SLAM DUNK ITALY REVIEW Pre And Post-Show: An Unforgettable Display Of Music And Energy

Slam Dunk Festival, first established in 2006, has taken many forms over the years. Tonight’s show however, marks a new landmark as the first ever European Slam Dunk – on the sunny coast of Rimini, Italy we’re headed into night one of three.

The UK dates this year received some criticism of its organisational and logistical pitfalls, so you could be forgiven for thinking that their first abroad venture might have some difficulties. However, last night was a triumph for artists and organisers alike.

PRE

Stand Atlantic:

It’s been a busy few years for Stand Atlantic, 2 albums in 2 years and now they’re back on the road again in 2023. This band seem to never stop and their hard work, is paying off. With thousands gathered to watch, singing along to Pity Party, Hate Me (Sometimes) and deathwish. This band have come along way. Their dynamic live show coupled with vocalist Bonnie brushing off their high school Italian made for a perfect start to the evening.

Zebrahead:

It’s comforting to know that some things are universal. Standing with your friends, screaming your lungs out with a cider in hand, is great no matter what country you do it in. And Zebrahead are an incredible addition to any festival. After 25 years together, their show still sets them apart from everyone else. From skeleton onesie wearing crew members crows surfing on an inflatable watermelon, yes you read that correctly. To hearing fan favourites, Rescue Me, Hello Tomorrow, Falling Apart and festival anthem Drink Drink.. tonight’s set will be one that’s hard to beat. The joy radiating from the band and crowd was utterly contagious.

NASKA:

Italy’s own NASKA takes to the stage next, keeping up the energy from the previous Zebrahead set, not an easy act to follow. The forty minute set consisted of original material and some epic punk covers including No Future (Sex Pistols) made for an entertaining set. NASKA controlled the crowd with a captivating stage presence

Sum 41:

Off the back of their recent announcement that they are going to disband after one more album and world tour, I don’t think anyone is sure what to expect tonight. What we get, is easily the best Sum 41 set I’ve had the pleasure to witness. Welcomed by the crowd with open arms, circle pits and singalongs it’s a wonderful way to close the evening. Epic pyrotechnics and showman-ship from front man Deryck aside, the sheer volume of the crowd felt like Sum 41 had gained an extra member tonight. I think the band had just a good a time as we did, minutes after the last song was played, the arena was starting to rapidly empty, the house lights were on, they burst back on stage for what seemed to be a spontaneous encore of Machine Gun. Their reappearance creating a cloud of dust as a few thousand fans ran back on themselves.

As you leave the mainstage in Rimini and walk along the sea front to the emo sucks after-party, you can’t help but think that this is the perfect set up for a festival, but this is just the beginning.

After a glorious opening night with a headline set from Sum 41, the weekend is off to an amazing start. Sunshine, two stages, one of which is on the actual beach, no clashes and thousands of festival goers? Slam Dunk, Italy edition is ready to go.

POST

Charlotte Sands:

Charlotte Sands can do it all, an energetic captivating show, with a consistently brilliant vocal performance. You can feel how sincere she is about her music, song writing and the gratitude she has for being in the position to play shows, which make all of her performances a special one to be at. Whilst a lot of the pop-punk, emo revival is nostalgia fueled, Charlotte Sands is the injection of new life in the genre that you want to see.

Less Than Jake:

Saxophone, trombone playing, toilet paper throwing, water gun squirting, Less Than Jake are festival favourites for a reason. For a band I’ve always thought sound like summer, this is the perfect setting to see them live. After recently doing some Hello Rockview full album shows, this afternoon is a more condensed affair, with a sea of festival goers dancing to classics; The Science of Selling Yourself Short, History Of A Boring Town, Gainesville Rock City and All My Best Friends Are Metalheads, ska is sounding alive and well.

Anti-Flag:

Some bands just don’t get enough credit, and I’m guilty of forgetting just how great Anti-Flag are live until they’ve been on stage for approximately 10 seconds. The energy, passion and sense of community that you can feel in the crowd is tangible. Bursting on with Die For The Government, the tempo is set and Anti-Flag never let up.

Punk Rock Factory:

Festival season, is arguably the most fun season of them all and Punk Rock Factory embody all things fun. Cover bands, aren’t for everyone, but how could hearing punk rock covers of tracks from Frozen, Kate Bush, Moana and the Pokémon and Powerangers theme with a drink in hand looking over at the sea in the sunshine not be an excellent addition to your day?

