By this point we all know that Slam Dunk Festival is the ceremonial beginning of summer, especially for lovers of emo, pop-punk, checkerboard clothing and nostalgia. With 2026 being the 20-year celebration, it was a good time for the organisers to pull out all of the stops and with another new layout, more stages and the sort of weather you dream of in the run up to a festival, 2026 was positioned to be the best iteration yet. So, what did Hardbeat get up to on-site this year? Our reviews are here:
Call Me Amour – Scott’s Key Club Stage
For their first-ever festival appearance, Call Me Amour didn’t give a single hint that this wasn’t the norm for them. Opening with ‘Good Day’ felt entirely appropriate, after all, how could it be anything but a good day, standing in a sunny field with a cold beer in hand and music blaring from every direction? It’s no small feat to get a circle pit going before noon, but two songs in, there we were. Between the chaotic energy of the pit and the sea of waving arms, the elder emos were officially warmed up. (BO)
Unpeople – Main Stage West
It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then a band actually lives up to their hype. Unpeople feel like that band and have done for the past couple of years. A band with nothing to hide on stage or off, one that doesn’t rely on gimmicks, backing tracks or auto-tune. Here at Slam Dunk, they took to the stage following a more public pre-set ritual than normal and launched into ‘Waste’. Immediately, the symbiotic relationship between fans and band was on show. Despite the temperature hurtling towards the thirties, the pits were huge, the dancing joyful, the singalongs euphoric and the circle pit around guitarist Luke Caley a whirlwind (or maybe dust storm is more appropriate). The highlight of this set was the live debut of ‘Clouds’, the band’s latest single proving to be even bigger played live. (DH)
Broadside – Scott’s Key Club Stage
Arms remained airborne for the duration of Broadside’s set from synchronised clapping to good ol’ throwing hands to the sky. And it’s no surprise, as they are known for their danceable tracks especially when Oliver Baxter demanded the crowd “shake ass and if you ain’t got ass, you better shake something”. Between that and the band having their own little on stage boogie Broadside set the bar for vibes crazy high. (BO)
Hands Like Houses – Scott’s Key Club Stage
Hands Like Houses made their triumphant return to Slam Dunk, finally making up for the visit that was scrapped during the dreaded pandemic years. Frontman Josh Raven clearly enjoyed the crowd, taking a moment to shout out the bizarre array of costumes, from Slam Dunk staples like the Cookie Monster and Moshpit Mime to a roaming T-Rex. The Aussie band seemed completely unfazed by the heat, and they didn’t let it slow them down for a second, turning the entire Key Club Stage into a symphony during their massive cover of ‘Wicked Game.’ (BO)
Boston Manor – Monster Energy Stage Right
Sun in their eyes but the shades are on and we are ready to go. Despite opening with one of their most well known tracks ‘Floodlights on the Square’ the crowd seemed to have forgotten why they were there. That’s okay though, Boston Manor reminded them by the 2nd song with the moshing ensuing and not letting up until they walked off stage. Frontman Henry Cox even went as far as to instruct everyone to “get over this barrier, climb on your friends face”. Between the egging on and the band pulling out some throwbacks like ‘Laika’ if you weren’t already sweaty from the heat, you were from this set. (BO)
Punk Rock Factory – Scott’s Key Club Stage
Festivals are the perfect place for sun, beer and fun and for Punk Rock Factory at Slam Dunk there was certainly beer and fun. Luckily, they came on as the temperatures reached their peak so the respite from the sun was very welcome. Their mix of TV themes, classic pop and Disney bangers went down a treat (with ‘The Bare Necessities’ being a personal highlight) and it felt like the whole tent would have sang along to the entirety of War & Peace if they’d wanted them too. (DH)
Currents – Main Stage East Right
With it being their first time at Slam Dunk and despite the heaviness of their tracks, Currents performance was somewhat nonchalant, kind of like they were back where they belonged. Now on a rare occasion, a band is able to successfully get a crowd all waving in the same direction and in time with the music. This was one of those occasions, and for their most popular track nonetheless. But as their set came to an end, no one seemed to budge, just turning their head to the left a little for the presidential address. (BO)
President – Main Stage East Left
The crowd spanned the entirety of the tandem second stages for President. After their anticipated debut at Download 2025 and their rise through the ranks to headline Takedown Festival, this was a highly sought after set. Starting strong with ‘Fearless’ and ‘Dionysus’ before technical issues left us hanging and resulted in their new track ‘Doom Loop’ being cut. Things got back on track in the end but there’s no doubt that there’s some envy from the Slam Dunk South fans towards the North for their uninterrupted set. (BO)
Tonight Alive – Monster Energy Stage Left
Tonight Alive brought us a set oozing with nostalgia, we were back in our bedrooms, Kerrang! posters on the walls and trying to convince our parents it wasn’t a phase. Well it’s been a few years since 2012 and here we are standing in a field listening to those very same songs. With special appearances including Harmony Cavelle from South Arcade for a ‘Lonely Girl’ duo and the Pop Goes Punk rendition of ‘Little Lion Man’ coupled with a Jenna McDougall centred circle pit. There’s not much more you could ask for except perhaps some positive affirmations? Nevermind they ended their set with ‘Temple’. (BO)
Bury Tomorrow – Main Stage East Right
There’s just something magical that happens when a vocalist screams “open this shit up” or “push it back”. It’s akin to downing some pre workout and letting the ants under your skin run the show, just pure vibrations. And that pretty much sums up the entirety of Bury Tomorrow’s set. No letting up, unfiltered adrenaline and a healthy dose of pyro to keep you cooking. (BO)
Vukovi – Scott’s Key Club Stage
