Slam Dunk 2024 is a triumphant return to form

This year's event is a real success that can be measured beyond the bands who play. Words: Alexander Bradley. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

Slam Dunk makes a triumphant return with its 2024 edition boasting some of the brightest new talents, returning favourites and some bands right at the top of their game. There's no setting more fitting for You Me At Six to make their final festival appearance, too. In one of those perfect, full-circle moments, their swan song is at the festival that first gave them a leg up in music. Despite the hearse parked backstage, their performance is in no way a funeral but more a celebration of their journey from underdogs to one of the standout British rock bands of the last 20 years.

Throughout this year's line-up, there's just the same enthusiasm for exciting new bands who could one day repeat YMAS's climb up the festival billing. There are plenty of well-established acts still at the very top, too, especially on the Monster Energy Stage, with The Bouncing Souls, Pennywise and Goldfinger featuring ahead of The Interrupters. But, more than anything, the 2024 line-up sees a resurgence of the MySpace-era band. Like a long-lost MP3 player of downloads that broke the family computer, Slam Dunk embraces the mid-00s with open arms.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are first to take a trip down memory lane, with singer Ronnie Winter keenly pointing out that while his hair is still long, his jeans are no longer quite as tight. Like a tour guide of their career, the singer signposts which of their classics have featured in TV shows and films along the way before they wrap up their set with an uncharacteristic cover of 'All The Small Things' and their classic 'Face Down'.

Over on the Main Stage, from out of the wilderness Head Automatica return to celebrate 20 years of their album 'Decadence'. With the effortlessly cool Daryl Palumbo at the helm, it's as if the band hadn't completely disappeared for so long. Some technical difficulties in Hatfield prevent them from playing every song they've ever released, but they do have time for a moody new number, 'Bear the Cross', before closing on their standout hit 'Beating Heart Baby'.

In a similar celebratory mood, The Blackout mark 15 years to the day of 'The Best In Town' over on the GoPro Stage, while Mikey Chapman joins a returning Mallory Knox. While their return in Hatfield goes down a treat, their North set is blighted with sound problems, unfortunately.

Speaking of long-awaited returns, Boys Like Girls start and finish their set with 'Love Drunk' and showcase much of their seminal pop-punk debut album. Then, before You Me At Six come along to steal the show, The All-American Rejects return ten years after headlining the festival when it was still held in University campuses. With their time machine in tow, they open on 'Swing, Swing' and, from there, cram in as many hits as they can in an hour. Rambunctious and fashionable, Tyson Ritter is ever the frontman as he careens through huge anthems like 'Dirty Little Secret' and 'Move Along' before closing on 'Gives You Hell'.

While some bands are heavy on nostalgia, Funeral For A Friend are in the "old dog, new tricks" category of performance. With massive shoes to fill, Lucas Woodland of Holding Absence steps in to take on singing duties and pulls it off exceptionally as the Welsh rockers rifle through their greatest hits. "Same old songs on a brand new stereo," he sings on their opening number, and the irony is a little on the nose. Energetic and powerful, the stand-in singer brings new life into the classics 'Streetcar', 'Juneau' and 'Into Oblivion (Reunion)' in a role he seems born to play. With a finale of 'History' and 'Roses for the Dead', Funeral For A Friend remain one of the most emphatic British bands this side of the millennium, and if they plan to continue to make new music, Lucas Woodland seems like the perfect person to continue their legacy.

Detaching from the time warp, Slam Dunk continues its dedication to the best new bands. Honey Revenge, Taylor Acorn and RØRY are a rip-roaring triple-header on their stage, with each their own vibrant new spin for alternative music, while Arm's Length and Leeds' own Beauty School embrace more traditional qualities as they open The Key Club Stage.

Somewhere in between is a slew of bands currently killing it. The Dangerous Summer are tasked with opening the Main Stage, and they get to see "The Great British Summer" in all its contrasting glory while showing their upcoming album 'Gravity' is set to be their best work yet. State Champs take a moment from their ascendancy to look back on ten years of 'The Finer Things'. The Ghost Inside and Asking Alexandria crush on the GoPro stage. Against The Current slam. Set It Off cover Linkin Park's 'Points of Authority' during a bruising set. We The Kings bring their own inflatable aliens as they build towards more new music. Pale Waves continue to kick off their "Perfume" era and a timely reminder of their brilliance, too. La Dispute make The Key Club Stage feel intimate before L.S. Dunes rip it open wide again with a muddy mosh pit for the most dedicated in Leeds. Waterparks bring new single 'Soulsucker' as they launch the sequel to 'INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY', continuing their climb up the Slam Dunk billing.

The Wonder Years take the top spot on The Key Club Stage with a masterclass in pop-punk. Having spent a week touring the UK as Aaron West, Dan Campbell's voice holds out with some signs of cracking, but a busy crowd and Beauty School's Joe Carbera are on hand to pick up any slack.

All too soon, it's time for You Me At Six to wrap it up. Hitting the ground running, they launch into 'Save It For The Bedroom' before rolling out 'Reckless' and 'Lived A Lie' in a heavyweight opening round. Flexing their might, they section together a few of their juggernauts, 'Bite My Tongue' and 'The Consequence', which sees The Blackout's Sean Smith join in the fun. Capable of pulling on the heartstrings too, the acoustic 'Always Attract' followed by a phone-lit rendition of 'Take On The World' is a poignant moment as they canter towards the end. While sometimes clearly moved by the occasion, Josh Franceschi and company are determined not to go out without a fight as they unleash 'Underdog' and 'Beautiful Way' as their final hurrah. It's an accomplished headlining set that underlines You Me At Six's credentials as one of the finest British rock bands, leaders in a 00s resurgence which will forever feature a catalogue of songs that will continue to stand the test of time.

And so ends Slam Dunk for another year. 2024 is a real success that can be measured beyond the bands who play. Last year's festival received plenty of criticism across both sites for lack of space and infrastructure for such a large crowd descending on Hatfield and Leeds, but this year, both sites have been adapted to better utilise the space and make getting in and out of the festival easier - despite the swampy mud bath of Leeds resulting in closing the car parks and shuttle buses running to and from the city.

It's a real return to form for Slam Dunk. While still continuing to learn and grow into being a fully outdoor festival, the quality of music has never been compromised, and anticipation for what will come next couldn't be higher.