Forward of the return of the UK’s annual scene celebration, we chat to among the largest names on the Slam Dunk Pageant lineup that can be bringing their unbelievable dwell exhibits to Hatfield and Leeds.
A DAY TO REMEMBER
RS: Congratulations on the brand new album – it should really feel fairly particular to see the nice fan response to it and to the shock means it was launched.
JEREMY MCKINNON: Man, I gotta let you know, all of us on the again finish have simply been speaking about it. You realize, while you put a plan like that collectively, it all the time feels just a little nerve wracking since you by no means know if individuals will simply watch for the way in which they often digest music or no matter. However placing it out that means had so many unintended optimistic penalties that had been so cool and refreshing, from the mother and pop shops feeling taken care of after which simply seeing the entire very private, emotional moments lots of people had going out and getting a report once more and having the ability to solely take heed to it that means. Any individual tagged me on this publish that’ll all the time dwell with me actually, simply due to how distinctive it was. They introduced out their previous CD participant they used to go to high school on the bus with. That they had this insane sense of nostalgia simply from that alone. Simply going to their mother and father home, getting this out of their storage and utilizing it has made them really feel so joyful on a deep degree. You by no means plan for stuff like that. We simply needed to do one thing distinctive and enjoyable that felt completely different in at this time’s age to get individuals’s consideration. Additionally, I like that individuals needed to sit down and really take heed to the tracklisting too, in at this time’s age. So many individuals had been listening to it as a full album, versus selecting it aside slowly over time. We put a variety of time into the tracklisting on this report and I believe the move, personally, is de facto cool. It takes you on this journey. There’s highs and lows, all types of various genres, all inside the rock world. Simply the truth that individuals needed to sit down and take heed to it as a report and really really feel the power and push and pull from the completely different selections we made alongside the way in which, the surprises we put in several spots, it was cool to see that as effectively.
RS: Was there any explicit observe or any explicit second that was key to unlocking what you needed to do that time?
JEREMY: I personally would say it was the album title. That unlocked a lot, after which bringing it to the group and us discussing it, the professionals and cons of what we wish to do. Instantly, in that discuss, our supervisor had this concept of breaking it up into two volumes. That means you get the concise tracklisting over right here that’s as motion packed as you need it to be, however you can even try this over right here at quantity two, after which hopefully proceed the cycle of content material popping out far more than what we’ve carried out previously. That’s the objective, at the very least. So for me, it was actually that album title, and it encompassed all the things personally that I needed this cycle to be about. It’s simply presupposed to be enjoyable. I used to be asking the query within the studio a variety of what makes us uniquely A Day to Keep in mind? What can we try this no one else can do? One of many predominant issues that involves thoughts is enjoyable. It you take a look at everyone on this style, and once more this isn’t a diss on anyone, all of the bands which are in style proper now are tremendous gifted, wonderful musicians, however there isn’t any individual that represents that enjoyable aspect of issues like all of us grew up listening to, Blink-182, Much less Than Jake, Weezer. I grew up going to exhibits the place that was the vibe. So it’s, for my part, one of many issues that makes us stand out and we actually embrace that.
NEIL WESTFALL: I believe the opposite factor is the truth that we are able to have ‘Silence’ and ‘All My Pals’ on the identical album. It’s the craziest fucking mixture of issues, they usually all can exist. What I believe makes us uniquely A Day To Keep in mind is that it’s noone can go and play with Gojira after which play with Blink 182 after which play with Good Charlotte after which play with fucking Lana Del Rey. We performed a competition final yr with Lana Del Rey, she performed proper after us. I’m like, ‘What the fuck is occurring?’ And our heaviest songs went fucking nuts. There have been individuals on the seaside crowd browsing and it was probably the most insane vibe. No one else might fucking do that shit. That’s the great thing about it. To have the ability to add 12 songs that may push all of these instructions even additional is an unbelievable feat. 23 years in, that’s fucking all you might hope for.
ELECTRIC CALLBOY
RS: Coming again to the UK as one in all Slam Dunk’s headline acts has received to be a fairly wonderful milestone for you.
