The Slam Dunk 2025 recap with crookedjukebox.
SOUTH — HATIFLED PARK, HERTFORDSHIRE.
words by Nicola O'Connell & Kyle Richards
photography by Nicola O'ConnellSlam Dunk truly kicked off the festival season for us this year and in true fashion we’re still feeling the post-gig blues. This is the second year in a row of attending and I cannot lie it may actually be my favourite festival. The array of artists/bands that fill the line-up is exactly what I want to spend the day listening to, and even the artists I hadn’t listened to before ended up on my Spotify the next day. Now this is no shade to any other festival, we all do it different, but Slam Dunk has this atmosphere that makes it feel less of an overwhelming place to be in comparison to some others. Another thing I love with such events is seeing people of all ages coming together to enjoy the music, but especially those who brought their young’uns with their tiny little ear-defenders. I cannot tell you how many kids on shoulders I saw looking like they were having an absolute blast. Those are going to be some fantastic core memories for those kids.
As we arrived at the festival village we found a spot to sit whilst waiting for the main arena to open. There was plenty of food stalls around, water fill-up stations and merch stands. Despite the fact the weather wasn’t as sunny as last year I’d actually say it was maybe a blessing, the rain at least held off & I didn’t return with another sunburnt scalp :’)
When the festival line-up was first announced, Kid Bookie was a name I was drawn to and upon checking out his music, social media, and what he was all about I knew I had to go watch his set. Having headed to the stage early, we found some of his fans already at barricade to which Bookie himself came out to greet with his cute-as-heck dog, he then dished out a few hugs before returning backstage. Once his set began Kid Bookie took to the stage and promptly got his ass out, mooning the crowd, cracking us up (literally). Kicking into the music, Bookie takes over the stage with an energy that captivates you, and despite any technical difficulties being had he proves to be a man that can take the problems and not let them ruin his performance. He further explains as to how him & the band had about 2 days to play and prepare the set for Slam Dunk (I’d never have had noticed, they pulled it together well). Bookie’s performance alone was incredible and I live for the rap & rock genres colliding when it’s just done so right. He swaps smoothly between his clean & heavier vocals & it’s the perfect balance between the two. With new music on the way, I think we should be keeping our eyes in the direction of Kid Bookie.
KID BOOKIE — THE KEY CLUB STAGE
The first band we saw on one of the main stages was American pop-punk band Hit the Lights. It’s always great seeing bands that have been around for so long coming to a festival and giving nothing but a stellar performance even. The band played older songs such as ‘Three Oh Nine’, ‘Bodybag’, and ‘Speakers Blown’ whilst mentioning how they last performed Slam Dunk festival in 2016. They pulled a favourable crowd which included not just OG fans but new & curious festival goers who were simply enjoying the set. I enjoyed what I saw of their performance, I couldn’t fault them.
HIT THE LIGHTS — MAIN STAGE WEST
There was no chance in hell that I was missing Point North on the Kerrang! stage. Since seeing these guys supporting Set It Off earlier this year I’ve been hooked ever since. These are one of those bands that exert a crazy amount of energy on stage with singer Jon Lundin running back & forth and guitarist Andy Hersey spinning and jumping about all whilst playing guitar. They played songs like ‘Hammer’, ‘Safe and Sound’, and my personal favourite lately ‘WORLD vs PEACE’. This isn’t the guys first time playing Slam Dunk either as they previously had back in 2022. Point North’s set consisted of a serious amount of head-banging and a fair amount of crowd surfers as it seemed a popular stage to be at during their set. Navigating my way through and round the back of that crowd was quite the journey as it was a smaller stage but was heavily packed out with a whole load of loyal fans singing along with songs such as ‘Bring Me Down’. Jon Lundin has this incredibly clear pop-punk vocal and the dipping between clean & screams, chefs kiss. Yet to disappoint, we love this band.
