Slam Dunk- 02 Academy, Bournemouth, Friday May 28th. Set Your Goals, Out of Sight, Hit the Lights, Four Year Strong, New Found Glory.

Independent music label Slam Dunk sports an annual in-door festival of the same name to showcase their clients and play host to larger bands from all over. The festival has seen Fall Out Boy, Reel Big Fish and Paramore on its stages during its 4 years and this year was as big as ever. Its sister show – with bands from the festival’s main stage - stopped by Bournemouth’s 02 Academy this weekend to give fans of the scene a taste of what’s to come. And it started on a very good note.

Unlikely openers Set Your Goals have somewhere else to be so get the night underway, much to everyone’s confusion and the disappointment of those who are running late.
These guys are not a band to be judged on appearances as what you see, at times, resembles a hyper group of mathletes fronted by an uncool, white Keenan and Kel.Following a command to form a circle pit from Kel, Keenan quickly steps in with a terrified look and a cutthroat signal - a sign that circle pits are not allowed. You could almost imagine his counterpart declaring “aaaaah, here it goes...” That was not very METAL. Then, pop punk isn’t particularly metal. If you’re paying more attention to the music then you’d notice the pair works well with contrasting vocals and as a unit they are tight and seem flawless, full of an infectious energy and somewhat daring confidence which makes them a difficult act to follow.

Unfortunately those with the task of following are fresh faced four piece Out Of Sight. There’s nothing too wrong with what they’ve written but it’s certainly not original, no one knows who they are and no one is here to find out. Seeing as they were opening main stage at the festival this weekend you feel some pity that they have to beg the crowd to sing back lyrics that just aren’t as inventive or anthem worthy as they think.

“Who’s drunk yet?” bassist Sean slurs. Clearly him. Given that it is only 6.30pm and a great deal of the crowd are still in secondary school, only a handful of punters respond – which is awkward. It’s a shame they’re not as good as they think they are and no amount of sex faces or pleading for crowd participation is going to change that. A highlight comes mid-set when they attempt a cover of Black Eyed Peas ‘I Gotta Feeling’ which, admittedly, stirs some excitement. And, yes, it is going to be a good night. But when Journey gets a better sing along during the following sound check it’s apparent that it really is Out of Sight... out of mind. Chortle.

The 400 capacity venue is still filling up when Hit the Lights hit the stage. With copius amounts of energy and a guitarist who could pass off as a possessed Moss from the IT Crowd, they sound more like New Found Glory than New Found Glory. Well, almost. This is no accident as NFG spawned this scene and, although theirs is not an entirely original sound, those watching and listening start bouncing and singing and take to them well. The response from the crowd gives the Journey record a run for its money and its volume during the frequent breakdowns invites goosebumps every time.
It is obvious from the continuing roar of the crowd that Four Year Strong are as popular as the headliners and, if one didn’t know better, one would think everyone was here to see them. As far as their sound goes they’re not what the night has dictated so far and boast an aggression that has left a whole in what has come before. If you can look past the fact that front man Dan O'Connor looks like an angry saliva beleaguered Brian Blessed, who’s Gruff vocals are a welcome break from the whine of the pop punk, then what stands before you is a vat of sounds combining classic Rise Against with the hardcore hooks of Story of the Year. With no shortage of material and songs with intriguing titles such as ‘What the Hell is a Gigawatt?’ and ‘Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated,’ Four year strong are definitely one to watch.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of their self titled release and, as they bound onto the stage to the sounds of Miley Cyrus’ ‘Party in the Usa,’ New Found Glory bring a sense of completion to the bill tonight. “We are going to play a shit load of songs for you!” front man Jordan Pundik beams. And they do so with the flare and precision that they’re known for, the crowd following every word and every song being met with a colossal scream. Classics ‘Hit or Miss,’ ‘Catalyst,’ ‘Dressed to Kill’ and ‘My Friends over you,’ as well as an excellent cover of ‘Kiss Me,’ are highlights and it hits home just how much NYG have brought to the scene when guitarist Chad Gilbert thanks the fans for their support and promises that “no matter how uncool we may be, New Found Glory will always be there for you.” Judging by the energy in here tonight, they are definitely still cool and - even after 10 years - show no signs of slowing down.

Oh and, let’s face it, everyone knows Hayley meant to send that picture to Chad. Lol.