KEVIN: It feels unbelievable each time we take into consideration these info. To be trustworthy, regardless of how arduous we work for one thing and regardless of how good the sensation that we now have about our personal work and creations or music basically, it by no means feels fully proper that we’re standing there on high of those lineups, as a result of I all the time really feel like we’re simply doing music. We did Slam Dunk a few years in the past and now we’re right here. Exhausting work all the time pays off, nevertheless it’s nonetheless unbelievable for us, particularly within the UK the place we weren’t that profitable as a result of we all know you could have so many good bands for yourselves. I all the time examine the UK to Berlin in some methods, as a result of Berlin are just a little bit spoiled for selection so you must be particular to make it there or to convey the individuals out to your exhibits.
NICO SALLACH: It’s one factor to play large exhibits in Germany the place we’re from, nevertheless it’s one other factor to give you the chance as a band to journey all world wide, taking part in exhibits of the identical measurement. That phrase ‘headlining’ a competition is simply fully out of my thoughts. I’m gonna understand it proper after the present or weeks after, however not proper now. I believe we really feel tremendous fortunate and tremendous grateful.
RS: Your most up-to-date single was ‘Elevator Operator’, already a giant fan favorite. How did that one come collectively?
NICO: Properly, on the subject of writing new songs, it’s all the time the identical factor. It’s a must to be artistic, and typically you may pressure it, however typically not. Loads of issues that we’re doing come from pure inspiration. And the inspiration for ‘Elevator Operator’ was really an actual story. We met a man in Detroit and this man was really working the elevator and had his personal playlist that was taking part in the entire entire day in that elevator. We simply requested this man, ‘Hey, dude, what’s your job? What are you doing?’ and he stated, simply tremendous, tremendous critical, ‘The elevator operator’. And I don’t know why, however we simply knew that we needed to write a music about this.
KEVIN: ‘Elevator Operator’ as a phrase virtually has a melody to it. Whenever you’re in a songwriting temper, all the things could be an inspiration. When you’re a automotive vendor, you stroll via life and automobiles are placing for you. You might have an eye fixed on automobiles. So we now have an eye fixed on life, I might say, as a result of all the things can work as an inspiration, and we had been very joyful to have that. And naturally, like in a variety of tales, there’s an origin and it will get greater and greater the extra you speak about it. Ultimately, we had that elevator operator glowing and shining. It was fairly enjoyable, and we love to do this. Once we introduced that concept to the studio, it got here collectively fairly quick. So typically we now have to essentially work on songs, however this went so quick.
NECK DEEP
RS: What was your private relationship with Slam Dunk earlier than the band began taking part in at it? Did you attend or play an element in it within the early years?
BEN BARLOW: I didn’t go to any Slam Dunks earlier than Neck Deep. However I’ve been in Neck Deep since I used to be 17, so I’m positive if I wasn’t with the band, I might have ended up going in some unspecified time in the future. I used to be all the time a bit too broke, to be trustworthy. However the way in which I all the time seen it was that it felt like our model of Warped Tour. It felt like the one factor that served our factor, particularly pop-punk. I believe again to the UK pop-punk bands that got here earlier than us, like Save Your Breath and Paige, and even You Me At Six, and could be like, ‘In order that’s the form of factor that they’re taking part in, and it appears to go down effectively for them’. The UK didn’t have a lot of the scene past Slam Dunk, actually. It’s fairly disparate on the subject of pop-punk. There are issues on the market for the heavier scenes, however there isn’t a lot handed this for pop-punk. So, rising up as a pop-punk child, with my first expertise I used to be simply stoked to be there. Not solely taking part in it however having the ability to see different bands and be amongst all of it, actually. I met some individuals at that first Slam Dunk that we now have gone on to work very intently with. Our guitar tech and our displays man performed that yr with their previous band, they usually requested me to be in one in all their music movies. It was necessary in that means the place we weren’t simply seeing a few of our favorite bands however we had been connecting with individuals. I used to be all the time enamoured by it, and it was simply by likelihood my first expertise was taking part in it. And we needed to battle our means on, not all the things has been handed to us. We had our followers behind us and championing us to get in there, nevertheless it’s been particular since then. For the UK, I really feel prefer it’s one thing that a variety of bands really feel the identical means about.
