British-born and Doncaster-raised icon, YUNGBLUD, real name Dominic Harrison, finally brought his long-awaited, highly anticipated IDOLS World Tour to his Aussie fans, some of whom have been waiting for the star to come back to Australia since his last visit in 2022.
YUNGBLUD brought his fiery, passionate energy to Brisbane’s Riverstage for the first time in his career. The artist stated at some stage during the show about how it was his dream to be able to play at the Riverstage, it being one of the largest venues that the city has to offer.
Initially only meant to do one show on January 17th, a second show was added not long after tickets went on sale due to phenomonal demand, giving fans who missed out on tickets a second chance to attend. This resulted in two absolutely unreal nights filled with energy, raw rock and roll attitude, and most importantly, a sense of community.
Before YUNGBLUD even set foot on stage, his opener, Brisbane-born Dune Rats, had already turned the crowd into a moving sea of limbs, beer cups, and a whole lot of headbanging. The trio brought their usual loose, carefree energy to the Riverstage, while talking to the crowd between songs about how they’d always dreamed about playing the Riverstage since their high school years.
The Dune Rats are as Australian of a band you can get. Their set was packed with original songs that have become lovable crowd favourites over the years, as well as performing an extremely well received cover of the infamous pub classic “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?” by The Angels. For those who don’t know why this song is so iconic to Australians, it’s tradition for any Aussies who hear the chorus to the track to shout “No way, get f*cked, f*ck off!” in response. The trio embraced their bold, chaotic energy as if making it their personal challenge to make every person in the venue a new fan by the end of the night.
Dune Rats absolutely killed the opening slot for the show. They kept the crowd entertained and engaged throughout the duration of their set, while also maintaining the true, authentic vibes of an Aussie band, The mixture of their packed setlist and undeniably raw energy made for the perfect band to open for the controlled insanity of the show that would soon follow.
Chaos would soon arrive as 9pm struck. The stage lights dimmed, and a low, bassy hum travelled across the crowd like a wave of anticipation. One by one, members of YUNGBLUD’s band walked out and took their positions, as if counting down the seconds until another night insanity would ensue, and they wouldn’t have to wait long at all.
From the moment YUNGBLUD stepped on stage, the tension dropped off and was swiftly replaced by pure, unfiltered happiness and excitement. Opening the night with the first track and first single released for IDOLS, Hello Heaven, Hello. The nine-minute track, split into three distinct parts, was the perfect choice for an opening song with the intro allowing fans to scream and share their excitement for the star who was finally in front of their eyes. The song shifted into the second part, changing into a rock and roll anthem where his four-string quartet on stage really shone through and added that beautiful extra layer of dimension to the live sound.
As the set went from song to song, YUNGBLUD played almost all of the songs from IDoLS, with a few deep cuts from his second studio album, from ‘icecream man’ to ‘strawberry lipstick’ being thrown into the mix. YUNGBLUD’s energy for the stage cannot be compared, it’s obvious he’s taken inspitation and channelled the energy of his longtime musical heroes, from Iggy Pop to Ozzy Osbourne. Although his inspiration is clear, his stage presence and performance style is unlike anything we have seen in the modern era of rock and roll music, and the varying ages of the attendees, from Gen Z to baby boomers, can attest to his dedication and love for the craft.
With myself personally being a long-time fan of YUNGBLUD since 2019, my favourite part of the entire show wasn’t the music or the intensity of the ADHD and alcohol fuelled performance. The best part for me was seeing an entire community of people, of all different ages, races, and walks of life, set aside their differences and come together for one night filled with the same love for YUNGBLUD and the same passion for rock and roll music. Creating a community has been his goal since the start of his career, and its heartwarming to see that although his career has shifted into something entirely new, his shows continue to remain a safe space for fans across the globe to feela sense of love, acceptance, and most importantly, belonging.
All in all, YUNGBLUD’s live show was one of the most incredible live experiences I’ve ever had the honour of photographing, and reviewing. The show was intense, raw, and fuelled with passion for performance, like YUNGBLUD was going to give the best show possible for his last night in Brisbane, or die trying. Although there was minor backlash online due to the nature of the setlist not having many songs from his first three albums, I believe YUNGBLUD made the right decision to focus solely on songs from IDOLS and 100% respect his choice to step further away from his pop-punk roots so that he can settle and become comfortable with his new and more mature sound.
His musical, lyrical, and performance evolution since his breakout album in 2018 has been an absolute honour to watch, and it’s been a wonderful journey growing up along side him and observing him adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the music industry. IDOLS, alongside its world tour, has forever changed YUNGBLUD’s musical pathway, and with a new album currently being worked on to help solidify his sound alongside plans to bring Bludfest to Aussie shores by 2027 in attempts to make live music more affordable, it’s clear that YUNGBLUD is a musical force to be reckoned with, and it’s clear that this is only just the beginning.
