Live Review: Yungblud - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester 07/10/2021
It’s been almost two years since Yungblud toured around his native land of the United Kingdom, and everyone is asking the same question: is there any life on Mars?
Opening for the artist is Liverpool act STONE. A great band with electrifying energy, getting the crowd warmed up for the night. For a smaller act, they got everyone moving and grooving, bouncing and shouting the quickly-learnt lyrics; if a Yungblud show is a workout, then STONE were the warm-up stretches.
This was a major step forward for the band, and there’s no doubt they have a big bright future ahead of them if they continue rising in this way.
Following on was renforshort, who came to stun the fans with her pop-infused hits and mellow vocals. Being that calm before the red-haired storm, she managed to keep the momentum going. This includes her own take of Gorillaz hit ‘Feel Good Inc’, which felt fresh and definitely hit the indie ear differently to the original. It was unexpected, but some of the best gifts are surprises.
With the crowd ready, raving, chanting, it was time to begin. That was when everyone was greeted with a projection of a pair of plump red lips, introducing them in that distinctive Doncaster accent they knew and loved. This was when the lights went up, the curtains dropped, and Manchester was ready to re-meet Yungblud.
Starting the set with ‘Strawberry Lipstick’, the leading single from his second album Weird!, Yungblud - real name Dom Harrison - was already in full swing with his trademark bursts of energy. Jumping, singing, screaming; he was ready to break the stage and no one was going to stop him.
The night was dominated by tracks from Weird!, which to some may be seen as less than ideal but it was magical and mysterious. Harrison released the record during the pandemic and was unable to tour at the time, so the excitement and the joy is radiating bright and loud as he performs these tracks live. One of the most fascinating performances of the night was ‘mars’, which has become one of the most meaningful tracks to himself and his fanbase. Written about a transgender fan Harrison had met in the past, it was an emotional period where everyone bonded, no matter how they identified.
If there’s one rule at a Yungblud show, it’s you can be who you want to be; you can love who you want to love; and you can identify however you want to identify. It’s always laughable to say a concert is a safe space but for his fans, collectively dubbed the Black Hearts Club, it’s a home and between them and himself, it’s not an artist and his fans. It’s truly a family and the love is there. Love was thicker than air that night, and no one would have it any other way.
A special moment of the night was when Harrison performed a long-time live favourite, for the first time in this touring cycle. Teasing the intro with his drummer, he went into ‘Ice Cream Man’, a hit that he’s performed live countless times over the years but only put out for release last year. It’s surely one that gets everyone going, as it’s a song that unites everyone who has seen him before. Whether it was 2018, 2019, on his digital tour in 2020, or that very night, everyone knows the history behind the song and why it’s so important it’s played. Fingers crossed it becomes a show staple again, as there is no true Yungblud show without ‘Ice Cream Man’.
Harrison pulled out all the stops in what he calls one of his favourite cities ever, and the crowd gave it their all with every song.
As it reaches the end of the night, Harrison goes into the old trustworthy closer of ‘Machine Gun (F**k The NRA)’. A favourite from his debut record, it’s been his closer for years now and is what allows for the show to end with a true bang! Demanding circle pits, chanting “wider, wider, wider”, there’s no winding down or calming or relaxing. It’s time to go until the very end!
Yungblud is a non-stop machine, fuelled by love and energy and pure music, and he single-handedly created this brand new planet for everyone that only exists during his gigs. So next time someone asks if there is life on Mars, tell them there is and it’s thriving.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Amelia Jones