brendon Urie for three days he was heartbroken to find that a girl in the front row had already met him. Awsten saying "I'm straight I guess, but if I was gonna go gay for a dude it would be Brendon Urie" got more cheers than a fair few of the bands that I saw in the day!
Things have changed incredibly for Waterparks in the past year, but they're still extremely down to earth, and Awsten proved that with his conversation with the crowd. Being able to build up a rapport with the crowd that quickly when it's your first time even going to another country, let alone playing there? That's an impressive skill. Checking if Geoff had fixed his strap yet, he quipped "I'm not that charismatic, I can't carry on a conversation with this many people!", but Awsten has a natural, easy personality that makes him impossible not to like. Whereas some of the sets throughout the day featured hardly any interaction with the crowd, Geoff's strap breaking gave the audience a chance to get to know the guys as people rather than just performers: it made the set very memorable indeed.
'Cluster' was only released in the UK in the last few days of May, to coincide with their appearance at Slam Dunk, but a fair amount of people were already familiar with the lead single, 'Crave'. The other songs from 'Cluster' were well-received, and I'm looking forward to the EP getting the recognition that it deserves on the side of the pond. My favourite song on the release is unquestionably 'Pink', and I was elated when Awsten announced it as his favourite too - that should mean it'll be a dead cert in their setlist when they come back to play Reading festival in August. He did forget the words a tiny bit (I think you would too, if you'd hardly ever played the song live before and it had been out for over six months!) but covered it smoothly, noticing that the spotlights had been turned pink and shouting "you made the lights pink? I appreciate that!". The end is thrashy and uncontrolled, and Awsten proudly told the crowd "that last chord was improv, normally the song doesn't end like that! 'Cause that's punk. We can be punk together". His earnest, eager to please attitude is so refreshing compared to the sullen and overly-dramatic moodiness that seems to launch most bands at the moment.
I didn't think the reaction was going to get any better after 'Crave', but when Awsten challenged the crowd to give them their first European crowd surfer, the place nearly exploded. The moment 'I'm a Natural Blue' started I lost count of how many people were up in the air, and with a circle pit bursting out a moment later it was surreal. Waterparks are most definitely pop-punk - some people even describing them as a boy band - but with the independent feel to their sound giving it a garage essence, it lends itself perfectly to small and sweaty shows like this one.
I knew that Waterparks were headlining Camden Barfly the night after Slam Dunk South, and I had no intention of going: if I was seeing them live on the Monday, why did I need to see them on the Tuesday too? But Awsten started promoting the show while Geoff was fixing his guitar strap, and he happened to mention that it was the first headline show they'd ever played outside of their home state of Texas. The first headline show ever outside of Texas? EVER?!
I have no self-control. OF COURSE I WENT TO THEIR HEADLINE SHOW TOO! The review of that will be up at some point tomorrow. Or maybe Friday...

Setlist:
Mad All The Time
Crave
Silver
No Capes
Pink
I'm a Natural Blue

If I'd had my way, I would have gone home after their set. There was no way anyone was going to top them, so it felt like it was going to be all downhill from there. Sadly, I followed their set up with a brief visit to Mayday Parade: their set would normally interest me and get me singing along but it fell flat. Whether that was the band or my Waterparks withdrawal setting in, I'm never going to be sure.

Setlist:
One of Them Will Destroy the Other (*)
Jamie All Over (*)
When You See My Friends (*)
Keep In Mind, Transmogrification is a New Technology (*)
Three Cheers For Five Years
Hollow
Oh Well, Oh Well
I'd Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About
Let's Be Honest
Black Cat
Jersey (*)

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

This was my third time seeing Dead! and I'd been determined to make it for their full set, but due to overcrowding issues I was ten minutes late. Normally it would be my fault, because I don't give myself enough time to get somewhere through all of the people, but I'd been waiting to get up the stairs for over half an hour!

The majority of people waiting to get up the stairs were desperate to see Real Friends, who released their second album - 'The Home Inside My Head' - just last week. Because I wanted to see Dead!, I popped into their set for about a minute, and I was so disappointed that I couldn't see more because they seemed on top of their game. I haven't heard the new album in full yet, but it seems to me that Real Friends have finally matured: this album could do big things for them. Based on the amount of people flooding into the room, they were the highlight for a lot of people.

