Meet The Ladies of Slam Dunk Festival
If you grew up listening to emo music, you’re probably loving the pop-punk renaissance that we’re experiencing. But something’s different this time around. No, it’s not that you no longer wear a shoelace as a belt, or that you take selfies on an iPhone instead of a hot pink digital camera, it’s that there are way more female voices in the scene.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that we now get to sing along with more tracks than ever that were written from the female perspective—whether that means singing about the dude who ghosted you, pervy guys in bands, the girl with a boyfriend who totally led you on, or your obsession with Harry Styles.
We’ve got options now! And we’re so excited that so many of our fave leading ladies are playing at UK alternative music festival Slam Dunk this year. Here’s a guide to some of our fave baddies on the bill:
1. Charlotte Sands
If you don’t know Charlotte Sands for her insanely catchy tracks, you may know her from her collabs with some of your OG fave bands like Taking Back Sunday and Sleeping with Sirens. The Massachusetts-born, turquoise-haired singer first went viral for her song about Harry Styles’ sexy, gender-bending style, called “Dress.” She’s gone on to become a go-to girl for the pop-punk genre. Her songs are especially excellent for singing at the top of your lungs while driving with the windows down. My personal fave is ‘Lost,” but her latest track ‘Six Feet Under’ is getting up there on my list.
2. LØLØ
If you’ve ever dealt with a hot and cold lover (or just been ghosted), you will relate heavily to LØLØ‘s ‘u turn me on (but u give me depression).’ If not (but really, who hasn’t been ghosted?), you’ll still likely enjoy LØLØ’s relatable, pop-punk tracks, especially if you’re a fan of Avril Lavigne or Hayley Williams, since Billboard has compared LØLØ to both of these icons!
3. Maggie Lindemann
Maggie Lindemann refuses to be constricted to one genre. After getting out of a record deal that wanted to push her in a bubbly pop direction, she emerged in Fall of 2020 with a new edgier image and much more alternative music. She’s doing pop-punk (or whatever you wanna call it), pretty dang well. ‘she knows it,’ from her 2022 album SUCKERPUNCH is everything you could want in a track: heavy guitar and drums, an easy-to-sing-along-with chorus, and bisexual tension.
4. Scene Queen
Speaking of genres, Scene Queen basically made her own. Ever heard of Bimbocore? It’s how Scene Queen (AKA Hannah Collins) defines her music, which is hardcore with feminist themes and all-pink aesthetics that caters to your many moods: whether you feel like calling out the misogynistic, predatory behavior in the alternative scene, or you’re down for a shower orgy.
5. PVRIS
Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, the singer, songwriter, and producer behind PVRIS, founded the band in 2015 when there were much less female-fronted acts in the scene—and some would say that she’s helped make room for more. PVRIS has played Coachella and Lollapalooza in the past, so you know their festival set is going to be pretty epic. To prepare, make sure you’ve done your due diligence listening to their recently released singles from their upcoming fourth album, Evergreen.
5. Destroy Boys
Destroy Boys‘ band name alone should be enough to make you want to catch their set at Slam Dunk, but once you catch a whiff of their feminist punk lyrics and Riot Grrl-inspired sounds, you’re gonna want more. If you don’t get to catch them at Slam Dunk, you can find them opening up for Blink-182 on their highly anticipated tour this summer. And while there’s a lot of girl boss energy served up by guitarist Violet Mayugba, it’s important to recognize that bandmate Alexia Roditis identifies as non-binary.
6. Sincere Engineer
If you catch sight of people holding corn dog signs at Slam Dunk, they might not work for catering. Instead, they might be big Sincere Engineer fans. Singer Deanna Belos is a big corn dog fan, and the track she dedicated to her love for them (“Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7”), has become a fan-favorite. The good news is you don’t have be a lover of battered pork to enjoy her melodic punk music.
