#sdf2020

With less than three months to go until the UK’s independent alternative celebration, Slam Dunk Festival 2020 have revealed 14 new names for the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Stand Atlantic, With Confidence, ROAM, Wargasm, Static Dress, I Am The Avalanche, Vukovi, Sleep On It, The Bottom Line, 30H!3, DJ Jacky P plus names for the acoustic stage Elder Brother, Vinnie Caruna and Derek Sanders are set to join summer bill, boasting the very best names from the world of rock, punk and metal. In addition to these new names and following closely on from Jägermeister’s stage announcement, Slam Dunk Festival have revealed this year’s full stage splits.

Breaking new ground in a fresh decade, Brit rock titans Don Broco are set to make both festival and career history with their first-ever festival headline performance on Slam Dunk Festival’s new Rock Scene powered by Amazon Music stage. Rock Scene is the global Amazon Music playlist showcasing the most exciting new rock music from around the world. Playing host to a storming set by Pure Noise Records’ State Champs, standout singalongs with Mayday Parade and the highly-anticipated reunion of We Are The In Crowd, the freshly-made over stage has an undeniable line-up mixing up contemporary rock’s frontrunners. Also joining the bill are genre-melding Issues, new additions Stand Atlantic and Aussie rockers The Faim.

Sum 41 are set to spark a punk-fuelled performance on this year’s Fireball Stage, with their debut Slam Dunk Festival headliner set, ahead of exhilarations from Canadian icons Billy Talent, melodically-infectious The Story So Far, Brit grungers Basement. Returning to the festival after a short break, Zebrahead will be in attendance with Trash Boat, following an opener by Dream State. The Fireball stage will not clash with the Punk In Drublic.

After their raucous party-starting debut last year, NOFX will return with Punk In Drublic for the second year. Californian punk kings Pennywise, punk supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Returning for another year Reel Big Fish will return for another year gracing the Slam Dunk stages while Face To Face, The Vandals and Suicide Machines make a long-anticipated debut.

Announcing completion earlier this week, the Jägermeister stage will welcome a headline performance from Sheffield’s favourite sons While She Sleeps, a true masterclass in punk from Refused and give way to the visceral Stray From The Path. Canadian brothers Counterparts and Comeback Kid will return to the festival, as will Your Demise on the 10 year anniversary of their prolific album The Kids We Used To Be. Deez Nuts promises an unmissable set of brutality following an opening performance from the critically acclaimed Blood Youth.

Setting the bar with a headline set from British metalcore masters Bury Tomorrow, the Impericon stage is set to deliver the heavy-hitters once again. Soon to reveal their fourth studio album Underneath, Code Orange will bring a cutthroat performance alongside We Came As Romans, the thrilling Ice Nine Kills and the persevering Dance Gavin Dance. ’The Death Of Me’ noisemakers Polaris and Fit For A King are sure to warm up the stage with their commanding performances. With an arsenal of unmissable heavy-hitting mixes and the promise of special guests, Scarlxrd’s DJ, DJ Jacky P, will play out the night on the Impericon stage.

Headlined by The Wonder Years, the Dickies stage will play host to the Philadelphia natives playthrough of their classic album The Upsides as well as some of the most exciting names in emo. American stalwarts Motion City Soundtrack and Four Year Strong make their return alongside energetic youngers Knuckle Puck and ROAM. They will be joined by With Confidence, Bayside, I Am The Avalanche, Greyscale and Dollskin. Closing the party in Slam Dunk Festival style, crunk-core wizards 3OH!3 will round off the night with a special set packed with their anthemic hits.

Pushing the boundaries with two stages in one, The Key Club stage, paying homage to the Leeds club, will see incredible alternative names on the line-up. Topping the bill and celebrating the 10th anniversary of their critically acclaimed album ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’ will be UK rock legends Young Guns. Joining them will be Aussie melody makers Hands Like Houses, post-rock troupe Movements, Swedish favourites Normandie and Parisian mob Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! will meet Free Throw on the notorious stage ahead of ska showdown between Spunge and Popes Of Chillitown. Yours Truly and Days and Daze complete the line-up alongside new additions Vukovi, Static Dress, Wargasm, Sleep On It and The Bottom Line.