I managed to get to the top of the stairs at the Fresh Blood stage as the opening chord for Dead!'s new single 'You're So Cheap' rang out. If you haven't heard if yet you should take the time to do that - while the recorded version isn't as good as the live version, it'll still embed itself into your brain.
Vocalist Alex Mountford is a menace on stage, raw energy and passion for the songs turning him into a frenzied hurricane whipping up the crowd, his already rough vocal degrading into primal almost-screaming. Live, their songs are unpolished, but it's that rough around the edges sound that is getting Dead! so much attention: it's the reason why they're getting so much acclaim for their constant touring schedule. The songs are good recorded, but they aren't spectacular - they just don't stand out from the crowd, and they feel over-produced. These are songs that are written to be performed, and not many bands can do that successfully anymore.
As well as performing at Download and Reading and Leeds, Dead! have just been announced as the support for two of Moose Blood's festival warm-up shows: if that doesn't successfully complete phase one of their takeover, nothing will.

Setlist:
Enough Enough (*)
Phantom (*)
Enemy (*)
You're So Cheap
Alaska
Up For Ransom
Skin

(*) thanks to Lauren-Alice Golding for the setlist!

Both crowd and band were smaller than I'd expected at Away Days set. As you can see above, there should have been three, but instead there was just one drunk Jono Yates (yep, putting Jono in the bar to perform was a great plan...) alone with his guitar, putting on a show that was a mixture of stand-up comedy, trainwreck and genius.
The stand-up comedy element came because drunk Jono is hilarious. This was the third day of the festival and based on his social media accounts there wasn't a moment that Jono wasn't smashed off his face. That probably explains him turning up at every day on the search for a guitar to be able to perform, and definitely goes all the way to explaining why a set that should have been an absolute triumph turned into a bit of a mess.
With gems such as "the room has emptied a little bit and I am very appreciative of that. If you wanna get a prime spot for Creeper, now's the right time to fuck off" and "this has been the best set of the whole event. Not THE best set, MY best set! Yes, this has been my best performance! Thanks for being a part of it, the other two were fucking awful!" it definitely showed Jono's personality, but it wasn't the most professional launch for the band. However, it's memorable. That's where the genius part comes in. I can't imagine anyone in the room forgetting Away Days set, and with songs as catchy as 'Messiah' it does make you remember the music too.
Closing with 'Through the Night', Jono shared that it was a song about being in a band and how "as time goes on you begin to despise everything about them". He passionately shouted to the crowd, "if you're in a band don't let anyone tell you what to do!" before laughing, berating himself by saying "nah, I sound like a cunt. If you're in a band, quit, and get a real job, ya fucking layabouts!". Looking around the room and seeing Fearless Vampire Killer's vocalist Kier Kemp and ex-Kids in Glass Houses frontman Aled Phillips watching the set and absolutely pissing themselves laughing, it seems like Jono might have hit the nail on the head with that.
Their debut EP was released less than a month ago, and these first shows should have been the start to a beautiful second chance. I have less than no idea where the other two members were, or if they're even still in the band at this point (band? Solo project?) but I'm hoping we'll get some news out of camp Away Days fairly soon, because I'm worried.

I'd hoped to hear new Mallory Knox this weekend, because they premiered 'Ghost in the Mirror' at Slam Dunk two years ago and used it as the launching point for 'Asymmetry' - one of the reasons that it became as successful as it did. Alas, it was not meant to be, but hopefully there'll be news of the third album in the near future.

The second acoustic set that I managed to see a good chunk of was Rob Lynch, which went remarkably more smoothly that the Away Days set. Walking in on 'Whiskey' I instantly started to sing along: Rob's music is not something that you can passively listen to.
Unfortunately, sometimes nature calls at a festival, and when you spot a secret bathroom hidden away at the back of the stage you just need to sneak off - anything to avoid the portaloos. I did miss a few songs in the middle of Rob's set because of the queue (which was quickly becoming the theme of the day) but I got back in time to join in the harmonious chant of "No, no, no, it's not the end of the world" at the end of 'Hawking', which was being echoed by every person in the room - including the bar staff!