POINT NORTH — KERRANG! STAGE
Now this was my first time listening/witnessing I See Stars and holy heck are they brilliant. This is a band with a visually, simplistically cool look and I love it. Hailing from Michigan - USA, I See Stars are described as electronic hardcore music. When singer Devin Oliver opened his mouth and started with their first song ‘Drift’ my jaw quite literally dropped. WHAT a voice that human has. The contrast between both singing styles is pure satisfying and I’m looking forward to digging further into their discography. My favourite song of their set had to be ‘Running With Scissors’ followed by ‘are we 3ven’. I See Stars are a band with a superb sound and I’m mad I didn’t realise they were playing a night in London afterward because I’d have loved to see them headlining their own show.
I SEE STARS — KERRANG! STAGE
NOAHFINNCE was another artist where when I saw the line-up I knew I would be making a beeline for. It’s all well and good witnessing an artist on tour but festivals are where I love to witness some of my favourites shine. I love seeing the turn out for someone when the crowds are there for any of the 20+ acts of the festival, yet a huge crowd piles up to see their set. You could see the loyal fans of Noah with one close to the stage with the trans flag, printed with a NOAHFINNCE logo, draped over their shoulders. Hannah Montana’s ‘The Best of Both Worlds’ starts blaring from the speakers and Noah appears on stage to start it all off with his song ‘I KNOW BETTER’. He follows it up with songs ‘GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET’ and ‘3 DAY HEADACHE’. NOAHFINNCE has a solid pop-punk vibe making him perfect for the crowds of Slam Dunk. As someone who grew up with some of my favourite bands being Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte and Fall Out Boy, Noah falls straight into that sound I know and love whilst bringing a fresher sound and look to it.
NOAHFINNCE — KERRANG! STAGE
If you don’t know who South Arcade is by now then I’d be stunned. This band is everywhere and I say it in the best way possible as they’ve been the ultimate support act for a hot minute, supporting the likes of NOAHFINNCE, Taylor Acorn and Bilmuri to name a few. This is a band that are committed and give nothing but 100% every time I’ve seen them perform but I’m dying to see them tear up a headline tour of their own. South Arcade take over the Key Club stage bringing immense energy with singer Harmony Cavelle kicking the crowd into a frenzy, singing and dancing. The stage set-up included a lot of backlighting which gave an additional edge to how cool these guys looked. Playing songs like ‘2005’, ‘Supermodels’, ‘HOW 2 GET AWAY WITH MURDER’, and ‘Nepo Baby’ - South Arcade are one of those forces to be reckoned with, from my track record with seeing them live they are consistently outstanding and every crowd loves them.
SOUTH ARCADE — THE KEY CLUB STAGE
Next to the Kerrang! stage was As It Is. After announcing their return in 2024 from a brief hiatus, As It Is re-recorded their 2015 album ‘Never Happy, Ever After’ as it’s reached it’s 10 year anniversary. Following suit with the fact they re-recorded the album with features from other singers on each song, the band had several of those artists join them on stage for their set. As It Is started their set with ‘Speak Soft’ featuring Georgia Casey of High Regard, followed by ‘Cheap Shots & Setbacks’ with Mikey Chapman (of Mallory Knox), and ‘Sorry’. They proceeded to bring out several more artists including bringing back on NOAHFINNCE for ‘Can’t Save Myself’. I quite enjoyed what I saw of their set, they’re a cool band to watch and I love the music. They’ve a great stage presence and I’d be all for catching them on their ‘Never Happy, Ever Aftour’ in September. Also there was a really cool moment where people were crowd surfing and we turned to see someone in a wheelchair being crowd surfed up and over the barricade too, followed by several of the photographers giving the fan high-fives as they left the pit. It was a super lovely moment, it’s nice to see the inclusivity.
