Slam Dunk 2019 Awards – Leeds

We bring you another festival awards from Slam Dunk!

BAND OF THE FESTIVAL:

All Time Low

Is there any other answer, really? Headliners are meant to do just that, headline. But the performance from All Time Low made it look like the rest of the Slam Dunk Main Stage were just opening acts for them.

SOLO ACT OF THE FESTIVAL:

William Ryan Key
Breaking out old Yellowcard classics solo and acoustic was a beautiful way to open up the sunny Slam Dunk North. It didn’t stay sunny all day, mind, but it did stay long enough for everyone to happily sing along to ‘With You Around’, ‘Way Away‘ and of course ‘Ocean Avenue‘, et al.

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE:

Shane Told, Silverstein
Silverstein‘s Shane Told is known on record for hardcore screams and melodic cleans, merging pop punk and post-hardcore perfectly. And he replicates it amazingly live.

BEST BASS PERFORMANCE:

Zack Merrick, All Time Low
Zack just stands there, looking slightly shy. But through his bandmates’ odd comments, random people from the crowd trying to touch him and/or show him their breasts, he keeps going, keeping the wheels of All Time Low turning.

BEST GUITAR PERFORMANCE:

Story Of The Year on ‘”Is This My Fate,” He Asked Them’
I knew this song would be crazy, if played. But I thought it’d be the crowd that was crazy, but no. The crazy was the shredding riffs and mind-blowing solo.

BEST CROWD INTERACTION:

As It Is
They’d have won this for me at Slam Dunk 2018 too. Last year they told us how, at their first Slam Dunk, they opened up the stage which The Wonder Years headlined, with the band telling the crowd that all the opening acts would one day headline. In 2018, they headlined that stage, and in 2019 they were on the main stage. There’s something heartwarming and powerful about Patty Walters, every year, reminding the crowd that they can pursue their dreams, and thanking them for letting As It Is pursue theirs.

BEST CROWD REACTION:

Busted
Year 3000‘ sent a very big crowd in a very small tent very crazy. Crowdsurfers nearly took my friends glasses, the pit was frankly lethal (yes, a pit for Busted…) and the six and a half foot guy behind me trying to get to the front was annoying. He didn’t get to the front, I held him off. He ended up in the pit. He’s probably still there.

FUNNIEST ON-STAGE/OVERHEARD COMMENT:

All Time Low
All Time Low are hardly known to be PG, but the comment of putting their cold hands in Rian Dawson’s (drums) warm hole definitely takes it to a new level.

BEST MERCH ON SHOW:

As It Is
Let’s be honest, their ‘The Wounded World’ tees are stunning. I still don’t have one, though. I’m not the best when it comes to spending money wisely.

ACT THAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST:

WSTR
For a band I’d never listened to before, as originally I was going to go see Wage War with my mate, they did pretty well. Put it this way, I went home and listened to them.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT:

New Found Glory and William Ryan Key
The look of shock on William Ryan Key‘s face when he was brought to the front of the main stage and asked to say something to the crowd by Chad Gilbert. It was up on the screen, for all to see. It’s OK, we love you.