Slam Dunk Festival (South) - University Of Hertfordshire - 29th May 2011 (Live Review)
Thursday, 09 June 2011
Written by Matthew Williamson
Slam Dunk South was back this year, consuming the last bank holiday of May. This year celebrates 10 years of Slam Dunk, after starting as a club night in Leeds (where Slam Dunk North is held). It’s constantly expanding with smaller versions of the festival being brought to Bournemouth, Glasgow and Birmingham. After South’s inaugural year last year the layout problems have been ironed out and everything seems to run infinitely smoother. Not to say that there aren’t problems, Mayday Parade being the notable casualty as their set starts 15 minutes late due to problems with the guitarist’s never ending pedal board.
The day starts with Maryland’s soon to be huge The Dangerous Summer. Their sound slightly hampers the usually impressive quartet. The band run through songs from debut album ‘Reach For The Sun’, including debuting a couple off the upcoming ‘War Paint’. The passion and energy put into the performance is plain to see, however the crowd don’t really get going, which is understandable for the opening band with almost nine hours of music remaining.
Remaining at the Atticus Stage for pop-punkers We Are The In Crowd fronted by the energetic Tay Jardine, who prances around the stage trying to get some reaction from the still static onlookers. They do seem to have a better reception with the mostly teenage audience, but still fail to get going. It would be easy to pigeon-hole them into another female fronted pop-punk group, but the interchange between Jardine and guitarist Jordan Eckes means that they definitely have an edge on the rest.
Running over to the Honour For Glory stage means that we catch LA Rapper Hyro Da Hero. He’s no ordinary wordsmith, choosing to have massive, grunge like guitars, along with all the workings of a rock band, substituting his rhymes for the vocals. The guy is going to be massive, don’t say you haven’t been warned.
The Punktastic stage is largely deserted before a special acoustic set from The Dangerous Summer. The stripped down versions of songs new and old are beautiful, and with a better crowd reaction than earlier it’s the first time that there’s a sense of atmosphere. Among the crowd is Deaf Havana’s James Veck-Gilodi, who we see walking around all day, showing that this is a pretty special festival, for bands and fans alike.
The fast up-and-coming Versaemerge are the first time the crowd really start to get into it. Criticism about lead singer Sierra Kusterbeck’s ability to sing live seem, unfortunately, to be proved right. However, what she lacks in vocals she makes up for in energy. Versa seem to be at crisis point recently, losing members fast. The only permanent members being Kusterbeck and guitarist Blake Harnage (the only original member). However you would never guess that the duo were in such turmoil, with a truly monstrous performance. Another one to watch in the coming months.
The aforementioned Mayday Parade have some problems getting started, due to problems with their guitarist’s pedals. Not surprisingly it seems to take them a while to find the fault but when they kick off they really kick off. It seems a lot of the crowd have been waiting the whole day to see them, and they don’t disappoint. Massive sing-a-longs are everywhere and feel good pop rules the day.
A slightly heavier feel is taking over the Honour For Glory stage however, as Deaf Havana walk out. Although they lost Ryan Mellor last year, the group’s source for screaming vocals, Veck-Gilodi manages to fill in with ease. The support for the band has increased exponentially since last year’s festival, where they played the Kerrang! Introducing Stage. The crowd joins in almost all the way, most notably on ‘Hits’ ‘Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life’ & ‘Friends Like These’. It’d be fitting to end the festival.
There is, however, just enough time to run back to the Atticus Stage for one final act, the gigantic 3Oh!3. The amount of jumping, singing and screams from the audience prove just how idolised the band is. Running through hits such as ‘Starstrukk’, ‘My First Kiss’ and ‘Double Vision’ they finally finish with ‘Don’t Trust Me’, which sends the room into raptures.
The festival did well to bounce back from the shambles of last year and there were definitely some special moments for everybody involved. Here’s to hoping they can replicate it again next year. Although, with the bank holiday in question being moved for the Queen’s jubilee, who knows if it’ll even go ahead!
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