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls:

Initially, the crowd seems a little smaller for Frank Turner than it has been for most of the day, but with the bands boundless energy, masterful showman-ship and the highest number of circle pits for the weekend – this quickly changes. Frank joking with the crowd, not to panic when he produced an acoustic guitar, their set definitely gave a nod to being on the same bill as punk legends Rancid. Fast numbers Punches, Non Serviam and Out Of Breath made for circle pits with healthy dose of singalongs to Get Better and Recovery, Frank has this crowd in the palm of his hand. Closing the set with the crowd slow dancing under a cloud of sand and dust to Four Simple Words. If there was any set this weekend that won people over, it was this one.

Bowling For Soup:

For a band that have been around as Bowling For Soup have, it comes as a surprise when they announce this is their first real Italy show, the band visually and verbally stunned at the packed out crowd that awaits them on the beach this evening. Their festival set is crammed with fan favourites, 1985, Almost, High School Never Ends, Girl All The Bad Guys Want, Punk Rock 101 which the crowd sing every word along with them, at one point singing a whole chorus and verse whilst the guys went and grabbed a beer. One of the things BFS have always done well is interact with their fans, sing alongs, inflatable bananas being released and their Bowling For Soup Official Photo Opportunity tonight is a non-stop, energy packed, joy filled set.

Rancid:

The word ‘legends’ is easy to throw around, but I think in Rancid’s case, it’s deserved. 30 years, 10 albums and countless shows later and their headline set tonight is the perfect display of why this band is loved so deeply, respected widely and why their career has lasted as long as it has. Opening with the title track from their brand new album Tomorrow Never Comes, their impressive 27 song set spans their career, playing special attention to albums Let’s Go and …And Out Come The Wolves. A headline slot at a festival is usually the time to involve crazy pyrotechnics and do something a little bit more extravagant, Rancid opted keep it simple and it really worked. Their set tonight, still felt like a Rancid show, just on a huge scale. Playing to that many people and being able to create the sense of intimacy that they did is something not many people can pull off but this performance was a really authentic reflection of who Rancid are and the audience responded to that. I’m pretty sure the echos of Roots Radicals, Ruby Soho, Fall Back Down and Old Friend could be heard for miles along the coast as day one of Slam Dunk came to a close.

Read our reviews about Slam Dunk UK North here and here.

What are your experiences with Slam Dunk this year? Let us know!

Slam Dunk North Review Part 2: Melodic Mayhem And Unforgettable Performances

I was keeping my emotions at bay during most of the day, but seeing some of the bands I’ve been listening to since I was just a kid, was obviously going to make me go through it a little bit. While the emotions I went through were overwhelmingly positive, there were a lot of people getting a different experience.

The alternative world used to be something small and a little exclusive. The recent resurgence of alternative music makes it important the experiences grow along with it, and it’s growing so fast that it’s hard to keep up with the growth. Slam Dunk started as a small inner city festival, and the popularity of it has made it grow until this massive thing in Temple Newsam, but it’s looking like it’s growing faster than they can sometimes deal with properly.

In the end, we need to try to put our grievances about it aside and remember we are all there for the same love. This sometimes gets forgotten, making for tensions along crowds. On the other side are also people sharing good moments with strangers, because at that time, we are all still the same small alternative scene we started out as.

Enter Shikari:

This is the one many have been waiting on. It’s been a couple of years since they visited Slam Dunk (2017). Enter Shikari are one of the bands that always had so much potential, you could tell this even when they just had frat party vibes in stingy small rooms. This band was meant to do arena headliners and the newest record is getting them to the biggest point of their career so far.

The band and audience are both radiating heat, waiting to explode and they do just so. It might not be that small band anymore, but they party just as hard as back then. I needed to come down from feeling a lot of emotions over the last couple hours and this set was absolutely the ultimate ending to a perfect day, complete with fireworks. Everyone saved their last bit of energy for the last bang with the updated version of Sorry, You’re Not A Winner, before we can all head home completely tired yet rejuvenated at the same time.

Escape The Fate:

It’s safe to say Escape The Fate have found their way into what the band is supposed to be and they feel very confident in this.

There’s so much happening on the stage at the same time, and Mabbitt leads us through it as the Mad Hatter, the ringleader showing us what to pay attention to. I came here expecting one band, but came out of Wonderland with an entirely different perspective on it.

The Academy Is…:

One of the worst clashes on the line-up for me was picking between PVRIS and The Academy Is…, and the feeling of nostalgia of the 2000s band lured me in to pick this act. I’ve already written a little bit about the place of women in the scene, so my initial thought about this band was a little (ok, a lot) hypocritical. Let me just get it out of the way: there’s a reason The Academy Is… got listened to, and most of that was because of William Beckett’s inherit charm. He had a firm grip on girls like me in the early 2000s, gaining them a huge fanbase, both online and offline. However, the band hasn’t been together since 2011, if we don’t count the short-lived reunion in 2015, and the Warped Tour days are long over, so I was curious how well it holds up when so much time has passed.

