Yungblud, AViVa @ The Gov, Adelaide 13/2/2019
The weather has cooled, for a brief moment, in this scorching Australian summer. The Gov is bristling with excitement as the queue forms it’s way around the block for an evening of….well I’m not sure really. Music sensation Yungblud is here with support from Sydney’s AViVa, with both artists proudly difficult to pigeon hole their sound.
The sold out signs have been up for a while as the audience, mostly teenagers, all push to get as close to the stage as possible. For many, this is quite possibly their first ever show such is the wide-eyed look of awe they have.
Supporting this national tour is AViVa, who since they were here last year with Tonight Alive have spent most of their time in the US working on new material. After this tour they head back stateside and tour again. They’ve been releasing singles regularly and their online profile is huge with one YouTube video garnering 44 million hits. It’s been a huge year.
Whereas the band may be loose with their spelling, songs such as Brn and Grrrls, are tight. While it’s easy to say they are pop or emo, there is more substance than that. Aviva herself can vocally go from girl next door to bar room crooner with a sneer in an instant. The musicianship of Michael Hamilton and MataisC is not to be understated. Creating the light and shade of musical dynamics, seamlessly sprinkling goth, punk and metal sounds into the pop, emo and avant-garde style all at once in songs such as Hush and Blame It On The Kids.
Last year they were an unknown quantity in these parts. Last night young fans, inspired by the female lead of Aviva, queued up starry eyed for a moment of her time. Next year? Who knows, however currently there is no cap to what they can achieve.
Dominic Harrison hails from Doncaster in Yorkshire. Not the most glamorous introduction to one of the world’s musical sensations at the moment, so let’s start again. Yungblud hails from another world. A world where when the lights dim, the roar becomes deafening, as if a spaceship had landed to screams of a room full of teenage girls.
Literally exploding onto the stage with 21st Century Liability, Yungblud is a bundle of energy, covering every inch of the carpeted pulpit, making eye contact with every one in the room. The audience for their part sing back almost drowning the band out.
Yungblud plays the part of the pied piper, leading the audience into rounds of chanting, clapping and cheering. He trades vocals with the willing mass of over-joyed faces as he switches from singer to guitarist and back, never once dropping the energy.
Songs such as I Love You, Will You Marry Me and King Charles, which starts with a great guitar riffing groove, combine that British punk sneer layered over a disco beat that forces your body to move. While the set may be a touch over an hour, it certainly confirms the adage of less is more as Psychotic Kids and Medication have the room visibility shaking.
For a moment there is a breather as Yungblud is on stage alone to start the track Loner, again being drowned out by the crowd. The same repeats with Kill Somebody before the band kicks back in. Die For The Hype and Machine Gun get the loudest cheers on an already deafening night before the show ends with everyone visibility exhausted and beaming with smiles.
Tonight showed that for truly majestic shows, it’s a two way street. The energy the band brings interacts with the crowd and you get that something magical. Something you’re glad you’re part off. Tonight, these psychotic kids and Yungblud did just that.
Live Review By Iain McCallum