RS: You had a second with The Surprise Years again in 2022 while you joined them for the top of ‘All My Pals Are In Bar Bands’ at Hatfield alongside members of Trash Boat, Bears In Bushes, Magnificence Faculty and extra. It was an actual neighborhood second, to say the least. That should have felt fairly wonderful…
BEN: Completely. And it’s as a result of we had been all followers at that second. They had been taking part in ‘The Upsides’ in full, and everyone was up for doing it; it was simply wonderful. I used to be simply that 17-year-old model of me once more, simply buzzing. I nonetheless discover a lot pleasure in these issues. I nonetheless discover pleasure and privilege to go and watch bands like The Surprise Years in that form of means. I believe The Surprise Years embody that friendship ingredient of pop-punk. They all the time wish to get their associates concerned and push and promote different bands as a result of it’s constructed into their DNA. It’s the place they’ve come from and what they’ve all the time been part of. And for me to hop round on stage with them, it makes that 17-year-old model of me really feel like I’m part of the Philly scene within the late 00s. I’ve received to dwell that via Slam Dunk, after which followers are additionally attending to dwell that.
NEW FOUND GLORY
RS: How are you feeling about the place New Discovered Glory is at in 2025?
JORDAN PUNDIK: It feels actually good. We’re a band that has by no means been the sort to cease. It’s all the time been go go go. I really feel like we now have discovered a pleasant stability now, although, having the ability to have an actual residence life in addition to touring over the previous couple of years. That’s been useful. However looking forward to this yr and having the ability to come again to all these international locations, together with the UK, that we now have been to in so lengthy, it’s began to stack up a bit. Like now I’m residence for 3 days at a time earlier than we head someplace new. It’s very fascinating to see all of that on the calendar once more, particularly after navigating COVID and Chad’s well being. However saying that, I’m simply actually excited to be doing it once more.
CHAD GILBERT: We’ve all the time been simply New Discovered Glory since day one. We by no means actually anticipated to have a profession, and to at the present time, we nonetheless don’t count on that. Due to that, all the things is enjoyable, and all the things we get to do is a present. It’s why we now have been in a position to transition to the place we’re in now. We’ve impressed individuals to play in bands, and bands have grown to have careers behind us, inspiring them to choose up guitars. Now, I’m in a position to encourage people who find themselves going via problems with well being or anxiousness. These are issues that I’m dwelling, it’s my each day, however it is usually very New Discovered Glory. It’s simply in a special subject.
RS: And the way does it really feel to have that feeling to be part of Slam Dunk once more, a competition you could have an extended relationship with?
JORDAN: Slam Dunk is a competition constructed across the love of music, particularly the love we really feel for hardcore, punk and pop-punk. It’s the UK model of Warped Tour however on a grand scale. I can keep in mind taking part in our first Slam Dunk in 2010, and it was a comparatively good measurement, nevertheless it wasn’t like Studying and Leeds. And Studying and Leeds is all the time nice, however there’s one thing so all the way down to earth about what Slam Dunk is. It’s large, nevertheless it nonetheless looks like a neighborhood. Regardless that bands like Fall Out Boy and different large acts play, it nonetheless looks like everyone seems to be there as one. I like being part of that, particularly in a spot removed from the place we’re from. Realizing we are able to go to a spot just like the UK and really feel that neighborhood is superior. I adore it, and I hope it continues.
CHAD: This type of music hasn’t all the time been as large as it’s. It fluctuates. It goes up and down. And a spot like Slam Dunk retains it a staple. It brings this neighborhood collectively that isn’t all the time spoken for within the mainstream. That’s particularly proper within the States. You might have bands making music that’s actually in style on the radio, and none of it’s from our style. So, these festivals show the significance of this style. And with New Discovered Glory being a staple band inside that, it’s cool to point out followers that there’s a residence for this. Listed below are individuals like me who make me really feel like I can decide up a guitar and play music. Some individuals on the market have to really feel that means as a lot as I do. I hope we function a mirror to the group, the place they’ll suppose, ‘I’m Chad, I’m Ian, I’m Jordan, I’m Cyrus. I’m similar to them’.
Slam Dunk Pageant takes place on Might 24 and 25 in Hatfield and Leeds. Get your tickets right here.