I couldn't get in to the Fresh Blood stage to see Boston Manor or Creeper because the queue was far back along the corridor throughout both of their sets. I'd imagined a lot of people had been waiting all day to see New Years Day, but I was completely wrong.
Walking in on their headline set was like walking into a ghost town compared to the Fresh Blood stage during the rest of the day. As I mentioned earlier, With Confidence, Waterparks and Dead! all had massive crowds - obviously Boston Manor and Creeper did, with the room being at capacity for both of their sets - but New Years Day had a maximum of 60-70 people. For a headline set, that's a disaster.
Creeper deserved to headline this room.

The salt in the wound stings even more when you realise that just downstairs, in the tiny acoustic stage in the bar, The Rocket Summer had a bigger crowd than New Years Day, and a much better response. The raucous singalong to 'So Much Love' greatly surpassed the reaction he received at Warped UK in October, and while I didn't stick around for long I was pleased by how happy and at ease Bryce Avery looked surrounded by avid fans.

Coming on stage late and finishing ten minutes early, I didn't see as much Of Mice and Men as I would have liked. Their show at Brixton O2 Academy was insanity: I'd been expecting to see much of the same, with a potential new song thrown in there, but unfortunately I was wrong.

Setlist:
Bones Exposed
Feels Like Forever
Glass Hearts (*)
Broken Generation (*)
Never Giving Up (*)
Public Service Announcement (*)
O. G. Loko (*)
You Make Me Sick (*)
Would You Still Be There? (*)
Another You (*)
Second and Sebring (*)
The Depths
You're Not Alone

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

Having seen Panic! at the Disco back in January, and with tickets already booked to one of their Alexandra Palace shows in November, I only popped in to the middle of their set to hear some of the new songs ('Golden Days' and 'Crazy=Genius') in a live environment.

Setlist:
Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time (*)
Time To Dance (*)
Vegas Lights (*)
LA Devotee (*)
The Ballad of Mona Lisa (*)
Hallelujah (*)
Let's Kill Tonight
Victorious
Girls/Girls/Boys
Golden Days
Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind)
Crazy=Genius
Nicotine
Miss Jackson
Nine in the Afternoon
Bohemian Rhapsody (cover)
I Write Sins Not Tragedies
This Is Gospel
Emperor's New Clothes

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

The King Blues was where I finished my night. (Well, apart from a brief foray to the Uprawr tent to see Shikari Sound System, but we won't go there...)

Comparing their crowd to the crowds of all of the other headliners (I made sure to pop into all eight of them, just so I'd be able to state this definitely), The King Blues stage was in the wrong place. The way that Slam Dunk South works is main stage on the grass, second stage tucked around the corner, and what should be the biggest stage at the end of a road, surrounded by bus stops. Normally the audience falls back to behind the bus stops, but The King Blues pulled the biggest crowd the stage saw all day (apart from the first 10-20 minutes of Zebrahead's set, in which they had an extremely large crowd that, sadly, left them to go to the main stage to watch New Found Glory) and they had - at most - ten lines of people.

Meanwhile, over in The Story So Far you could hardly move because of how many people were straining to fit into the room. If the stages had been the other way around, with The King Blues inside and The Story So Far at the end of the road... It would have tackled a lot of the over-crowding issues that the festival suffered with throughout the day, and more people could have seen the bands of their choice. 

Plus, from the back of The King Blues you could still hear what was going on at Panic! at the Disco on main stage... There was just too much interference to really enjoy their set. It was lucky that Of Mice and Men finished as early as they did. 

Setlist:
Let's Hang the Landlord (*)
Set the World on Fire (*)
I Want You (*)
Mr Music Man (*)
My Boulder (*)
Off With Their Heads (*)
We Ain't Never Done
The Streets Are Ours
Headbutt
Taxi Driver
I Got Love
Hold On Tight
Under the Fog (ft. catch twenty-two)
Save The World, Get The Girl

(*) setlist according to setlist.fm

That's a wrap! Now I'm off to sleep for about three weeks to recover... Thanks for checking out my review! 

