Yungblud's First Ever Australian Performance This Week Went Off

17 November 2017 | 8:12 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

This guy is definitely one to watch in 2018!

This guy is definitely one to watch in 2018!



Regardless of the very small capacity upstairs at the Sydney's Oxford Circus, the room is full and buzzing, beers being lifted above eye level to avoid spillage and bodies being pushed up together. For someone who has never been to Australia before, and for someone's first and only Australian performance so far, the anticipation and excitement hanging in the air at Yungblud’s live performance on Tuesday the 14th of November was very impressive indeed. From the moment the man of the hour and his mop of hair joined his fellow guitarist and drummer on stage to his eventual departure, Yungblud did not let up once; bouncing around like a man possessed and showing no signs of fatigue.

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

Initially, there are a lot comparisons to be made between Yungblud and fellow Brits, The 1975 – broad, unapologetic accents, a wardrobe consisting of variations on tight and black, and snappy, early Brit-pop influenced tunes. While these are definitely fair comparisons to make, it took barely one song for me to realise that there was a lot more about Yungblud to differentiate this act than what I had initially given it credit for. There is a definite glossy sheen to a lot of these tracks, but beneath that surface level can be found a profoundly punk rock core to the delivery and writing, something that becomes even more apparent when watching the band shred through their set in a live setting with crazed confidence and aggression alike. Not only that but as the show went on the crowd (which had turned into party central) was treated to hip-hop, reggae and ska embellishments to the bombastic tracks on offer.

But, of course, the star of the show is Yungblud himself; 19-year-old Dominic Harrison.

Without an enigmatic, exciting and wildly magnetic presence front-of-stage to anchor down the audience’s attention, this could and probably would have been just another indie rock show wrapped up in skinny jeans. Much like Matty Healy of the aforementioned The 1975, there was not a single moment Harrison wasn’t the absolute centre of attention, and whenever there was even the slightest chance of that slipping he would stick his face in a light or go smack a kiss on his fellow guitarist to make sure the excitement never dropped. It’s one thing to be a crazy performer, though, and quite another to be endearing between songs, where his wild-eyed excitement (“I’m playing a show in Australia, what the fuck?!”) and youthful frankness (“this is a song about Northern England,” he says in his drawn-out twang) make for a presence that feels genuine and authentic. Watching Harrison play, you really get the feeling he was dead excited just to be here sharing his tunes with some convicts from across the sea.

With only three singles released to his name so far, Yungblud’s is at a key point in his career, and to be honest, I’m just as excited as he seems to be. With insanely catchy hooks (just try to get 'The Loner' out of your head), a willingness to be honest and speak his mind – 'Tin Pan Boy' is a scathing attack at property developers and 'King Charles' speaks for itself, really” – and two singles ready for release early next year, Yungblud has all the ingredients of an act ready to explode in the near future. Yungblud – remember the name and watch this space, and in the meantime have a listen to the dead-set banger that is 'I Love You, Will You Marry Me'.