FESTIVAL REVIEW: Slam Dunk Festival 2026 – North

2026 brought in celebrations for 20 years of Slam Dunk Festival, and despite the brutal sun looming over Temple Newsam Park, this year’s edition had something even hotter in store: the first ever dedicated hardcore stage. Now in its latest and most ambitious chapter, Slam Dunk Festival – North returned with a lineup that fully embraced the weight of the underground, making an ambitious gamble away from their pop-punk roots. Across the site, pop-punk faithfuls, ska veterans, and metalcore diehards crisscrossed the grass, amped and excited for a day stacked with the widest musical variety the alt scene has to offer these days. From sun-scorched afternoon singalongs to a history-making headline set, the day celebrated the thrilling breadth of alternative music and the community that holds it together. We caught every minute of the chaos from the early morning sweat to the closing inferno; here’s how the day unspooled.

UNPEOPLE – Main Stage West

UNPEOPLE were handed the unenviable task of shaking a heat-drowsy crowd into life first thing in the morning, and (of course) they delivered with unrelenting conviction. Vocalist Jake Crawford (a self-declared impartial Midlander) gleefully goaded Leeds by crowning it a superior city to Reading when they performed at Reading and Leeds Fest last year, making a cheap but effective cheery jab. The sun had sapped the field’s energy and made the audience a tad sluggish, but the band refused to coast and they played like the future headliners that they are. The closing combo of Clouds and Garden was pure mayhem, with guitarist Luke Caley hoisted onto shoulders mid-closing solo, becoming the beaming epicentre of a spinning circle pit. UNPEOPLE’s music was born for shouty singalongs in the sun and was the perfect warm up for the day ahead.

Rating: 8/10

DYING WISH – Main stage East – Left

Portland, Oregon’s very own DYING WISH delivered what might have been the most underrated hardcore set of the entire day. Vocalist Emma Boster’s raspy scream is a visceral thing torn from somewhere deep, and yet she spent the hour beaming like someone who couldn’t quite believe the reception. A heartfelt dedication for Lost to the Fall was made in honour of the recently passed Bo Lueders from HARMS WAY, and an unflinching call to speak out on the atrocities happening in Palestine grounded the set with real-world urgency. All five members moved as one seamless organism, and the blend of melodic ache and raw-throated fury was masterful. This set was their first time playing in Leeds, and was an absolute smash hit.

Rating: 8/10

TRASH BOAT – Scott’s Key Club Stage

Nostalgia hung heavy over TRASH BOAT’s afternoon slot, and the band knew it. Arriving late (Tobi Duncan’s breathless “we made it!” said plenty), they quickly launched into a run of their album Nothing I Write You Can Change What You’ve Been Through on its 10th anniversary. Duncan promised to leave every emotion on stage, and their performance felt confident, with the air of a group of guys growing back into old skin, and their songs still resonated with catharsis from the crowd. But at 3:50pm, it was wrenched away. Tobi entered into a heated argument with production after the band were cut off, despite being promised two more songs. Eventually they got to play their closer, but it made for a sour, angry ending that tainted an otherwise meaningful set. 

Rating: 6/10

BOSTON MANOR – Monster Energy Stage Right

BOSTON MANOR’s story ended before it could begin. Barely two songs into their Be Nothing anniversary set, frontman Henry Cox halted everything to alert security to a fan who had been injured in the pit. The right call, absolutely, but the pause became permanent; the set did not resume. A gutting, premature end to what was beginning to feel special.

Rating: 7/10

THE HOME TEAM – Scott’s Key Club Stage

If any tent risked spontaneous combustion, it was THE HOME TEAM (8). The Seattle band’s heavy-pop swagger turned the Key Club Stage into a pheromone-filled sweatbox, packed with couples and anyone willing to groove. Vocalist Brian Butcher leans fully into his sultry persona, purring compliments and issuing the only reasonable instruction of the afternoon, to “shake your asses.” He spoke with wide-eyed gratitude about playing their first Slam Dunk, tracing the band’s journey from longtime local DIY hopefuls to social media breakouts. Both guitarists spun and thrashed like feral creatures, all sharing the hot limelight and revelling in good spirits – just a damn good time from start to finish.

Rating: 8/10

PRESIDENT – Main Stage East Left

Then, came the anomaly of the day. PRESIDENT, comprised of one masked singer and a balaclava-clad backing band, pulled by far of the largest crowds of the early evening. The mysterious man himself prowled the stage in near silence, occasionally pointing skyward, but not otherwise interacting with the crowd. And yet, there were mothers with prams pushed right up to the barrier, gaggles of screaming wine-drunk fans, and even a few shoulder-riders, all straining for a glimpse of the figure. The music is strong, that is undeniable, and the vocalist’s trills are technically impressive, but stage presence is almost non-existent. The instrumentals carry the emotional weight of the music while the crowd manufactures its own hysterical energy. It’s difficult to escape the conclusion that a significant portion of the sprawling hillside audience came for the viral mystique, not the music. The jury remains firmly out.

