Concert Review: Yungblud
On July 1st, 2023 Yungblud brought his self-titled tour to the Dome at Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT. This tour supported his third, self-titled, album release. Born in England, this pop-punk artist has been in the industry for over 6 years now releasing three albums and a new track titled lowlife on June 7th, 2023. Now to the night in question, what ensued on the quaint summer evening of July 1st, 2023 was a showcase of electrifying punk pop music that had hundreds of CT natives on their feet for hours of non-stop high-energy fun.
The evening started with the first opener of the night, yes there was more than one, Sophie Powers. The Canadian native had the difficult task of warming up the crowd, and she did not disappoint. At first glance, I didn’t know what to expect from Powers set. She stepped on stage clad in a blue and white striped outfit reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy’s famous gingham dress. At the start of the set, I was taken by surprise by the 18-year-old’s alt-pop sound. Her songs contrasted the “sweet” image before me in a dichotomy that I couldn’t help but be intrigued by. This is a sentiment that I could see across the crowd, as a couple of songs in the were ready to rock with this glitch rock princess. During her performance of Nosebleed, it was evident that she was the perfect choice to warm up the crowd for the rest of the night.
Sophie Powers photographed by Natalie Colon for Melodía Magazine (2023)
After a short intermission the next performers to grace the stage were The Regrettes. The band consisting of vocalist Lydia Night, drummer Drew Thomsen, bassist Brooke Dickinson, and guitarist Genessa Gariano continued the vibes set by Powers in the first set of the evening. Night's infectiously upbeat performance of Barely on my Mind kept the crowd in the palm of her hand for the entirety of the set. Her confidence attracted the eye and was alluring and almost all-encompassing. Night’s soulful voice was a shock to the senses in a way that made me want more! The crowd shared this sentiment as they took their rowdiness and high energy to a new level. Night even encouraged the crowd to let loose and mosh. The Regrettes closed with an exciting performance of Poor Boy in which mid-performance Thomsen and Night switched instruments. This was the perfect lead-up to the evening’s main event, Yungblud.
The Regrettes photographed by Natalie Colon for Melodía Magazine (2023)
Yungblud stepped on stage with a welcomed high energy-high movement performance of superdeadfriends. The singer had the crowd in a frenzy, and in that moment I could tell he was ready to put on an amazing performance. One of the things that I think really makes his performance stand apart from others is his amazing stage and crowd work. For example, I photographed the first half of this set, and in between working the crowd, and singing, he was still able to give the cheekiest grin to my camera. Then towards the last half of his set, he saw a young child in the crowd on top of someone's shoulders and he made the effort to run all the way across the stage and hop into the wings to give that young fan a high five.
Yungblud’s comfort and confidence on the stage was a sight to behold. He was able to personalize the experience for everyone in the audience by doing small things like really singing to individual fans and looking them in the eye. It made his set very personal. Early on he made it clear that he wanted this to be a space for people to “Scream their hearts out,” and “Cause anarchy and be free” which definitely empowered the audience.
A few songs in he was opening up about the tour and in speaking to the crowd shouted in a passionate voice that he “Told his agent that he wanted to go to Connecticut,” and that this stop was actually going to be “The smallest venue that he stopped on this tour”. Yungblud spent this performance really connecting with the crowd and making sure people were safe, happy, and having one of the best nights of their lives. He is an admirable performer whose immense talent is only rivaled by how amazingly kind he is.
Yungblud photographed by Natalie Colon for Melodía Magazine (2023)
Yungblud's self-titled 3rd studio album is available on all streaming platforms as well as his latest single lowlife. If you'd like to see Yungblud on tour this summer you can find tickets on his website linked here.