Hosting must-see sets from Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders, I Am The Avalanche’s Vinnie Carauna and Elder Brother, the Acoustic stage has teased a few more names heading to Leeds and Hatfield, dropping the calm and coveted spot. Vinnie Caruna will play a set featuring classics from The Movielife as well as solo material while Derek puts an acoustic twist to Mayday Parade’s singalong anthems. Set to join Bedouin Soundclash and This Wild Life, the acoustic stage is the go-to destination for stripped-back singalongs with beloved Slam Dunk Festival names.

Still reeling from their surprise Christmas announcement, Slam Dunk Festival – the UK’s favourite alternative extravaganza – returns with another explosive round of monumental names for 2020.

Fresh from their blistering headline performance in a sold-out Brixton Academy, While She Sleeps have been revealed as the Jägermeister stage headliner for the May Bank Holiday weekend. Hailing from Sheffield, the British metalcore titans have four critically acclaimed studio albums to their name and are responsible for monstrous tracks such as ‘The Guilty Party’, ‘Four Walls’ and ‘Suicide Speaks’ with featured Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes. Known for relentless touring and their persevering DIY attitude, While She Sleeps have unquestionable hardcore credentials and are sure to steal the show when they return at Leeds and Hatfield.

2020 belongs to Code Orange; announcing their fourth album Underneath with an exhilarating title track, the Pennsylvania natives will make their debut appearance at Slam Dunk this summer. The Billboard-charting Grammy-nominated ground breakers have challenged the boundaries of heavy with every release and daring performance.

Also appearing at Slam Dunk for the first time are Arizona’s Doll Skin. Reclaiming the sound of 2004’s emo explosion, the Hopeless Records four-piece are poised to write their own era as they enter a new decade. Stand-out tracks ‘Mark My Words’ and ‘Love Is Dead And We Killed Her’ from their latest album are guitar-driven, impassioned anthems set to turn heads in the festival fields.

Announced for Slam Dunk’s maiden voyage to Paris earlier this month, Parisian post-hardcore outfit Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! will be appearing at the festival’s UK installment as a European Festival exclusive. Last appearing on Slam Dunk soil in 2016, C!NCC!’s hook-filled anthems interspersed with unforgiving hardcore delivered in their debut Something For Nothing up to their latest offering Get Lost, Find Yourself will result in singalongs in the Slam Dunk festival fields.

UK rockers “A” will join 2020’s impressive line-up, promising a vibrant performance of songs spanning their 23-year-career. Their post-grunge rock debut ‘How Ace Are Buildings’ and their 2002 follow-up ‘Hi-Fi Serious’ became cult-like successes with singles such as ‘Nothing’ and ’Starbucks’ marked as definitive rock tracks.

Bouncy Brit ska punks [Spunge] are returning to Slam Dunk Festival after their last appearance in 2016. Responsible for early noughties albums ‘The Story So Far’ and ‘Room For Abuse’ as well as the infallible single ‘Kicking Pigeons’, the ska stalwarts will get crowds moving this May Bank Holiday. London-based Popes Of Chillitown will also be bringing their essential two-tone-punk-ska-dub fusion to Leeds and Hatfield for the very first time.

Slam Dunk Festival 2020 has completed its first stage line-up. Feel-good punks Me First & The Gimme Gimmes and skater-ska-masters The Suicide Machines complete the Punk In Drublic stage which returns for its second year at Slam Dunk after NOFX and co.’s made for a more than memorable true punk takeover. They join Face To Face, The Vandals, Reel Big Fish, Pennywise and NOFX.

Set to return after the festival’s biggest year yet, Slam Dunk Festival have announced the first wave of bands for 2020, welcoming UK rock titans Don Broco as the first headliner revealed for next year’s highly anticipated alternative instalment.

