Slam Dunk Festival 2015 (Part Two)

This week the organisers of Slam Dunk announced the final wave of bands to play the festival. In all honesty I was somewhat disappointed by the announcement as it didn’t really represent my musical tastes, from reading the comments on Facebook though they have made a lot of people very happy with the announcement, some even calling it the strongest line up they’ve ever seen. Despite my initial disappointment there were three bands announced that really caught my eye.

The first band that caught my eye recently reformed post hardcore band Finch. Having originally been around between 1999 and 2010 the Temecula five piece reformed in 2012 to celebrate ten years of the classic debut album What It Is To Burn. That tour, which included a sold out show at the Brixton Academy was so successful that the band decided to stay together and put out a new album titled Back To Oblivion. Finch’s set will no doubt be another of huge nostalgia as they take fans back to the days of Drive Thru Records as well as gaining an army of new fans with their fantastic new material.

The next band who caught my eye was Moose Blood, surprisingly making their debut appearance at the festival. Moose Blood will without a doubt draw one of the biggest crowds of any band at the festival as they quickly becoming one of the most popular alternative bands the UK have to offer. Judging from their recent headline set at Colchester Arts Centre it will be a polished set with huge sing along moments. This could be another career defining weekend for the Canterbury four piece as they gain more and more fans every day. Expect huge reactions to the songs Bukowski (my favourite) and Boston.

The final act that really caught my eye was Rob Lynch. Returning to the festival for the second year in a row, this time he is bringing his full band to play songs from the excellent debut album All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul, released by Xtra Mile Recordings. Combining acoustic, folk and pop punk Lynch creates songs that not only are very deep and thoughtful but will also leave you a big smile on your face and your throat hoarse after singing at the top of your voice. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Rob Lynch perform live once before, supporting Masked Intruder and Vinnie Caruana at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston back in 2013. That night I found him to be an incredibly watchable and engaging performer and you could clearly see he is destined for big things.

Also performing at the festival are You Me At Six, Taking Back Sunday, Architects, Don Broco, Lower Than Atlantis, While She Sleeps, Reel Big Fish, The Wonder Years, Neck Deep, The Bronx, We Are The Ocean, Gallows, Millencolin, Goldfinger, Crossfaith, Cartel, Bayside, Zebrahead, H2O, Comeback Kid, Emmure, Thy Art Is Murder, Mariachi El Bronx, Stick To Your Guns, PVRIS, Set It Off, Beartooth, Fireworks, Transit, Such Gold, Bane, Lightyear, Big D And The Kids Table, Patent Pending, Deeznuts, Trash Talk, A Loss For Words, ROAM, Knuckle Puck, Being As An Ocean, The Color Morale, This Wild Life, As It Is, Seaway, Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, For Hope, Baby Godzilla, Shapes, Dead Harts, Wind In Sails, Only Rivals and Survey Says. 

Now listening to Drive by Off With Their Heads