Slam Dunk South 2015 - 24/05/15

(Live A Loss For Words photo credit to Liana Hunt)

My favourite thing about festivals is the fact that you can wander around all day and see bands that you definitely wouldn't have experienced otherwise. This review is going to be a selection of the sets that I had something to say about, but this won't be all the bands that I saw - there were way too many of them for me to talk about all of them! Some of the notable sets that I won't be talking too much about were Cartel, Only Rivals, Neck Deep, Crossfaith and Fireworks - all brilliant sets, but I just didn't see enough of them to be able to review them properly. But now, onto the rest:

I've only been listening to PVRIS avidly for a few months, but they've quickly established themselves as one of my favourite bands, especially after their brilliant opening slot for Lower Than Atlantis last month. I missed the very beginning of their set (one song, 'Smoke') but I was still blown away by the rest of it; running through songs such as 'St. Patrick' and 'White Noise', vocalist Lynn Gunn was completely on point, sounding even better than she did the first time I saw them. I've never seen Alex or Brian look happier, both of them beaming out at the crowd that were eating up every single moment. For this early in the day the reaction was much better than I'd been expecting, and it still surprises me to see how far this band have come with just one album under their belts.  

As if their set wasn't going amazingly enough, a surprise appearance from Josh Franceschi on 'My House' was the icing on the cake, even if his microphone wasn't working for the majority of his time on stage. These guys are definitely ones to watch, and if you haven't listened to them yet it's imperative that you do so as soon as you can. Their popularity is going through the roof and the trajectory is nowhere near tapering off, and I can't wait to catch them for the third time this year at Reading festival - I guarantee they will just keep getting better. If they headline Slam Dunk in a few years time, I won't be shocked at all. 

Setlist:

Smoke

St. Patrick

Mirrors
Fire

White Noise

My House

Next up was the third ever UK show from the acoustic side project of The Wonder Years frontman Dan "Soupy" Campbell. Because The Wonder Years had already been announced as performing at Slam Dunk, it wasn't too surprising when Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties were added afterwards, so it also wasn't too surprising when the Roaring Twenties weren't actually there, and it was just Dan (or should I say Aaron?) on stage by himself. 

If you haven't heard of Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, the concept behind the act is that the songs tell the story of the worst year of Aaron West's life, and it was really interesting to see Dan embodying the character of Aaron and speaking as him. The Wonder Years have always been super popular because of their lyrical content and how easy it is to relate to them, but this acoustic emo act was obviously the drawing point of many people at this weekend, as the room was full to bursting before he even came out on stage. To have people queuing out on the landing for the third act on the stage is a huge achievement, but considering the fact that before Slam Dunk he'd only ever played one UK show, it just proves that the demand is definitely outweighing the supply. 

Starting off with 'Our Apartment', most of the crowd were shouting along to every word, which didn't let up through 'Grapefruit' or 'Runnin' Scared'. My personal favourite song is 'Divorce and the American South', which had the loudest singalong in the first half of the set. This boosted even higher during the trumpet solo, as the crowd decided to cover for the absent backing band and perform a vocal trumpet solo - which Soupy congratulated us on afterwards, calling for a round of applause for the great trumpet solo - something that definitely lightened up what was an otherwise completely depressing set. But depressing does not mean bad, and Aaron West was one of the best performers I saw in the entire day at Slam Dunk, so I seriously hope that he comes back and announces some full length UK shows at some point in the near future. I couldn't stick around for the rest of Aaron West's set, as I wanted to see some of Beartooth, but the half that I did see was superb.

I didn't think that the Fresh Blood stage could get any busier, but when I returned to see Fort Hope I sadly couldn't even get into the room. I stood outside and listened to a section of their set - most notably 'Sick', which sounded pretty sick ('scuse the pun) even from outside on the landing. With the band having signed their first record deal in the last few days, this crowd is just going to keep growing, and I'm so proud of how far these boys have come from back in the My Passion days. The UK rock scene is on the rise, and Fort Hope are leading the pack. 

I saw a bit of A Loss For Words at Slam Dunk last year and I thought they were pretty awesome, so I was bummed out when I discovered that they'd announced their break up before I'd even gotten around to listening to any of their full length albums. When it was announced that they'd be performing at Slam Dunk on their farewell tour, there was no chance that I was missing it. 