With an incomparable charismatic mix of 80s pop inflections and the hardest-hitting riffs on daytime radio, Don Broco’s powerful party-starting tunes have taken the Bedfordian four-piece to astronomical heights. No strangers to Slam Dunk Festival, Don Broco have delivered colossal anthems from their compelling catalogue: ‘Priorities’, ‘Automatic’ and ‘Technology’ in constant career-defining appearances. Enjoying sold-out shows on their UK arena run following the release of their first 2019 track ‘Half Man Half God’, Don Broco continued to unleash their high-octane performances on their most recent run of shows in Asia before surprising fans with dynamic single ‘Action’. Currently powering across the US on their first-ever North American headline tour, Don Broco’s upcoming headline performance at Slam Dunk, set to be their exclusive festival appearance of 2020, will be one of the most anticipated live dates in the next year.

On their headline performance, Don Broco say; “We bloody love Slam Dunk so it’s a massive honour to be asked to headline next year! Right from our early EP days we’ve always had the best time at Slammy D. It was our first proper festival booking way back when and since we’ve played slots throughout the years on pretty much all the stages, most recently a very surreal performance for us the year before last playing to sea of Rob face masks on the main stage. With this being our first ever festival headline we will certainly be making it a show to remember.”

Slam Dunk Festival Director, Ben Ray says; “2019 was a big year for us, with the festival moving to fully outdoor sites. It was a massive success so I’m pleased that we are returning to them. Don Broco headlining is pretty special for me as they are the definition of a homegrown band! They first played in 2011 on the new bands stage and have risen through the ranks to the top of the bill!”

In a mega pop-punk billing, Slam Dunk 2020 is set to welcome Pure Noise powerhouses State Champs, Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell & co in The Wonder Years, singalong saviours Mayday Parade, beatdown kings Four Year Strong, Illinois front-runners Knuckle Puck and Long Island punks Bayside. Godfathers of punk-pop Motion City Soundtrack promise an unmissable return to their legendary form when they reunite on UK soil, exclusively to Slam Dunk.

Mayday Parade’s Alex Garcia says: “We’re extremely excited to be coming to England for Slam Dunk Festival. It’s been too long since we’ve played it and it’s definitely one of the most fun festivals to be a part of from the crowd’s energy to the after parties. Not to mention we love touring the UK! ”

Four Year Strong’s Joe Weiss says: “The UK has always been one of our favourite places to play and we can’t wait to come back to Slam Dunk Festival”

Anthony Raneri of Bayside says:

“Can’t wait to get to Slam Dunk again this year. We were able to do it once before and I love that it’s carved out it’s own place as a punk rock institution in a country that’s pretty crowded with festivals”

Teasing the Slam Dunk’s heavier side and poised to deliver the performance of the summer at Leeds and Hatfield are Fearless favourites Ice Nine Kills, metalcore master crafters Issues and Australian alt-rockers House Like Houses.

Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills says: “After this current sold-out headlining tour of the UK, I can’t think of a better way to return next year than on Slam Dunk….”

Issues says: “It’s so exciting to be back at Slam Dunk! We’re going all in!”

A rite of passage for lovers of the alternative, Slam Dunk returns once again as a key date in the festival calendar. Slam Dunk Festival North will take place on Saturday 23rd May 2020 at Temple Newsam and Slam Dunk South will take place on Sunday 24th May at Hatfield Park. Tickets go on sale Friday 27th September at 10am.

In a monumental move, last year saw Slam Dunk operate as a fully green field festival, shifting away from its urban beginnings as Slam Dunk North made its debut at Leeds Temple Newsam site, joining Slam Dunk South in a park location as it enjoyed its second year at Hatfield Park. Celebrating ten years since the first Slam Dunk South date, 2020’s May Bank Holiday weekend is the only place to catch the world’s very best alternative music.

TICKET INFORMATION Tickets go on sale Friday 27th September at 10am.

Prices range from £59 for a limited number of early bird tickets up to VIP tickets at £99.

Please visit www.slamdunkfestival.com for more info and to buy tickets.