AS IT IS — KERRANG! STAGE
I personally was quite excited to finally see Delilah Bon as she’s someone I’ve heard a lot about but not really gotten around to listening to the music itself. Delilah’s music touches a lot on some heavy topics from current world issues, transphobia, violence against women, rape culture - the list goes on. She definitely doesn’t shy away from what she feels so strongly about. She takes that emotion & passion and drives it into her music of pure feminine rage. Oh the stage behind her you’d find handcrafted signs reading “DEAD MEN DON’T RAPE” and “TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS”. With the world we currently live in Delilah Bon is a breath of fresh air with songs you can sing your lungs out to, which could be somewhat cathartic in this state of affairs. The Key Club stage seemed to be having it’s fair amount of technical issues the whole day which resulted in a knock-on affect to the line-up but the crowd waiting stuck around and once she took to the stage the energy in the tent went wild. Rocking up in a hot pink top reading “Save a cow… Kill a rapist” perfectly paired with a cow print skirt, Delilah captivates the room and goes straight into the song ‘Brat’. The whole band oozes a level of untapped coolness that I could only aspire to. Delilah Bon goes on to play other songs such as ‘I Don’t Listen To You’, ‘PRINCELESS PRINCESS’, ‘Evil, Hate Filled Female’, and ‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’. I’m mad at myself for not having seen her live sooner, but this was probably the best introduction to her that I could’ve had.
DELILAH BON — THE KEY CLUB STAGE
Now, as much as I’ve heard the name Electric Callboy, I don’t actually think I’ve ever been exposed to their music (and after seeing them, it feels like something I would definitely remember too hahaha). But Kyle on the other-hand, who was with me taking notes throughout the festival, knows of them and thinks they’re great. I’m hugely mad at myself that I’ve gone so long not knowing their music because they were absolutely incredible. Despite having seen “German electronicore” in their bands ‘about me’ section I don’t think I was prepared for what I was about to witness. These guys have an insane ability to whip the crowd into a frenzy, the music itself is fantastic. The set included a bunch of pyrotechnics and confetti cannons which was real fun touch. The bands music flips back and forth from fun & electronic to super heavy vocals and guitar, especially with songs like ‘Elevator Operator’ of which the literal elevator music in it nearly killed me off. They’re kind of geniuses in creating such fun yet heavy music without it being seen as a complete gimmick. As we went to head off to another stage Electric Callboy started up with their cover of ‘Everytime We Touch’ and we simply stopped, made a u-turn & headed back to that stage. We were so easily suckered back in and stayed for quite a few more songs like ‘Pump It’, ‘Hurrikan’ and ‘RATATATA’.
ELECTRIC CALLBOY — MAIN STAGE EAST
The last band of the day for us was Hot Milk at the Kerrang! stage. They’re a band whose music I was familiar with but I’d not yet seen live. We weren’t initially sure who we wanted to watch last but I’m soooo so glad we ended up at Hot Milk. They were the perfect band to finish the night with and I have no regrets about that. Straight off the bat they hit us with new song ‘Insubordinate Ingerland’ off of their upcoming album titled ‘Corporation P.O.P’. Of which they were actively promoting during the festival as we walked past several people serving business in black suits, white shirts and lanyards whilst handing out flyers which seemed to be about ‘Corporation P.O.P’. I love a good marketing campaign. Other songs from their set included ‘HORROR SHOW’, ‘90 Seconds To Midnight’, ‘OVER YOUR DEAD BODY’, and ‘Swallow This’. Hot Milk pack a punch with their cool alt-rock and dynamic vibes, I’m excited to see what the rest of the new album will be like following the recent releases. The crowd for these guys was incredible and although it was a smaller stage, they gave more than a main stage level of performance.
Overall Slam Dunk Festival 2025, in our eyes, was a huge success. The calibre of artists/music we got to experience was high and although the Key Club stage experienced a fair bit of technical issues and delays, it didn’t stop any of the artists from giving anything less than a great performance. Next year will be 20 years of Slam Dunk and I’m already excited for what’s to come. I have some dream bands in mind so I look forward to the festivals announcements later in the year.
Photo galleries on this page for Slam Dunk 2025 will be constantly updated as more photos are uploaded. To keep up to date you can follow us on Instagram for posts notifying of new content available.
HOT MILK — KERRANG! STAGE
