Slam Dunk is fast becoming a highlight on the festival circuit for rock fans

It's the May Bank Holiday weekend and festival season is upon us, that means only one thing, that it's time for the UK's premier pop-punk festival. Slam Dunk Festival is once again taking place across three days, starting yesterday in Leeds and concluding tomorrow in Wolverhampton. Today however it's the turn of Hatfield as the University of Hertfordshire is again transformed for the festivals South event.

Kicking the festivities off on the main stage this year are the brilliant upstarts Blitz Kids. This is certainly a band worth keeping an eye on, as with their sing-a-long choruses and catchy riffs they look set to make their impact on the rock landscape. Their recent release 'The Good Youth' is, as the saying goes, all killer and no filler. It's one of the albums of the year for sure, and Blitz Kids showcase it well today, with 'Run For Cover', 'Sometimes' and 'On My Own' all receiving great reactions from the crowd.

A quick walk across the site and I can see that there are some changes from last year. Notably the “Monster Energy Stage” is no longer tented and the new open air stage has moved along the site slightly. This stage is home to the hardcore/metal acts and as I check it out German metalcore heroes Caliban are about to take to the stage in front of a huge crowd. The audience clearly love their performance with bodies flying everywhere, but for me the Germans were disappointing.

Slam Dunk offers it's attendees seven stages to choose from and I next head into the Universities own venue, The Forum, which today houses the "Macbeth Stage" and right now hosts the hotly tipped Decade. Given the hype surrounding them I was keen to catch these youngsters today. They however left me underwhelmed with their performance. Although decent enough and single 'Brainfreeze' was very good, Decade will need to up their game to live up to their potential.

A stroll upstairs leads me to another stage, the small Attic venue which today is the "Cheer Up Stage". This is the stage where last year I discovered Blitz Kids, who of course stepped up to main stage this year. Today I catch another young British band in the shape of Natives, and given their performance today it wouldn't surprise me if they made a similar step up next year. Coincidently Natives like Blitz Kids worked with Goldfinger (who sadly had to pull out of this year's event) singer John Feldmann on their recent album. And having heard the band for the first time today, it's another album I will make a point of checking out.

I continue my tour of the stages next by heading outside to the"Uprawr Stage", which houses a host of DJ's throughout the day. It's no DJ that I've come to see though; it's the always entertaining MC Larswho attracts a massive crowd to the tiny stage. MC Lars has become somewhat of an institution at Slam Dunk Festival and is appearing for the fourth consecutive year. For the uninitiated MC Lars describes himself as "post-punk laptop rap!" Describe him as whatever you will, one thing he certainly is, is fun. Songs such as 'Space Game', 'Signing Emo', 'Download This Song' and 'This Gigantic Robot Kills' have the audience singing and dancing with every word and showcase a very talented artist. MC Lars takes time to encourage fans to request his return for a fifth year and I'd certainly vote for that.

After grabbing a quick, overpriced, disappointing bite to eat I head for another stage. The "Atticus Stage" is packed to capacity for another much hyped young band, Wrexham's pop-punk hopefuls Neck Deep. Given the mass of humanity crammed into the room and the amount of Neck Deep t-shirts on show, I'd say it's safe to say that word is out about the band. Much like Decade earlier today however, I struggle to see why there is so much hype surrounding them. Again not a bad performance, and there is certainly potential, but like before a band that needs to step up to meet expectations.

At this point in proceedings I bring to an end my tour of the stages having only missed the "Antique Acoustic Stage", and set up stall on the main stage. Next up on stage are We Are The In Crowd from Poughkeepsie, New York. The band are over to promote their recently released second album 'Weird Kids' and are also the Slam Dunk Scotland and Wales headliners. Comparisons to Paramore are justified in my opinion both in musical and performance terms. This shouldn't be seen as a criticism but a compliment. It's a solid performance from Tay Jardine and co, but again as appears to be the theme of the day could've been slightly better.

Mallory Knox are another band to step up from last year's lower main stage slot, to today's sub-headline status. In a time when guitar music is out of fashion, Mallory Knox are one of the few bands who have managed to gain true mainstream exposure and it's fully justified as their performance today demonstrates. The band and the crowd are rocking from the start as the magnificent 'Beggars' signals the bands intentions.

Their debut album 'Signals' was one of the albums of last year and they exhibit why with a set packed with quality songs such as 'Hello', 'Death Rattle' and 'Lighthouse'. With the band currently recording album number two that word hype has to come out again. It's surely one of the most anticipated rock albums of the year and we get a preview of it tonight with the catchy 'Ghost In The Mirror'. More of the same and Mallory Knox will surely assist in putting rock back on the map.

Headlining the main stage this year are a band that really don't tour these isles enough, American rockers All-American Rejects. Despite facing competition from Less Than Jake, Kids In Glass Houses, Bury Tomorrow and Chiodos, Tyson Ritter and band mates draw a large crowd, all keen to hear their hit singles. They don't have to wait long either as the band burst straight into the massive 'Dirty Little Secret'.

Ritter is in engaging mood, constantly interacting with the crowd whilst delivering the likes of 'My Paper Heart', 'Beekeeper's Daughter', 'I Wanna' and 'Stab My Back'. There's a feel good atmosphere in place for a band that some didn't feel were up to headlining this great festival. I wasn't one of those; I trusted their booking and felt they would make a fantastic headliner. And they prove me right when inciting mass sing-a-long moments with the likes of 'Swing, Swing', 'It Ends Tonight' and huge single 'Gives You Hell'.

Slam Dunk is fast becoming a highlight on the festival circuit for rock fans and this year's edition must only go to enforce its reputation. As far as The All-American Rejects are concerned they still have another hit single in the bag and 'Move Along' provides a memorable finish to the festival. They may have their critics but they are a great live act and hopefully it won't take them that long to come back this time. As for Slam Dunk, I'll see you next year.

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