![]() Photo Credit: Max Taylorĭevout fans began arriving early in the morning to line up before the sun had even risen to assure their spot on the venue’s barricade. ![]() The cancellation of shows in 2020, a giant snowstorm that got them stuck between Denver and Salt Lake in 2022, and other scheduling conflicts only added to the excitement, buzz, and anticipation to see the young rockstar return to the Beehive State. Considering the last time he made an appearance here was his sold-out show at The Complex in 2019(certainly not without trying though). This show has been long anticipated by Utah YUNGBLUD fans. On August 3rd, 2023, the Doncaster, England legend, Dominic Richard Harrison – more famously known as YUNGBLUD – performed at The Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah. Reviewed and Photographed by Max Taylor Photo Credit: Max Taylor Both artists have done their fair share of collaborations in recent years but, full of ambition and wrestling with escapism, this track sees both artists come into their own.YUNGBLUD Then there’s the Willow-featuring ‘Memories’, which sees the pair trading in pop-punk revival for gritty alt-rock. Talking about trauma, love and fear, he’s come a long way from his 2019 track ‘Parents’, on which he sang: “ I went out to the garden and I fucked my best friend”. ![]() In a similar vein, ‘Don’t Go’ is a rumbling percussive track that finds hope on the edge of a breakup, while ‘Sweet Heroine’ is a sparse electro track that lets the poetry of Harrison’s lyrics take the spotlight. Built around the iconic guitar line from The Cure’s ‘Close To Me’, it’s a swaying gothic banger that unashamedly wears its heart on its sleeve. Lyrically, Harrison offers comfort before poking fun at those queer-baiting rumours: “ Everybody online keeps saying I’m not really gay / I’ll start dating men when they go to therapy.”Īs you might expect from a self-titled record, there’s a lot of personal stuff on ‘Yungblud’ as well: ‘Tissues’ is a straight up love song. “ The politician ain’t gonna help you,” he sings later.Įlsewhere the funky electro stomp of ‘Sex Not Violence’ touches on trans rights while the glitching beats of ‘I Cry 2’ take influence from Radiohead and The 1975. “ Why are we sitting in silence / Wondering how we can beat all the violence,” starts the thundering track. The celebratory ‘Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today’ dismisses all the online criticism as “ playground games” and encourages action. Sure, tracks such as ‘Die For A Night’ see him wallow in that negativity – but for the most part, all that sorrow just seems to drive Harrison to create positive change. There is a lot of bleakness on ‘Yungblud’, with songs about death, depression and toxic masculinity. “ Would anyone mind it / Would everyone like it?” he asks: it’s a gut-punch to the stomach. Clocking in at just 93 seconds, the devastatingly honest, stripped-back track sees Harrison wondering how people would feel if he wasn’t here. With the acoustic ‘Die For A Night’, though, he challenges that carefree attitude to his own demise. “ Not gonna stop someone with no limits,” he sings, before adding “ don’t be the same as everyone.” It’s a world away from the brooding emo of opening track ‘The Funeral’, which sees Harrison fearlessly listing all his insecurities in a bid to become “bulletproof”. ‘The Emperor’ is a triumphant explosion of energy that sees Harrison bundle his entire ethos into a joyful three-minutes of carnage. ‘Yungblud’ is a coming-of-age album but it doesn’t skimp on the excitement either. Perhaps for the first time in his career, he knows exactly what he wants. It’s a lot more focused than what’s come before Harrison’s replaced his kid in a candy shop approach to music with a blistering confidence. Speaking to NME, Harrison said it’s about “ reclaiming my name and humanising the caricature”, but rather than fury or cynicism, ‘Yungblud’ is driven by love, sincerity and vulnerability. His self-titled third album sees him wrestling with that spotlight. Meanwhile, after gigs, Harrison was told countless times how his music had saved lives. On social media, he was accused of ‘queer-baiting’, being an ‘industry plant’ and pretending to be working class. ![]()
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