Following the release of his debut album 21st Century Liability, Yungblud has changed the rules of modern punk and has certainly left his mark on the younger generation. He taps into the underlying issues which further impacts the youth, such as fast-paced politics, drastic increase in mental health diagnosis and neglect of the young within a harsh societal setting. In a unique way, he throws himself right into the deep end, immersing himself in the teenage mind.
It was no surprise to see the venue absolutely packed full of people, young and old, ionate about similar issues. The queue went out to the street, right out the front door of the Saint Luke’s, carrying bold conversations and excited chatter for the night that lay ahead. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the madness that would unfold in the crowds and it definitely excited me.
The room was bustling by the time the first and only took the stage, causing the room to fall close to silence as the lights dimmed. A young woman bounces onto the stage, followed by a keen bassist and drummer, everything but hesitant to jump right into her first song. With this, the crowd was officially hooked on Carlie Hanson, myself included. Her upbeat pop ballads went down a storm in the crowd with some even grooving along to the seemingly new sounds. Making such major waves at only eighteen years old has inspired many, just like Yungblud himself. Hanson has already made her way into my personal Spotify playlists and I’m more than positive she will make her way into many more!
As the night progressed, the crowd grew more and more eager as they awaited the grand entrance of Yungblud. Opening with a short poem when the lights dimmed was a pleasant surprise and the audience were hung on every word with anticipation, some even getting emotional over his heart-felt words. He had us fooled, thinking this was the calm before the storm and oh boy, did he bring a storm. The last word rang through the venue, met with a pause before Yungblud throws himself into the first song of the night, “21st Century Liability”, sending the crowds into an utter frenzy.
Wherever he walked or ran to on the stage, the crowd’s eyes followed as he carried insane amounts of energy to each part of the room, jumping like a hectic man to the point even I couldn’t keep up! But it was all worth it when the calm returned as he gradually slowed into “Kill Somebody”. This was definitely a moment that made me tear up a little as the crowd went from loud shouting to soft singing in an instant. Phone torches and lighters lit up the room as we were serenaded by the sound of a community, banding together for that one night. Yunglbud encourages these kinds of moments, telling us all to take care of each other which is a message that is now more spoken about within the scene due to musicians like himself, a message that remains important in our day an age.
The gig overall is definitely up there amongst my favourites as I felt understood and included amongst others, some of which I now call friends. For once, us teenagers were not undermined nor patronised, looked down on or ignored. Even if it’s for that one night, our voices were free and heard. We felt like the generation we should be, young adults fighting for a place in a corrupt society but this time someone was listening. We felt all of this without a higher authority or any sort of dictation telling us what is right and wrong. Musicians like Yungblud may be on the rise, but deserve way more praise and exposure than what they currently have. They are quite literally, the voice of a generation.
Header image by Kaylee Smoke
Yungblud: official | facebook | twitter | instagram
Carlie Hanson: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | soundcloud | youtube
