After a few editions cancelled or postponed to another date, the Slam Dunk was back at their usual dates with a strong line-up! Sum 41, Beartooth, Dropkick Murphys, Alexisonfire… and many more. Here are the top 5 for the Slam Dunk Hatfield 2022 from the team!
TOP 5 FROM PIERRE
SUM 41
Have you ever been disappointed by a show from Sum 41? No. Indeed. Their set was the perfect way to end this great day of festival with so many hits and classics. Between concert and karaoke, this set was intense from the first to the very last song. Pyro, lights and a really good set-list. What else?
BEARTOOTH
They were really high in our wishlish of the festival and they didn’t disappoint us! Huge show, pyro and CO2 canons, a Caleb on fire (metaphoric of course), it was as good as expected. He celebrated 6 months of being sober and we felt he got more energy than ever. And this final with The Last Riff 100% instrumental was a blast. We saw Caleb singing, playing guitar, writing music… a drum solo next time so it’s complete?
ELECTRIC CALLBOY
Don’t look further a band in the metal area with a bigger hype than the German boys, you won’t find any. And don’t look for their drummer: he was sick and wasn’t able to play. The band had to play without him and put a doll behind the drum kit. But that didn’t stop them from having a successful show! Pump It, We Got The Move, Spaceman… so many songs already hits. And the biggest: Hypa Hypa! With such a performance and a response from the audience, they could have been higher on the line-up for sure! Maybe next time?
COUNTERPARTS
Compared to 2019 or the original line-up from 2020, there are less metalcore or hardcore bands on the line-up. So we didn’t miss one of our only dose of hardcore at Slam Dunk! Playing especially songs from the latest album “Nothing Left To Love’, the Canadians gave us all the energy they got with a couple of speeches always funny and specials from Brendan. The mostpit was more than alive but we still regret there’s not a stage without barriers at Slam Dunk.
NECK DEEP
It wasn’t on the planning to see them, especially after the boring show from 2019. But their tent was on the way between the fries stand and the Main Stage for Sum 41. And finally the half-show we saw was really intense! The best way to start their 10 years anniversary circle. They played the festival for the first time 9 years ago thanks to a public vote. This year, they were one of the headliners. What a long and great journey!
TOP 5 FROM MIKE
ALEXISONFIRE
They were headliners and one of the most anticipating bands of the day: they didn’t disappoint! They played all their most famous songs (Young Cardinals, Rough Hands, .44 Caliber Lover Letter…) and the audience had the time of their live singing along during 1h! Small surprise of the day: they played a brand new song Sweet Dreams Of Otherness from the upcoming album “Otherness”. And we can’t wait to see them live again in October with more new songs!
NOVA TWINS
Because of The Amity Affliction delay, the show from Alexisonfire finished when Nova Twins already started their set… consequence: we only saw the 20 last minutes of Nova Twins! However, in 20 minutes, they proved that they can put the fire on stage and that they deserved their spot as headliners of the Key Club Stage! The British band played their most successfull songs as well as brand new song Choose Your Fighter.
PINKSHIFT
Thanks to the Slam Dunk, you have the possibility to discover many new bands. Pinkshift was one of them. For their very first time in UK, Ashrita and her teammates got an early spot on the Left Club Stage by Marshall. Their engaged punk was as heavy in the lyrics than their music but didn’t get the best reaction possible from the crowd.
DEATHBYROMY
Unfortunately, there were not lot of people to see their show… but they did their best in less then 30 minutes despite the technical issues. Indeed, the soundcheck of Point Nord on the other Key Stage irritated them a lot! Which we can understand… That’s the issue with 2 stages installed next to the other. Their alt-pop seduced us very quickly and we hope to see them again really soon!
STAND ATLANTIC
Not a sick show, not a bad show, Stand Atlantic did a good work. Starting with the Jurrasic Park‘s theme, it put us in a good vibes for the next 35 minutes. Between their hits like Hate Me Sometimes and Molotov OK, they had to make a break because of someone injured in the crowd – many people during that festival in that case by the way. Sadly, they didn’t play our favorite song SHH!… but we can’t have everything!
Of course, this our very own top 5! We are aware everybody won’t have the same. With so many stages and bands, we all have different schedules. Let us know in the comments what was your favorite shows of the day! And in the meantime, mark the dates for 2023 in your agenda: 27 and 28 May!