Slam Dunk 2018

This Bank Holiday Monday saw thousands of people flocking to the NEC in Birmingham for the annual rock lovers festival. The weather fortunately held up after the crazy thunderstorms of the day before, and the sun was indeed shining right until the final acts by the outside stages.
Boasting over 50 different groups playing across eight stages, it’s become a yearly staple for any fans of rock, alternative or pop-punk groups. Featuring a huge variety from Slam Dunk staples like Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger and Zebrahead as well as some of the newer headliners and groups to the festival, like State Champs, Sleeping With Sirens and the final acts featuring Jimmy Eat World and Good Charlotte to close out an amazing day.
Seeing everyone you want to see at Slam Dunk can take pinpoint accuracy and planning, and very often you’ll still end up missing someone you wanted to see, but that’s most of the appeal for wanting to come back next year, it’s a good chance to see a huge variety of different groups in the same day, and can also be an amazing way to hear music you from bands you might otherwise not have heard. People come in all kinds of colours and fashions and it is truly a day to let yourself go and have fun, whether your idea of fun is sitting in the back with a drink, or finding the heaviest group you can and moshing at the front.
My personal highlights involved getting up and close when The Devil Wears Prada played at the Impericon Stage, and then seeing both State Champs and Sleeping with Sirens play a heavily packed main stage, then seeing Goldfinger almost fill the entire outside venue, to finally come in and finish an amazing night with Good Charlotte’s killer performance.
I’d highly recommend you keep an eye out for next year’s line-up if you missed it this year, chances are you will have definitely heard of someone playing it, and if you ask me that’s reason enough to try to make it.
> Mark Goddard