No introductions needed for Vukovi, just straight to “open that pit up right fucking now”. With a mix of newer and more renowned tracks, the whole tent had a constant buzz of energy. Janine Shilstone was pulling her usual stunts of standing on the barrier, singing into the crowd and being her unapologetic and candid self. Even helped a mosher be reunited with their lost bag. Vukovi’s sets never feel like an “us and them” situation, just a collective group of people with the same goal: to have an amazing time. (BO)
Deaf Havana – Scott’s Key Club Stage
15 years of Fools and Worthless Liars and although there wasn’t enough time to hear it in full, Deaf Havana made sure to push on all the old bruises with their setlist. From the first lyric in ‘The Past Six Years’ to the final line in ‘Hunstanton Pier’, every word echoed from the crowd so loud that it felt biblical. James Veck-Gilodi was fighting back all the emotions that come with playing songs you haven’t played in a decade. That included a certain breakout track from their debut album, you know, the one that defined a whole generation’s summer? With The Blackout’s Sean Smith joining the band on stage, “I got this feeling that we’re gonna be alright” was screamed live for the first time in too long. People gravitated to the pit out of pure instinct and a euphoric chaos erupted for ‘Friends Like These’. But there was no rest of the wicked as the last few tracks kicked everyone into dancing mode with ‘Fever’ and ‘Sinner’ before ‘Hunstanton Pier’ put the nail in the nostalgia coffin. No doubt there were plenty of elder emos with sore lower backs after that, but they’d better brush up on their stretches; Deaf Havana will be back to rip our hearts out all over again on their anniversary tour later this year. (BO)
Knocked Loose – Main Stage East Right
For those seeking something heavier than the Main Stage West, Slam Dunk opted to serve them up as a sacrifice to Knocked Loose. With Bryan Garris proclaiming “for the next hour you’re mine” it was clear this set was going to leave a mark. For some, hearing “dont reach for me” being screamed by everyone around them might be a little unnerving but for KL fans, it was like adding fuel to the fire; almost beckoning the chaos that was about to unfold. And chaos there was, as the band threw out orders like Poseidon commanding the sea; mosh pit here, mosh pit there. With a call for a billion crowd surfers, a wave of legs was all that could be seen.
Now Knocked Loose weren’t just catering for the newcomers, unleashing several songs from their debut album Laugh Tracks including ‘Oblivions Peak’, ‘Billy No Mates’ and, of course, ‘Counting Worms’. With “ARF ARF” being the most anticipated two-beat bark to exist, at least in the world of alternative music, its delivery was shortly followed by a plume of yellow confetti. Whilst minimal input was needed to conduct the crowd nearer the end, their final command sought to part the sea like Moses for their iconic wall of death as ‘Everything Is Quiet Now’ rung out for the remainder of their set. (BO)
Good Charlotte – Main Stage West
Closing out the main main stage as well as the festival itself were American punk-rockers Good Charlotte. As a band they rarely make it over this way, so thankfully they wasted no time in making the most of it. Kicking things off with ‘The River’ was perfect and immediately got the crowd onside. From here began a 19 song tour de force of how to headline a festival with captivating visuals and 80 minutes of banger after banger from a band that looked like they were having a wonderful time on stage. With a catalogue including ‘Last Night’, ‘Keep Your Hands Off My Girl’ and ‘Girls And Boys’, barely five-minutes went past where even the most part-time of fans didn’t have something to sing along to.
One confusing element is quite why so many band members were required on stage. Good Charlotte songs aren’t exactly the most intricate but hey, it looked like a group of mates having a wonderful time and that was reflected in the crowd. While the vibe throughout the whole day was positive, the closing trio of ‘I Just Wanna Live’, ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’ and ‘The Anthem’ pushed the atmosphere up a few levels. If this wasn’t the perfect way to see out the days live music offerings, I don’t know what was.
As usual, Slam Dunk 2026 was a great day. But that increasingly feels like it’s down to the people that go rather than the festival itself. Each year there are a different combination of issues. This year it started with massive queues across all of the main bars for the majority of the day combined with excessively expensive prices and bar staff that looked like they’d overheated before the midday sun had even hit. There were plenty of water spots though and the queues for those moved fast which was great and let’s face it, water is far more important than beer.
The real issue was, yet again, getting cars off the site. One kind attendee stepped in to help once the volunteers became overwhelmed, but where was their support? This isn’t acceptable for an event of this size, especially after so many years in the same location and it’s not like their car park capacity is a surprise given how parking tickets have to be pre-ordered. The person who stepped in has been offered 4 VIP tickets for the 2027 festival, but isn’t it about time everyone was at least treated with some level of importance, even when the doors are closing and their pockets are no longer accessible?
All of this is compounded when you consider that it’s only £15 difference in price between a day ticket at Slam Dunk and one at Download this year. You do have to wonder if the value for money is still there? Is a line-up topped by Good Charlotte with the MAGA loving ghost of Sublime subbing really worth 90% of a line-up with Linkin Park headlining and Bad Omens, Ice Nine Kills, The Pretty Reckless on the main stage and Slammy D headline alumni A Day To Remember headlining the 2nd stage (and not clashing with any of the above). While ‘pay monthly’ schemes plus brand loyalty will excuse the price point for a while, how long can the festival continue to charge a premium without booking a Paramore or Blink 182?
Finishing on a positive though, the food and drink selection across the Hatfield site was fantastic, with the Himalayan Dumplings and Poutine Punks offerings being elite. While this is improving as most festivals, this felt like the bar has been raised and other festivals need to step up again.