Yungblud
Factory Theatre
Sydney, Australia
February 14, 2019
Prior to tonight’s performance I had not been familiar with Yungblud and his oeuvre.
Anticipating an “urbanite” artist from the name alone, I was pleasantly surprised to witness an alternative newcomer with an energetic Andrew WK-esque performance anchored more in alternative, pub- and rap rock territory than electronica.
Poppy in essence, but drawing from the swagger of hip hop, a tad of snotty 70ies punk rock braggadocio and lyrics that do no shy away from tackling deeper lying societal issues, e.g. racial injustice, sexism, etc., Yungblud channels his energy into an idiosyncratic easily accessible brew that one finds hard to resist, as it does neither come across as prefabricated not forced.
The youthful, engaging and lively gentleman known as Yungblud certainly has charisma and is blessed with a natural and boisterous stage presence, which the enthusiastic audience lapped up and reciprocated by showing eagerness in following Dominic Harrison’s prompts as he got them moving, bouncing and singing along.
Flamboyant in demeanour and putting on such an energetic live show with the “je ne sais quoi”-factor being a major ingredient, it is easy to foresee that Yungblud with the freshness of his offerings will go places in the not so distant future – the catchy memorable choruses along with his unapologetic “in your face” demeanour will certainly not hurt either.
It should be interesting to see which direction he will take as he refines his ways and where he takes it from here.
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