Yesterday we gave you a little taster of what will be going down this weekend at Slam Dunk North and Slam Dunk South…now let us whet your appetite even more…
With over 60 hand selected acts over 7 different stages, seeing every band is impossible! To help you, Est.1987 are giving you a selection of the bands that we think you should be checking out this weekend, and to make sure you don’t miss them, we will tell you where you can catch them.
Macbeth Stage
SDN:1605/SDS:1615
With their melodic hooks and heavy riffs the 5 boys from Preston are making their mark on the UK punk and metal scene. True to their roots you won’t hear any pseudo American accents here. NME quite rightly branded them as a “genuinely killer live band with huge choruses and breakneck riffs." After touring with bands such as Cute Is What We Aim For and Paramore, MC Lars prestigiously selected them to be his backing band on tour. Failsafe are a tight unit, both on record and onstage; each of their opening melodies more catchy then the previous. You may even recognise these boys from their cameo appearance in the Inbetweeners! 
Jagermeister Stage
SDN:1745/SDS:1640
Goldfinger are back!This is the band that were the soundtrack to your youth! Their song “More Today That Yesterday” was featured in Waterboy, “Superman” on Tony Hawks' video game…we could go on! As seasoned veterans they will take to the main stage, delivering their unique and effortless blend of ska and pop-punk. The Los Angeles based four-piece were at the fore-front of the ska scene, and particularly influential in the third wave ska movement that originated in their native O.C. With over 15 years in the industry, Goldfinger are a must see band; follow their musical journey from reggae to ska to heavier riffs and even a cover of Nena’s 99 Red Balloons.
Atticus Stage
SDN:1840/SDS:1830
Francesqa opened the Festival in 2010 when Tom Delonge personally selected them as winners of Slam Dunk’s yearly competition in collaboration with Kerrang! magazine. And from then on the rockers from Newbury have had a colossal year, selling out dates up and down the UK. Only forming in 2009 Francesqa have already played alongside Young Guns, Canterbury and Aiden. Ashley Wilkie’s gravely vocals, a perfect mix of Scottish and Southern accents, bring a unique sound to the band; something which his dance moves on stage only adds to! One year on from their Slam Dunk debut and Francesqa have moved up the bill and to the bigger Atticus stage, and if the buzz around them is anything to go by get in their early to catch them!
Macbeth Stage
SDN:1930/SDS:1930
Andrew Nielson, aka MC Lars admits how he is leading “a genre that doesn't exist”; "post-punk laptop rap". His eclectic style of mixing literature with modern culture and post-punk with emo is truly unique. He raps about Edgar Allen Poe, at the same time as dropping samples from his Apple Mac whilst his live backing band jams and drums along! Keen to keep his rock roots he introduces samples from bands such as Supergrass and Iggy Pop, laying his vocals down over the top and creating amusing video montages for each song. He is a rapper, a business man, a lecturer, a writer, and an illustrator..what doesn’t this man do?!
Want to know more? Make sure you head back to Est.1987 tomorrow as we chat exclusively to Lars himself…
Macbeth Stage
SDN:2200/SDS:2210
If you want fast paced party anthems you better head over to the Macbeth stage and check out San Francisco’s finest- Set Your Goals. Only formed in 2004 they capture the raw vibe of pop-punk in its early days. Set Your Goals are energetic and loud, defying anyone to stand still during their set. The guys perform honest, enjoyable pop-punk-meets-melodic-hardcore, and we’re definitely not complaining. They pack every song with an almighty crunch, mixing it with a slightly sweeter melodic tone within each chorus. This is going to be the band that explode on to stage and only build in momentum throughout their set!
So...that was our round up of just some of the bands on offer this weekend...now bring on the afterparty!