I was kind of hoping to get something new in there as well, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking, because of their statement of being ‘back’. The show is a big celebration of their greatest hits, and new music would maybe not fit as well with this obvious throwback to the glory days… but I’d have loved to see a glimpse of their future in there. I’m very curious to hear what kind of music they’ll end up making, if any, and hear how that fits with their existing records.

Because of their very well-known songs, a lot of people are able to sing along. A lot of newer bands wish they got this kind of pull on a crowd, and they make it look like it all comes very easily. Beckett’s voice sounds very mature and I feel like he can handle much more, which makes it a little silly he’s still singing songs like About A Girl as a grown and greying man. You can tell he’s enjoying being back on the stage after such a long time, as well. What a difference from the kid we were all slightly obsessed with in our MySpace/Tumblr days, that kinda felt like he didn’t want to be there in the past. One thing is for sure though, Beckett really earned his position as emo heartthrob, as he still knows how to charm the crowd as well as he did 15+ years ago.

The Maine:

I’ve been a fan of this band since 2009 when their record Black and White came out, so this was one of the ‘must sees’ on my list for the day. I wrote in an earlier article that they have grown a lot for every record they’ve released, and the same goes for their live shows. I’ve seen this band at least 5 times before and I’ve never been bored for a second during their set, and today was no exception.

The band has been in the studio for the last couple of months, but the record isn’t out yet, so the most recent record they put out is XOXO from 2021 (not counting the newest singles). With them still in the recording process and only starting a tour in July, this show feels like it’s a little ‘in between eras’ show to hold us over until they fully go into the new era.

Considering Loved You A Little features Charlotte Sands, I half hoped to see her come on stage to perform this banger. I was a not disappointed and it definitely was one of the highlights of the festival for me. I just wish I could’ve split myself in two to see the set in it’s entirety, especially next to my friends I’ve spent the last 2 Slam Dunks with (close to me in spirit and in the crowd). When I’m speaking about the love for music, it means spending time with people that share that love with me that makes the experience more than just a silly show. The Maine know and understand this feeling, representing it with their ‘8123 family’ perfectly; this is why I call it home and I never want to leave.

Yellowcard:

Once more with feeling, because I like hurting apparently. I remember vividly standing in the venue during their ‘last’ Amsterdam show and trying to save that entire night to my memories, specifically seeing myself hug the stranger standing next to me that was also sobbing their eyes out. Since I’m trying to be a professional I can’t go around the photo pit crying my eyes out and hugging the other photographers next to me, I had to keep it together for at least 10 minutes.

When I got up this morning I was still contemplating wearing my 2017 ‘final tour’ shirt, but that honestly would’ve left me a little salty during the day. They put me through that awful hiatus from 2008-2010, but at least that hiatus meant they were going to come back at one point. Naming their last record ‘Yellowcard’ with a last song called ‘Rest In Peace’ made the final tour seem pretty damn final, so I mourned the loss of one of the bands I grew up with accordingly.

This is all to say, I hate that they did that to me, but I’m so incredibly happy to see them again, so as soon as they started, all was forgiven. In the beginning it was looking like it wouldn’t start at all, giving the North flashbacks to the last time they were at Slam Dunk (they were cursed with having technical difficulties it seems). I was a little scared this reunion would taint the memories from before, but in the end it just adds to them. Even with the hugging a stranger in the crowd, happy they are back. My heartbreak is healed a little after this.

Bowling For Soup:

Let me first start this off with the statement that Bowling For Soup was a big part of my formative years, and since the last show they did in The Netherlands was in 2007, I never got to experience them live. Since then, both me and the band have been growing up and growing old, so I hoped to make the teenage me happy by finally seeing them.

The things they were trying to say, were a little lost on the teenager that wasn’t exactly fluent in English. I can now more clearly tell the songs are somewhat parodying the music that was popular back when the songs were released. It’s all in good fun and the show is a blast from the past, but because the songs are so heavy on the pop culture references, the songs didn’t always age well.

Sometimes you just need to let the teenager in you take the wheel, and just love the music with the catchy hooks and funny schticks that take you back to when times were much simpler. It’s not rocket science and the men are more than aware of this. The way they present theirselves lets you know they are in on the joke, which makes this one of the most fun shows to have seen today.