by Andrew Trendell | Photos by Luke Hannaford
We Are The Ocean, Goldfinger, Cartel rock Slam Dunk
The good times never end up in Leeds
23 May 2015: Good times come in a variety of forms at Slam Dunk in Leeds as We Are The Ocean, Goldfinger and Cartel show Yorkshire one hell of a good time. Check out our awesome, exclusive photos from their sets here.
We Are The Ocean were only ever going to charm the face off of Slam Dunk. Penultimately playing 'Young Hearts', before finishing with' The Waiting Room', a signature track from their 2011 album, Go Now and Live, was of course met with rapture by Millennium Square dwellers. We are a little bit in love with We Are The Ocean.
Reel Big Fish teased the crowd by taking up the trombone section to make a truly remarkable and memorable atmosphere. If you weren't in the dancing mood already, Goldfinger made certain that you were. Without a doubt, Goldfinger are the band to boogie to this year.
“Spokesman, Spokesman”, the chants grew louder and more forceful until of course, Goldfinger obliged much to the delight of the eager ska crowd. Not satisfied with this, everyone went wild, busting out dances moves too embarrassing for public view when the final song, '99 Red Balloons' erupted from the Desperados Stage.
For a small venue,Cartel brought big sound, dominating the Macbeth Stage with beat-filled American pop punk vibes. Wasting no time, Cartel started as the meant to go on - playing an impressively comprehensive set crammed with classic cuts from debut album Chroma like 'Luckie Street', 'Honestly', 'If I Fail', and many more from their self-titled follow up, including 'The Fortunate' before treating us to 'The Perfect Mistake' from Cycles.
"Pardon me if we’re not telling you how much we love you, but we’re trying to play as many songs as possible!" were the only unsung words from frontman, Will Pugh.
You could be forgiven for forgetting you were standing in a car park, and not the most friendly street party in the world as the sun beamed down on the music lovers. Bringing unfathomable energy, they are an ultimate live band at Slam Dunk this year. More of this please.