Joining the set to hear 'Pirouette', I was amazed when there was a surprise guest appearance from the vocalist of Save Your Breath, Kris Richards, whose band broke up back in January. I was a big Save Your Breath fan, so the moment was rather bittersweet, but it really embodied the entire ethos of Slam Dunk festival - having fun with your friends - and with a singalong of epic proportions it was perfect for this summery festival crowd. With singer Matty thanking his "brother" for appearing on stage with him, it really spread the love - something that A Loss For Words seem to be really fond of, as Matty was also wearing a t-shirt proclaiming 'I support same-sex marriage'. 

One of the most notable things about their set was the amount of bands they were shouting out to, thanking Decade, Light You Up, Transit, PVRIS and Neck Deep, to name but a few. Dedicating 'Distance' to Fireworks was also a poignant moment, with A Loss For Words splitting and Fireworks going onto hiatus, but there wasn't time to dwell on the emotions because the set was just too much fun. Nowadays, pop punk bands seem to take themselves much too seriously, but A Loss For Words were having so much fun and it was definitely encouraging the crowd. 

My sixth time seeing Lower Than Atlantis was also my shortest time, as I only managed to see three of their songs in the fifteen minute gap I squeezed in at main stage. It was impressive that they seemed to on top of their game, as this was their second festival set today (the first being at the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich) but if anything that made them sound tighter, because they'd had the perfect warm-up this morning.

After catching them on their UK tour last month, I didn't think Lower Than Atlantis could get any better, but vocalist Mike Duce seemed to be so much more confident in front of this crowd, belting out every word and getting it shouted back in his face twice as loud. 'Ain't No Friend' had everyone dancing, while 'English Kids In America' is still a festival classic - perhaps even more memorable today than it was at Reading festival last year. I stuck around long enough to hear 'Deadliest Catch', my all time favourite of their songs, and I sincerely wish I'd been able to hang around longer, because they were sounding even tighter than normal. With a large tour announced in December, I'm sincerely hoping I'll be able to go along to one of their shows, because it would be brilliant to see them wrap up their biggest ever year as a band on such a high note.

Back at the Fresh Blood stage, the crowd outside the room had gotten even larger than it was for Fort Hope, meaning that I had to strain to hear This Wild Life over the voices of fans waiting outside. After such an extensive co-headline tour with As It Is over the last few weeks, I assumed that most of the people who wanted to see This Wild Life would have already seen them - this belief was naive, as disappointed fans were turning away in droves when they realised that there was no way for them to push into the room to see the band. This Wild Life were actually one of my most anticipated bands of Slam Dunk, so I stuck it out and managed to hear a good few songs, especially once the crowd dispersed a little bit and you could hear the music outside. 

'History' is one of their most well-known songs, and this was confirmed when they played it first, with the singalong from the crowd sounding much louder than the band themselves, the same of which can be said for 'Over It'. 'Ripped Away' sounded absolutely flawless, but the highlight of the part of the set that I saw was definitely their cover of Blink-182's 'First Date', which was a surprising but perfectly performed cover. 

I left after hearing 'Better With You', one of my favourite songs, but that wasn't before I noticed that even their co-headline tour mate Patty Walters, lead vocalist of As It Is, was unable to get into the room. This band are such a massive deal, something that I hadn't realised until this show, but I think it's a brilliant sign - they deserve to have all of this attention, because Anthony and Kevin are both such talented songwriters and performers. I haven't had the opportunity to see a This Wild Life headline show yet, but it's definitely something I'm going to ensure that I do next time that they come to the UK - I need to experience this show on a bigger scale, and I need to actually get into the room next time!

I've had a love-hate relationship with Don Broco recently, as I haven't really enjoyed any of the singles that they've been releasing from forthcoming album 'Automatic', but that completely changed throughout their set yesterday. Starting off with 'Money Power Fame' was a brilliant way to drag the crowds attention to this band, who threw every ounce of their energy into their performance. A Don Broco show is a high velocity show, and that didn't change at Slam Dunk; if anything it ramped up even higher, with frontman Rob Damiani going absolutely crazy up there.

Newest single 'Automatic' didn't get that much of a reaction from the crowd: possibly because of the relatively young age of the song, or possibly because other people are agreeing with my opinion of the new material. However, something that you can't deny is the fact that they performed the song live amazingly, and it's impossible to move your eyes away from the stage from the second they start from the second they exit.

