Utrecht: Slam Dunk’s new territory

Photos by @tijsvl

We’ve been going to Slam Dunk Hatfield for a few years now, and also attended the editions in Leeds and even Rimini, Italy a few years ago. But Slam Dunk is on a mission and is conquering more territory in Europe. This year there is a new dependency in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in collaboration with Jera On Air. With a small but impressive selection of the original Slam Dunk festival: Neck Deep, The Used, Zebrahead and The Ataris. In addition local talent March was added as the festival opener.

Dutch punkrocker March may not ring a bell for everyone, but they’ve been taking over Europe at rather impressive pace. The female-fronted band was definitely the most raw sounding band of the lineup. The venue was already pretty full, including a handful of March fans dancing along. Guitarplayer Hermance and bassist Jeroen weren’t scared of losing some calories either, they were all over the stage, while still sounding very tight and loud! The crowd was ready!

The Ataris

Okay, so we’ve covered this band already playing at Slam Dunk Hatfield and their headlining show in O2 Academy in London. But I’m a huge fan so I’ll take any chance I get to see them. They’re a very DIY band and the songs are as authentic as can be. The Tivoli venue in Utrecht isn’t gigantic, but it’s still quite big. Singer Kris Roe made it feel intimate with his raw emo voice singing about very personal matters. Having the So Long, Astoria line up back together is an incredible sight, and they truly looked and sounded like they’re back where they belong. You can feel there are tons of hardcore The Ataris fans who were longing for this moment, it actually felt quite emotional. Welcome back The Ataris, and come back very very soon please!

Zebrahead

The party pop-punk band immediately started with the energy of a headliner. Perhaps that’s why the venue was already completely filled up? When singer Matty Lewis left the band in 2021, his spot was quickly filled by Adrian Estrella and boy… jackpot! His vocals can handle and fit Zebrahead’s recognisable vibe, while at the same time sound completely fresh, and the new songs hit you in the face hard! Security didn’t seem to be too aware of what to expect, but quickly cleaned up the photopit because during the second song Ali Tabatabaee ordered everyone to crowsurf. And the people obeyed. It didn’t stop there, the set was filled with fast singalongs, all throughout, moshpits were all over the place and slowly merging together into chaos.

The Used

So many emo folks showed up for this band. Singer Bert McCracken is absolutely idolized by an army of dressed up fans that made me think we went back in time a decade or two when emo was at its absolute high point. Amazing! At first I was skeptic with The Used being on the roster directly after the Zebrahead-tornado of fun, beer and party. The Used are definitely much darker both lyrically and in appearance. But Bert is also quite a bit of a clown and a master when it comes to goofing around with the crowd. Asking the crowd to flip them off, booing them, but with the right spirit. Constantly looking for interaction and high-fiving people in the audience. And with guitarplayer Joey Bradford and bassist Jeph Howard smiling throughout, my skepticism was only temporary. A special shoutout to drummer Dan Whitesides, who was playing like it was an arena show, passionate and loud, aggressive and graceful. Definitely Dan was the MVP of the night! I wouldn’t have mind it at all if they played for another 15 minutes, but there were more bands we wanted to see!

Neck Deep used to be the ‘new‘ band, but they’re far from it nowadays. With a stripped down stage (there were no amps, just instruments), this 5 piece showed how they quickly settled themselves as here-to-stay artists. Considering the impressive amount of hits on their name by now, they were the right band to close the Dutch edition of Slam Dunk Festival for sure. Singer Ben Barlow went back and forth from singing to making funny comments, mixing heavier tunes with songs about aliens. They also hit some serious notes and expressed the band’s support for Palestine, while reminding the crowd that everyone is welcome at the show. It was the right summery of what the evening was all about.

So it’s safe to say Slam Dunk Netherlands was a big success, and maybe it’s time for a grown up version next year, like we’ve seen in Rimini, Italy. The people are ready for it.