REVIEW | Bar on the Hill: Yungblud could be the voice of a generation

Every now and then a musician comes along, someone special that drifts into the cultural zeitgeist and emerges as the leader of the pack. In a world over-run by generic pop music clones and the boring bling of rap, Yungblud turns both of these on their heads and becomes the young visionary popular music needs.

A week ago, Mountain Sounds Festival on the Central Coast was cancelled, allegedly as a result of new governmental red tape policies, leaving dozens of artists scheduled to perform sitting in limbo. England’s Yungblud was able to reschedule his performance, and treated Newcastle’s Bar On The Hill with an intimate last-minute show.

Arriving just on 8pm, the line snaked its way through paths and trees for at least a hundred metres, an incredible feat for a show that was announced only days ago. Once inside, Sydney’s Polish Club were due to take the stage. For a two-piece, the band have a gigantic sound, mixing heavy blues influenced rock n roll party guitar with a voice that belongs to soul from lead singer/guitarist David Novak. With humorous banter, they claimed someone had told the venue there were eight members in the band, as they handed out excess pieces of fruit to the front row from a platter provided in their rider.

Now, forget everything you know about music, and understand this. Rock’n’roll is not dead.

Yungblud therefore is a difficult act to pin down. The sound leaps through genres and a myriad of influences in much the same way Dominic Harrison, the 20-year-old mastermind behind Yungblud does physically across the stage. Oh, and he’s also a Leo.

This man could be the voice of a generation. There’s a whole cluster of teenagers worldwide all feeling lost amongst their identities, struggling to fulfil their place in society, the same way it’s always been. Music turned political in the late 70’s as punk broke at the feet of a disgruntled youth unsatisfied with their government and lack of acceptance. Just like that, Yungblud’s music is covered with social commentary, addressing everything from creepy guys at bars to gun laws and mental health.  

And the whole time while doing this, he’s got the kids hooked. If anyone is going to bring back quality rock music to the mainstream, it’s YUNGBLUD.

Late in the set he plays his latest single Loner, a track which I’ve heard described as “OASIS on steroids”. All the while I was wondering why the heck this doesn’t get played on commercial radio. It has all the qualities of a hit record. Catchy relatable lyrics? Check. Danceable beat? Check. Comes in at under 4 minutes? Check. A fan base of adoring fans? Check. So what’s the deal?

When I first heard Yungblud just after his debut record 21st Century Liability came out last year, I just thought he was a rapper. I wanted to lump him in with the crowd like Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar and Denzel Curry, but his music is so much more than that. His word-flow is quick and clever, like a poet of the streets similar to Billy Bragg or Jamie T, but he isn’t a rapper because his sound is so full of guitars and live drums that sound as big as an arena. Even so, one of my friends actually described him as a rap version of Robert Smith (front man of The Cure). The same friend also compared him to David Bowie, because he’s so bizarre, yet loved by many.

Last Thursday Yungblud released a surprise track titled 11 Minutes, a collaboration with Halsey and Blink 182’s Travis Scott.  It is rumoured that Halsey and Dom are currently dating, and many fans expected her to drop by to perform the track as she had in Sydney the night before. Unfortunately Halsey was a no show, but what the crowd did see proved just how important music is to culture.

Yungblud is a rock star for the Facebook generation. When the kids won’t listen to bureaucrats, politicians and even their own parents, pray he’s still out there.