If you’re a pop-punk fan then we’re sure you spent at least some of your day at the Atticus Stage at this years Slam Dunk Festival. With a whole host of majorly up-and-coming bands such as Modern Baseball, Real Friends and State Champs you’d be missing out if you didn’t catch at least one of them. And to top it off Kids In Glass Houses played the entirety of first album ‘Smart Casual’ and gave us equal measures of nostalgia and sadness that they’re going.
Check out what we made of the day at the Atticus Stage here.
Light You Up- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
Opening up the Atticus stage was fresh face pop punkers Light You Up. Despite inconveniently clashing with names like Heart Of A Coward and Blitz Kids, and playing such an early set; the Birmingham five-piece managed to reel in a considerable crowd for their impressive thirty-minute set. Expecting to release their debut album this year, Light You Up debuted three new tracks in their set, alongside tracks from the 2012 EP ‘Broken Jaw’. Light You Up’s set was filled with good vibes all round, with vocalist Tom Napier singing a portion of set closer ‘Foxfire’ from amidst the eager crowd. 8/10 SW
Modern Baseball- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
Philly youngsters Modern Baseball (or MoBo to fans) has been winning everyone over left and right. So much that they managed to fill up the room as early as 2.45pm. It was so full that even arriving 10 minutes before the start of the set meant being stuck in the back with absolutely no vision of the stage. That wasn’t too big a deal though because Modern Baseball’s honestly witty brand of indie punk is the guarantee of a good time filled with (slightly drunken) cheers and sing alongs. It was quite a simple set with no theatrics but a focus on the music. The band brought that summer feeling into the stuffy room, with fun-loving tracks like ‘Two Good Things’; ‘Broken Cash Machine’ and crowd favourite ‘The Weekend’. 8/10 SW
Save Your Breath- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
The third act of the day to grace the Atticus stage is Save Your Breath, who end up being the first band on the stage to REALLY get the crowd going. They provide the Slam Dunk crowd with a steady pop-punk set that has an interesting British twist, as opposed to the many American bands that are playing this year’s festival. They’re playing to one of the festival’s smallest stages, but that definitely wouldn’t seem the case to an outsider- Save Your Breath give it their all, and you could just as easily place them in a venue twice the size, and the crowd clearly pick up on their enthusiastic vibe without needing much encouragement. They’re not up to headliner standard just yet, but give it a few years and their catchy songs combined with their passionate live performance could see them shine 7/10 SL
A Loss For Words- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
As it gets later in the day and the bigger bands start to work their way onto the stages, the crowds begin to filter out and smaller venues become slightly less packed. However, that doesn’t stop bands such as A Loss For Words giving it their all. They throw out several strong songs that keep the whole room engaged and don’t let people regret their decision to be at the Atticus stage. Although they don’t make an especially overwhelming impression on the first-time listener, their name is still remembered in amongst the festival’s 50+ acts and that’s something to be proud of. 6/10 SL
Credit: Katie McMillanState Champs – Atticus Stage- Hatfield
Having already owned the rest of the UK with their incredible shows supporting The Wonder Years just days before, State Champs have set the bar high for themselves. Opening with the infectious ‘Deadly Conversation’, the completely packed Atticus Stage is brimming with loud and sweaty fans screaming along. Other crowd pleasers include ‘Critical’ and closing song, ‘Elevated’. Unfortunately they do experience some piercing and unwanted feedback from their microphones, but the New-Yorkers rise above it and deliver a set that would rival any of their pop-punk idols. 9/10 LH
Neck Deep- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
Hailing from Wrexham, Neck Deep won over the crowd at this year’s Atticus Stage. Drawing in a generous amount of fans, the band encouraged the audience to belt out the words to pop-punk classics like ‘Over And Over’. In the middle of the track, some festivalgoers took it one step further and got involved in the vicious circle pit, which quickly spread across the floor. Delivering a set that will no doubt be remembered in months to come, Neck Deep nailed it. 8/10 EM
Real Friends- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
Energetic. Sweaty. Extremely pop-punk. That’s how we’d sum up Real Friends’ set at Slam Dunk. Starting with an explosive ‘Floorboards’ and ending with an even more banging ‘Late Nights In My Car’, this was one of our favourite sets not only at Slam Dunk, but ever! Real Friends managed to keep everything fun from start to finish. Their fans are some of the most enthusiastic and passionate we’ve ever seen, with nobody in the room staying completely still. We could tell there were also a lot of first time watchers who became instant fans after this set. 10/10 SW
Kids In Glass Houses- Atticus Stage- Hatfield
Seeing Kids In Glass Houses these past months and for the next few months will always be emotional as they are constantly reminding us; “This is the last time we’re playing *insert city or event name*” For a lot of us, Kids In Glass Houses bring a sense of nostalgia, even more so when the band played their debut album ‘Smart Casual’ in full this weekend. Our sixteen-year-old selves could not help belting out all the words along with the band’s superb performance. Several other classic tracks were played in the encore, including the emotional whirlwind that is ‘Sunshine’ and set closer ‘Matters That All’ that allowed a sense of closure with everyone bidding the final “goodnight.” Kids In Glass Houses are always an absolute pleasure to see live, and we’ll really miss watching them come October. 8/10 SW
Reviews by: Santhi Weiss, Emma Matthews, Lizzi Hart and Sam Lawrie
Photos by: Ellie Mitchell, Jemma Dodd, Katie McMillan and Jade Till
