Slam Dunk Festival 2016 – Ones to Watch (Part 1 – UK acts)

Here we have a list of the best UK acts that you must check out while at Slam Dunk 2016. You won’t be disappointed!

Slam Dunk festival is entering it’s tenth year and is set for a massive party! What was once an exclusive pop-punk festival has now expanded to include acts from all alternative genres, with this year’s crop ranging from headliners Panic! At The Disco to pop-punkers Roam to gothic punks Creeper. So if you’re wondering whether to make the trip to one of the venues (which FYI the answer is a definite YES!) or just need to decide what stage you want to be camped out on (the stage splits for this year make that quite hard to do!), here we have a list of the best of the UK acts that you must check out while there. You won’t be disappointed!

Creeper

It’s been an insane eighteen months for the Southampton sextet. With a line-up change, appearances at Download Festival, Hevy Fest and 2000 Trees sandwiched between support slots with the likes of Funeral For A Friend, The Misfits, Neck Deep and fellow Slam Dunkers Moose Blood, before embarking on their first headline tour in February 2016. The band have also been nominated for an Alternative Press APMA award for best underground band. The goth punks’ live performances are energetic and entrancing, guaranteed to have you dancing, opening up the pits and probably crying (if you have a heart). Catch them on the Kerrang Fresh Blood stage.

Blood Youth

Blood Youth have been labelled as one of the UKs most exciting prospects. The quartet released EP Closure in 2016 and are known for their charged live performances. The band always bring surprises as well, as seen on their July 2015 UK tour with fellow Slam Dunker’s Trash Boat where they brought summer props and inflatable dinosaurs on stage. Their raucous performances have seen them propel into the hearts of many in the underground scene.

Dead!

Londoners Dead! Have created a buzz around themselves with their ‘Damned Restless Future’ group and caused havoc at some house shows before heading out on their own UK tour. The rockers are set to play the Kerrang Fresh Blood stage. Check out their track Skin here:

Grumble Bee

Grumble Bee has been making waves in the last few months. Jack Bennett and his live colleagues bassist Zach Phelps and drummer Callum Connell are set to play debut solo EP Disconnect in full on the acoustic stage. Citing influences including Biffy Clyro, Brand New, Pierce The Veil, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake, the diverse range mixes together to provide entrancing tracks such as Sky Writer.

Astroid Boys

Welsh quintet Astroid Boys are set to feature on the Uprawr stage at this years festival. The hip-hop troupe have created waves with their electric beats and are set to bring something different to the festival. Incorporating home city Cardiff into their tracks, even dedicating April 2015’s EP to the city with the title CF10, the Welsh represent are set to intrigue and captivate their audience.

Moose Blood

Emo punks Moose Blood have been reviving an almost dead genre almost single handedly since their formation in August 2012. They have been making waves with their emotionally driven tracks, including a massive stint on the US Warped tour! You can expect sing-a-longs galore throughout their opening slot on this year’s main stage. Give them a few years and they’ll be a sure-fire to return and headline!

As It Is

Trans-Atlantic pop-punks As It Is have also been making waves. The Brighton-via-Minneapolis quintet were the first British band to sign to Fearless Records and have had major success on both sides of the Atlantic. Their EP Never Happy, Ever After has cemented the group as a front-runner in a highly saturated pop-punk scene. Their energetic live shows are not to be missed and it’s impossible to leave their sets without a smile on your face (although you can be forgiven for having a slight frown because the set would have to end, and we would be content to watch them all day).

Young Guns

Young Guns are set to play their first UK show of the year at Slam Dunk. The Buckinghamshire alt-rockers are a breath of fresh air with their captivating performances. The stage presence and audience control of frontman Gustav Wood ensures everyone from the barrier to the bars are involved in belting out some of the best tracks of the decade.

Elizabeth Birt

March 31, 2016

Band management assistant. Goth princess and lover of all things music and sport.

@lbirt1993

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