Older songs 'Whole Truth' and 'Priorities' both got amazing responses, with the crowd kicking it up a gear and dancing more than I'd seen them all day. I had to leave half way through their set, to run across to Seaway, but I'm definitely feeling more love towards Don Broco after seeing the new songs in a live environment, and remembering how encapsulating their live shows are.

I only managed to catch one song from Seaway, due to some terrible set clashes, but the one that I saw definitely deserves a special comment, and that was 'Your Best Friend'. I'd been having a pretty terrible morning - missing Set It Off and We Are The Ocean, and suffering with a terrible migraine - but after hearing such a fun song live I just couldn't stop myself from dancing and beaming from ear to ear. I don't know what it is about these Canadian fellows, but they're so full of fun that I can't help but fall in love with them a little more every time I listen to them. I haven't been disappointed by a single one of their songs that I've heard so far, and after purchasing their full length album 'Hoser' at the festival, I'll definitely be listening to them more. 

However, I had to leave Seaway quite early to get along to Finch, who were another of my most anticipated bands of the day. Since Finch's reunion tour a couple of years ago, I've been getting quite excited about the day when I would finally see them live, and I couldn't believe it was finally here. 

I will admit that I didn't know many of the newer songs that they played, as I only managed to purchase their newest album 'Back To Oblivion' at the festival, but the ones that I did hear sounded brilliant. I joined their set on 'Anywhere But Here', and was amazed by how much the band were putting in to the set - some of the older hardcore bands that I've seen have been quite complacent in their live shows, but Finch were excelling the performance I'd experienced at the Hidden In Plain View show last month, which was insanely high. The new music definitely padded out their set, putting a brilliant amount of life into it, and instead of being disinterested by the songs I didn't know I found myself falling in love much further with this band. 

'Letters To You' is obviously one of Finch's more well-known songs, so a lot of the crowd did seem to only be in attendance for this one, demonstrated when the moshing went through the roof for the duration of the song. A hardcore anthem, it's difficult to find someone who doesn't know this song, and I was amazed by how brilliantly the band played it over ten years since they wrote and released it. After going through two break-ups, it's impressive that the members still perform so well together, and their chemistry is palpable throughout the crowd.

Finishing with 'What It Is To Burn', another of their most popular songs, it was surprising to see another guest appearance from Josh Franceschi, who mentioned the fact the he wanted to perform the song with them in an issue of Kerrang! a few weeks ago. Seeing a dream come true like that live on stage should have been corny, but after seeing Josh moshing side stage throughout the previous couple of songs in their set, you could really see how much it meant to him, and he threw everything he had into his vocal (which, thankfully, was on a working microphone that time!). I can't believe that I waited this long to see Finch, and I will not be waiting this long until the next time. 

I don't really have that much to say about Taking Back Sunday that I didn't already say in my review of their show in Oxford in December, but that isn't a bad thing because it proves that they are consistent. Their banter was still lacking, which was much more noticeable (and cringe-inducing) in this environment, but the rest of their performance was one of my highlights of the entire day. I said before that Taking Back Sunday really know how to craft a brilliant setlist, and while they played most of the songs that I'd seen them play only a few months ago, they played them all fantastically so I had nothing to complain about. 

All of their biggest hits: 'MakeDamnSure', 'Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)' and 'You're So Last Summer' were all present, as well as a good chunk of their more recent releases, meaning that there was something there for every era of Taking Back Sunday fan. The majority of the crowd did seem to be turned off from Taking Back Sunday, but that was kind of understandable with them sandwiched between Don Broco and You Me At Six, both who are relatively new on the scene, meaning that their fan base might have been too young to fully appreciate Taking Back Sunday when they were at the height of their career. I was kind of disappointed with the crowd, who didn't seem to be making any effort at all - the whole point of a festival is to enjoy bands you wouldn't normally see - but the fans that were getting involved were going crazy. It would have been nice to have a few surprises in their setlist, other than just the inclusion of 'Happiness Is...' bonus track 'How I Met Your Mother', but it was still a lot of fun, and I was glad that I could stay for their entire set. 

