The 10th anniversary of SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL has just got bigger with 8 new bands announced and some huge exclusives. These 8 bands will join the headliners Panic! At The Disco and the likes of Of Mice & Men, New Found Glory and many more for the May 2016 bank holiday weekend.
“This announcement again really feels like it represents the anniversary of the festival” says promoter Ben Ray, “Capdown who played the very first event, Set Your Goals reforming to play, The Starting Line with a very rare UK appearance, and Zebrahead who have so much fun they want to play every year! There’s also still so many bands to be announced, it’s going to be a great year!’.
SET YOUR GOALS are back and SDF16 has the exclusive on these reunion shows! “We are thrilled to be back on Slam Dunk this year. We’ve taken much time off and It only felt right that our first festival back be with you guys. We want to thank everyone attending for inviting us over, and we hope to give you one of the best shows of 2016!” says the band.
Ohio boys, MISS MAY I will be bringing the mosh with their epic metal across the 3 days. This will be the first trip to the UK since the release of perhaps their best album to date, Deathless.
MALLORY KNOX have enjoyed huge success since the release of their 2nd album Asymmetry. With Radio 1 A- lists under their belts, tours with some of the biggest bands in the scene, a sold out Roundhouse London and various magazine covers, the band will be sure to be one of the big draws of the weekend. “I get the same amount of excited for Slam Dunk every year since it has been on my radar and I love that.” says frontman Mikey. “Whether we are playing or just attending to watch it’s always a weekend thats one of the highlights of my year. With the lineup this year, I have no doubts 2016 will be much the same.”
THE STORY SO FAR will be another festival exclusive! After recently selling out the UK tour in December and releasing the brilliant self titled album via Pure Noise Records they have cemented themselves as one of the best pop-punk bands around in recent years.
CAPDOWN played the very first SDF in 2006 so will be making a welcome return for these anniversary shows. Always a festival favourite, Capdown will be sure to unleash their uniquely British ska punk sound, which promises to be one of the most energetic performances over the weekend. “So 10 years of Slam Dunk? My how you have grown… Looking forward to what Slam Dunk has in store for us this time round, always a blast!” says the band.
THE STARTING LINE were always one of the forerunners from the Drive -Thru Records era & the band played SDF in 2011, just before the anniversary of the their seminal album ‘Say It Like You Mean It’. The band have recently announced the release of ‘Anyways’, a 3 track EP which is their first studio release in 8 years. Slam Dunk will be the only chance to see them this Summer.
American Metalcore band WE CAME AS ROMANS will also join the bill. The band have seen massive success with their first 3 full-length albums & most recently, their 2015 self-titled album, each topping 100,000 sales in the US alone. The band’s recent live DVD release Present, Future, and Past debuted #1 on the Billboard DVD charts, beating Metallica for the top spot.
ZEBRAHEAD have become part of the Slam Dunk family and as the band says “Slam Dunk Festival has always been a blast. This is our third time playing and we are really looking forward to coming back for the shows. The crowds are always crazy and come to have a good time.”
The dates and sites for next years’ SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL are:
Saturday 28 May 2016 – SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL North – Leeds City Centre
Sunday 29 May 2016 – SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL Midlands –Birmingham, NEC
Bank Holiday Monday 30 May 2016- SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL South – Hatfield, University of Hertfordshire
Tickets are on sale now and priced at £42 or £47 including afterparty. The festival is for Age 14 + (festival only) or 18+ for the afterparty tickets.
For the first time, due to popular demand, there is also a limited edition Mega Ticket on sale for £150. This ticket includes admittance to all 3 events and includes afterparties, wristband exchange queue jumps and a limited edition t-shirt.
Visit www.slamdunkmusic.com for all ticketing links.
This year will see some huge upgrades to the event, continuing the huge year on year growth the festival has experienced. Following the success of last year the Leeds site will remain in the City Centre, with a new site being announced at the Birmingham NEC and the Southern date will remain in Hatfield, at the University of Hertfordshire campus for the fifth year. This will bring the capacity up to a huge 40,000 fans across the weekend.
