Yungblud, Auckland NZ, 2022

Yungblud

20th July 2022
Shed 10, Auckland, New Zealand

Review by Alex Cabré, with photography by Doug Peters.

At the latest in this month’s run of Splendour in the Grass sideshows, British alt-pop sensation YUNGBLUD (stylised in capitals, because punk rock!) brought a storm of noise and melodrama to Shed 10 down on the Auckland waterfront. In their Aotearoa debut the 24-year-old, real name Dominic Harrison, made light work of getting the thousands-strong crowd amped up and moving, living up to their reputation – the good and the bad – via a frenetic 90-minute performance.

Kicking off proceedings, Aussie pop newcomer and TikTok star Peach PRC makes for a curious if low-key start. In all pink, embodying a 2022 version of the anime pixie dream girl stereotype, her glitchy, tongue-in-cheek tunes sound great booming through the huge room, but her lack of stage presence means the songs aren’t given half the reception they deserve. ‘God Is a Freak’, followed by a bubblegum-tinged rendition of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ get some hips moving at least.

If anyone knows how to get an audience riled, it’s Yungblud. Since emerging around 2018 with perfectly serviceable if not wholly original pop-rock tunes and an in-your-face aesthetic drawn from 70’s punk and 00’s emo, Harrison has become a divisive figure in pop. On the one hand, they’ve amassed a legion of (mostly) teenage fans impressively fast, claiming a number one album in his native UK with ‘Weird!’ back in 2020. On the other, their hyperactive persona and increasingly pastiche take on alternative rock have landed them criticism, mostly online. But in the room tonight the side of adoration wins; like an ex-boyband member without the boyband, they’re greeted with ear-shattering screams when they bound onto the stage and into ‘strawberry lipstick’.

For the first thirty odd minutes, the show is fantastic. Harrison is a born performer, working his audience from the word go, pelting it up and down the stage and beaming ear to ear the whole time too. “Holy fookin’ shit Auckland!” they yell, thick Doncaster accent showcased in its glory, to rapturous applause. They’re backed by a slick live band, and though their vocals are often lost in the muddy mix it hardly matters: the crowd seem to know all the words anyway.

An early highlight is ‘parents’ which, despite being an almost carbon copy of Twenty One Pilots’ megahit ‘Stressed Out’, goes down swimmingly. Jittery and up tempo, ‘The Funeral’ is great too, despite its strong resemblance to Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’. ‘superdeadfriends’, meanwhile, borrows more than a smidge from Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’. Wait a sec. See the pattern emerging here?

As the show rolls on the issue becomes obvious that Yungblud – or their songs, at least – are as far from original as it’s possible to get without being sued. He pinches from Wheatus on ‘fleabag’, Pixies on ‘Kill Somebody’, David Bowie on ‘mars’, whose chorus refrain “Is there any life on mars?” pales in comparison to the 1973 diamond-plated classic it so shamelessly imitates. There’s nothing wrong with emulating your heroes; every pop artist under the sun cherry picks from the catalogue of hits that came before them. The problem with young Dominic, however, is that most of their versions straight up suck. After the initial jolt of energy they bring with them to Shed 10, so does their gig.

And yet, the thronging teens, many dressed the same as the mop-topped Dennis the Menace lookalike on stage, lap up the noise, jumping, arm-waving, revelling in the sense of community Harrison stirs so intensely at their shows. It’s hard to believe the former Disney child actor and Generally Quite Normal Looking Dude when they claim to have “felt like a fookin’ freak my whole life”, but if it gives the young’ns something to cling to, then that’s something; in one genuinely touching moment, they bring some fans on stage beside them, one proudly holding a trans flag.

Is it likely Yungblud will enter the history books as one of this generation’s guiding voices? Erm, probably not. But based on their reception on this steamy Wednesday night, they’ve clearly caught themselves some sort of zeitgeist, with no plans to let go any time soon.

Yungblud – photo by Doug Peters

Yungblud

Were you there at Shed 10 for this high energy Alt-Pop-Punk gig? Or have you seen Yungblud perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Set List:

1. Strawberry Lipstick
2. Parents
3. Superdeadfriends
4. The Funeral
5. I Love You, Will You Marry Me?
6. Weird
7. Mars
8. Fleabag
9. Memories
10. Kill Somebody
11. I Think I’m Okay
12. Loner
13. Braindead
14. God Save Me
15. Machine Gun

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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