YUNGBLUD - MANCHESTER, UK.
Yungblud at the AO Arena, Manchester, UK (19/02/2023).
with support from Neck Deep.
Yungblud returned to Manchester for a night with the ‘Black Hearts Club’ on Sunday night as part of his world tour. The Doncaster-born rock star seemed to have taken over not only AO Arena but also central Manchester, with brightly coloured hair and neon pink socks swarming the local area.
The Wrexham quartet Neck Deep started off the night with a short-but-sweet 10-song setlist, playing their greatest hits and reminding the crowd that pop-punk will never die. As soon as the first note of ‘Motion Sickness’ kicked in, it was clear to see that a fair amount of those in attendance were there solely for the support band. It didn’t take long for the pit to warm up after frontman Ben Barlow prompted movement with a “ya don’t want to be cold for Yungblud!”. The band gave it their all, two-stepping and scissor-jumping throughout their time on stage. Ending their set with fan favourite ‘In Bloom’, Neck Deep once again put on an incredible performance, attracting new fans as well as ensuring older fans received the same level of performance that they know and love.
The pre-show playlist which contained a range of old-school classics, was harshly interrupted by a projection of rain onto the stage – a sight that nobody from Manchester is a stranger to. The anticipation grew stronger as the drizzle turned into a thunderstorm, and ‘lightning’ boomed throughout the room with a flash of white light. The suspense echoed around the room and the curtain finally dropped, revealing a very energised Dominic Harrison, the star behind stage name ‘YUNGBLUD’.
Dressed in an oversized jacket and sunglasses, Yundblud made his debut onto the stage with ‘21st Century Liability’. By this point the party had already started and the crowd were already living in the moment. It was difficult to spot an individual that wasn’t enjoying the music.
Throughout the concert, Yungblud reinstated the importance of keeping each other safe and making others feel respected. He admitted that playing venues the size of arenas was a concern for him because he wanted to keep the same sense of community that could be felt at smaller shows. To everybody’s surprise, he entered the crowd and found a chair to stand on for ‘Fleabag’, leaving the crowd in shock.
A large part of the set was spent on a stage positioned in the centre of the crowd, where Dom was only joined by a toilet and a working sink. A member of the crowd, Reece from Stoke, was given the choice of deciding on the next song and reaction was loud when it was announced that the one selected was ‘California’.
I wasn’t sure what to expect at an arena-sized Yungblud show, especially due to the media attention on apps such as TikTok and Twitter. I went into it with an open-mind and was met with pure shock when the atmosphere matched that of a festival. It was evident that the fanbase is one of the strongest I have seen in a long time, dedicating their time towards this community.
It is clear to see that Yungblud is meant to be on stage. His performance was one that will undoubtedly stick with the audience, including myself, especially after being told the show was the best night of tour so far. “Manchester forever!”.
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