FESTIVAL REVIEW: Slam Dunk Festival 2026 North Live at Temple Newsam, Leeds 


With more than a small helping of anticipation, we made our way through the already heaving queue to the entrance of the Temple Newsam grounds for what promises to be a for-rip-roaring day of music and festival shenanigans. Even though it’s only a relatively quick jaunt over to Leeds from homebase this weekend personally marks only my second Slam Dunk experience, with the first being all the way back in 2018, which marked the final year of the city centre edition of the festival. Continue reading →


FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Slam Dunk Festival 2026


Slam Dunk Festival is back for 2026, and this year’s edition feels extra special. The festival is once again hitting both Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire on Saturday 23 May and Temple Newsam Park in Leeds on Sunday 24 May over the late May bank holiday weekend. Organisers are marking a milestone with the 20th anniversary of the festival, so you can expect a full weekend of big names, new surprises, and plenty of party vibes.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Chain Fest – Jimmy Eat World – Taking Back Sunday – Circa Survive and Others: Live at Fivepoint Amphitheatre


A year ago there were no shows to attend, let alone tours or festivals. As we claw our way slowly out of the darkest time in recent history as music fans, and concert goers (and photogs and writers too) the specialness of even the average show is not going to be taken for granted right now. So the return of Chain Fest, which has sprouted a life of its own after a humble beginning as the flagship event for Anaheim, California’s Chain Reaction, is huge for fans and really, the entire SoCal scene. While Chain Reaction remains a vital venue for bands, Chain Fest has kind of become a monster, growing every year and expanding to the Fivepoint Amphitheatre. When it was announced for 2021 and sold out pretty fast you could tell the excitement was high. Chain fest not only features special bands from Punk, Indie, Emo, and post-Hardcore, but always features bands doing special sets you can’t see anywhere else. We are all kind of living in a 2021 Punk version of Almost Famous where “it’s all happening” all the time! 

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