Rating: 5/10

THE SUICIDE MACHINES – Scott’s Key Club Stage

A short walk later however, perspective was beautifully restored. Whilst hoards surrounded PRESIDENT, THE SUICIDE MACHINES  played a smaller tent with the sounds of ska-punk and the easygoing, weathered confidence of lifers. Most hands went up when asked who’d never seen them before; the band responded by leisurely chatting with fans on the barricade between songs. Got Some had the room swaying with unforced joy. The crowd was not dense, but that became its gift as everyone had space to dance, and even with an average age around thirty-five, bodies still moved and grooved. It was intimate, warm and utterly disarming, akin to watching your uncles play like they’ve still got everything to prove. True class acts.

Rating: 7/10

VUKOVI – Scott’s Key Club Stage 

Whilst THE SUICIDE MACHINES weren’t a tough act to follow, VUKOVI absolutely obliterated any remaining subtlety left in the Key Club tent. Janine Shilstone emerged with a bottle of champagne, sprayed down the front rows, and kept the bottle at close bay, swigging throughout the performance. Some early technical gremlins couldn’t dent their mood – whilst she prowled the stage and repeatedly tightroped the speakers, guitarist Hamish Reilly diced through endless sharp riffs. VUKOVI’s energy is what sells their performance, and watching Janine swing off the barrier and at one point even crowdsurf while still singing really shows how born for the stage she is. A Scottish flag was draped over the drum kit, and to close out their set, UNPEOPLE’s Jake Crawford reappeared to guest on their latest album‘s title track MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN. If you weren’t in that tent, you missed one of the day’s most feral, unforgettable celebration.

Rating: 9/10

MALEVOLENCE – Main Stage East Left

Drawing towards the end of the day, back at the hardcore stage, MALEVOLENCE greeted Leeds with a roar: “So good to be in God’s country!” The inevitable ‘Yorkshire’ cheers followed from the crowd, before the band ripped into the killer opening line from Trenches “everybody’s always looking for a handout”, and the field detonated. The band’s groove-heavy metal sent bass ripples bleeding to the next stage over throughout their set, while vocalist Alex Taylor conducted a wall of death with military precision. One thing that remained striking between the sheer heaviness of the music were the constant calls to keep each other safe, truly embodying the protective heart of the hardcore scene. Taylor cheekily professed to draw out “the biggest circle pit in Slam Dunk history” before plugging their after-hours DJ set. As the sun set, the mood shifted, with songs like Higher Place, all haunting and gospel-like, acting as a breather for the battered. To underline the evening, KNOCKED LOOSE’s Bryan Garris strode onstage to join them for a passing of the torch before the night’s final act.

Rating: 8/10

And so to the history-makers. KNOCKED LOOSE carried the challenge of closing the first ever dedicated hardcore stage at Slam Dunk, and they delivered a set that truly wielded the weight of that expectation. Early on, you could sense flickers of frustration from Bryan Garris and Isaac Hale – the crowd weren’t sacrificing enough bodies to the surf or enough movement in the pits. But the audience slowly redeemed itself throughout as the band rapidly ran through their devastating discography. The penultimate track summoned a mosh pit that stretched from the third row at barricade all the way to the sound desk, even wider than the stage itself – the largest the festival has ever witnessed (much to MALEVOLENCE’s dismay). It’s no secret that the hardcore community is close knit, but the North were awarded with an astounding five special guests in rapid succession: Debbie Gough (HERIOT) for God Knows, Alex Taylor returning the favour for All My Friends, Leah Massey (PEST CONTROL) tearing through Suffocate, and Kadeem France (LOATHE) alongside Olli Appleyard (STATIC DRESS) for Billy No Mates. With pyro and confetti to seal the deal, the Kentucky five-piece’s lethal presence made it plain why they were the only choice to close this chapter.

Rating: 10/10

As the last feedback hum faded out and revellers slowly ambled back to Leeds, 2026’s edition of Slam Dunk Festival had successfully rewired its own identity. The introduction of a dedicated hardcore stage wasn’t just smart programming, but a statement to the future of the scene, and one that paid off in every crowd-surfer, every guest appearance, and every moment of genuine community. There were definitely stumbles, with many sets cut cruelly short and wider site ill-preparedness for a sun that drained as much as it gave. But when the day truly ignited, it delivered moments that will be talked about for years to come. The North crowd, although sluggish at times, ultimately rose to meet the occasion with a closing mosh pit of historic proportions. If this is the blueprint for Slam Dunk Festival‘s future, count us in for the next chapter.

Check out our extensive photo gallery of all the action of Slam Dunk Festival 2026 – North from Rhys Haberfield Media here: 

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