Setlist: 

Flicker, Fade

What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?

Number 5 With A Bullet

How I Met Your Mother

Liar (It Takes One To Know One)

Stood A Chance

Timberwolves At New Jersey

A Decade Under The Influence

Faith (When I Let You Down)

You're So Last Summer

Better Homes and Gardens 

Error:Operator

You Know How I Do

Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team)

MakeDamnSure

You Me At Six were definitely the highlight of most people's day, and with their promise of playing older material there was no question in my mind that I was going to see every single second of their set. I've always been a huge advocate for them playing earlier songs, so my wish was finally coming true. I wasn't disappointed when the started the set off with the double header of 'The Truth Is A Terrible Thing' and 'Save It For The Bedroom', and going by the reaction from the crowd this set had been a long time coming. People were flooding in from every direction, screaming the lyrics from the top of their lungs, and it really felt like something special was happening - the excitement in the air was palpable. It didn't let up through the first five songs, concluding with 'Jealous Minds Think Alike', which is one of the best songs You Me At Six have ever written - there's a reason that they catapulted into such heights of fame, and it's mostly due to the skill and potential they displayed in their formative years. 

However, after the fifth song in the set things quickly went downhill. Due to a medical emergency with a fan, the band had to stop the set, so Josh attempted to banter with the crowd - talking a bit about their time away in Australia last week, and referencing some football rivalries - but after the banter sunk like a rock he went off-stage while the medics worked. A little over half an hour later, the band came back on stage, and it's testament to You Me At Six fans that they all stayed calm and civilised despite the lengthy gap, allowing the medics to work and for the band to give them the space that was necessary. Oftentimes things like this can go very badly very quickly, with fans throwing things and complaining about the lack of music, but that wasn't demonstrated at all during this set - everyone was extremely civilised, even if some people did get bored and wander away to The Wonder Years.

A brief intermission here, to give a shout out to The Wonder Years, who seemed to be playing a blinder of a set. I was disappointed that I was going to miss them to see You Me At Six, so the gap in the set was a blessing in disguise - due to the silence at the main stage you could hear every word of The Wonder Years set going on at the other end of the road. Dan's vocal sounded so stronger and powerful over the pop punk backtrack, which was surprising after he admitted during the Aaron West set that his voice was rather shot, and it was a real hint towards how expert he is as a frontman - he really knows what he's doing. It was my second time seeing The Wonder Years, and while I wish I could have seen and heard more of them, I was happy enough with what I got. 

After You Me At Six walked back out on stage, Josh Franceschi announced "someone's life is way more fucking important than our little band playing songs at a festival", a sentiment that he reiterated on his Twitter following the incident, and it really was heart-warming to see the frontman of such a massive band caring so much about his fans. You Me At Six might have exploded, but they're still just five boys from Surrey at heart.

I'd been anticipating quite a large cut from the set following the time that they'd been off stage, but they still completed their entire set - bigger hits like 'Room To Breathe' and 'Lived A Lie' running parallel to older songs 'The Rumour' and 'Take Off Your Colours' - and it was a breath of fresh air to get a mixture of both eras in a You Me At Six show. Often when I see the band live I find myself getting restless, but this was the perfect mix of fun and serious, meaning that there wasn't a single moment of the set that fell flat for me. This was the best show I've ever seen You Me At Six play, and I think it's going to stay that way forever, as the band have said that they will be cutting the older songs from their set completely following these three festival performances. I sincerely hope that they'll consider the crowds reaction during 'Always Attract' and rethink that decision, because that kind of colossal reaction only happens in older songs that mean a lot to all of the fans, but I'm sure they know what they're doing. 

The band are going off to record their fifth album this summer, and while I'm nervous about what the result will be, I'm excited as heck as well. As Josh sang, "the problems that have come haven't yet torn You Me down" and I'm sure they aren't going to any time soon.

Setlist: 

The Truth Is A Terrible Thing

Save It For The Bedroom

Loverboy 

Stay With Me

Jealous Minds Think Alike

-

Reckless

Lived A Lie

No One Does It Better

Take Off Your Colours

Kiss And Tell

The Rumour 

The Consequence

Fresh Start Fever

Always Attract

Room To Breathe

Bite My Tongue 

Underdog