Slam Dunk Festival 2011- Main Stage

Hatfield; that place with Hertfordshire University in it, just outside of London, right? Well, for 364 days in a year, that's about all anyone knows about Hatfield- if they know it at all! But today, Sunday 29th May 2011, it is going to be known for one reason, and one reason only. Slam Dunk Festival. The queue of fans outside stretches considerably, and consists of a huge age range. The ska-punk one-day festival attracts the old-school 'daddies' who'll remember the first wave of ska and are determined not to let go of their youth, as well as the young teenagers with neon mohawks and nose piercings.

Although there are several stages in amongst the university field (Jagermeister stage; Atticus stage; Macbeth Footwear stage; Honour Over Glory stage; Kerrang! Introducing stage; and the Punktastic.com Acoustic stage), you know the biggest and best bands are going to be headlining the main Jagermeister stage by the end of the point, and why run the risk of missing them?

The Skints are first up, and have the incredibly difficult task of opening the main stage to hundreds of adoring fans. The new up-and-comers in the ska-reggae genre show that they are no pushovers; they are not willing to let the crowd become distracted or bored for a single second, and the beautiful singing voice of the multi-skilled Marcia Richards combined with the raw Jack-the-Lad London accent of Joshua Rudge makes for a strange, yet melodic, sound. They serve as a brilliant warm-up to begin the day.

Californian Power-Pop group Hellogoodbye are next to grace the main stage and, although they have had more mainstream success than The Skints, they seem to struggle to maintain the crowd that The Skints left swaying to their sound. Luck certainly doesn't seem to be on their side, as this is where the power issues that continue throughout the day begin. As the electrics cut several times through their set, this makes it even harder for Hellogoodbye to keep the crowd entertained, and they begin to drift away to the other stages. Their set includes songs Here (In Your Arms) and Baby, It's Fact, and these seem to be the only numbers the crowd actually knows, so the odd few people sing along and tap their feet, but, in general, Hellogoodbye seem to take the festival atmosphere right back to the drawing board.

Goldfinger, one of the main contributors to the third-wave ska movement during the mid-1990s, are next up on the bill, and are the first band of the day to really get the crowd going. As soon as they enter into their first song, the short and snappy anthem, Spokesman, the crowd immediately start jumping, moshing, skanking, and any other movement that is possible at a punk-ska festival; they general just rock out. Most songs are sung back to the band almost word-perfectly, and they help to engage the fans by splitting them in half and creating a Harry Potter-style Griffindoor/Slytherin sing-off, which really creates a unified and enjoyable atmosphere. From this point onwards, it honestly begins to feel like a festival because, despite the port-a-loos, beer tents and merch stalls, there are really only two elements that make a festival truly great- the crowd and the bands. And Goldfinger manage to make these two elements into one.

Punk-rockers Anti-Flag may feel too aggressive or too serious for some members of the audience, with their loud, gravelly voices and outspoken political views, but their controversial and courageous political opinions are what makes their music so great. It gives them attitude, passion, energy. And, for anyone who thought they didn't know how to have fun without politics, the huge power cut that occurs during their set allows them to prove these people wrong. They see this situation not as a set-back, but as an opportunity to fully engage the crowd in their music; they grab a megaphone from backstage and jump right into the thick of the crowd, screaming their lyrics as loud as possible. It doesn't matter that their words can barely be heard through the speaker, because the crowd all pull together and harmonise the lyrics to Die For Your Government back to the band, louder than any of the members themselves. It's a beautiful sight, and an inspiring experience. The power zaps back into action and so do the band, finishing their set with the drummer, Pat Thetic, blasting his final beats from his drum kit in the middle of crowd. They handle the electrical issues better than anyone could have expected, and it only serves to make their set stronger.

The Starting Line, from Philadelphia, are the next band to play, signaling the beginning of the two main acts who are waiting backstage. Although they seem eager to play themselves, and they are indeed enjoyable to listen to, they are yet another band that don't seem to quite hit the spot with the crowd. Whether it's because the audience are too full of anticipation for the headline acts, or because the band are placed too late into the evening and they should have maybe been billed for an early afternoon performance, or simply because they are not that well known in the UK- whatever it is, despite the fact that they are playing in a 'prime-time' spot, they seem to scream 'support act'.

The sun is going down. The crowd is growing rapidly. The plastic cups of liquid are being thrown left, right and centre. This can mean only one thing. The headliners are up.

Reel Big Fish stride confidently on stage, in their Hawaiian shirts and their outrageous sideburns. It's clear they are here to have a good time, and to hell with what anyone thinks about them. Thankfully, everyone loves them. They play the old favourites, such as Beer and Take On Me, and invite Marcia from The Skints on stage for a rendition of She's Got a Girlfriend Now, which is a refreshing reminder of the friendship between the bands behind the scenes. Their witty banter and hilarious comments make their set even more enjoyable and, even though they probably could have selected a better set list for their slot, the fans still adore them anyway, and they are the best band of the entire day by far.

But the show isn't over yet. Last, but absolutely not least, are the legendary Less Than Jake. They burst onto the stage, laughing, joking, stumbling and shouting. They have obviously been drinking throughout the day- this is a festival after all- and they don't take anything seriously, except when it comes to thanking each and every one of their fans for coming out to see them. Two members of the audience get a particularly special thank you, as two sisters are invited up onto the stage to dance, and are eventually persuaded to kiss, making their night unforgettable. Not only that, but the band encourage members of the crowd to climb up the nearest trees and create the biggest circle pit Slam Dunk has ever seen during All My Best Friends Are Metalheads. They're fun, they're fast, they're everything this festival stands for. They are everything this type of festival, and this type of crowd, craves. It is an invigorating way to end the day.