With heavy rain clouding the sky on June 10th, dedicated fans could be seen waiting and queueing from as early as 1 A.M. Some were there for YUNGBLUD, some for the support band Only The Poets. Dominic Richard Harrison, going as YUNGBLUD, is a 26 year old British artist born in Doncaster. Visiting Slovakia for the second time now since his appearance at the Grape festival, YUNGBLUD decided to tour the often “forgotten” countries when it comes to concerts. With a total of 6 countries, the ‘YUNGBLUD Presents’ tour visits Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia and Serbia. Touring with his band consisting of Adam Warrington (guitar), Silke Blansjaar (bass), and Ben Sharp (drums), YUNGBLUD brought all his energy on the stage that night.
Opening the show was a band called Only The Poets, formed in Reading. Consisting of the lead singer Tommy Longhurst, guitarist Clem Cherry, bassist Andy “Roo” Burge, and drummer Marcus Yates, the front row seemed to be split into half Yungblud, half OTP fans. With this being their first time performing in Slovakia, they announced that they would be coming back for the last ‘One More Night’ tour date later in September. Despite being a different genre of music, by the end of their set even the seemingly bored dads accompanying their daughters could be seen smiling and cheering, as Tommy instructed the crowd to get down and then jump up during their final song ‘Emotional’. Promoting their new charting EP called One More Night, the band performed multiple songs such as ‘Gone By Now’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend’ and ‘One More Night’, but also the radio hit ‘Jump!’. As they left the stage, they threw guitar picks, drumsticks, and setlists to their fans who could be seen wearing their merch and cheering from the barricade.
After a 30-minute break, it was time for the star of the evening. Opening his set with a song called ‘superdeadfriends’, flames could be seen shooting up from the stage as pyrotechnics and security stood by, making sure everything went smoothly. As YUNGBLUD came on stage, stylishly dressed in all black with his well-known pink socks, the crowd was going wild for him all the way to the back of the room. When singing a slower song called ‘When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)’, allowing people to catch their breaths, he asked people in the room to hold their friends hands, hug them, and tell them they love them. Throughout the evening he made sure to check up on people as it was very hot in the room, asking security to bring water to keep people hydrated.
Quickly bringing the fast-paced energy back with a hit song ‘Lowlife’, people were climbing on their friends shoulders, making hearts with their hands and cheering along. Towards the end of the show, YUNGBLUD stood on the barricade, leaning into the crowd and singing, occasionally holding fans’ hands or letting them take and hold his guitar. Ending the show with a song named ‘Loner’, the room was filled with more energy than ever, as people kept screaming and reaching over to catch a setlist or if lucky enough, a guitar pick from YUNGBLUD himself.
Fans then waited after the show to take photos with YUNGBLUD, who later came out and took a group photo with everyone still waiting. Despite the bad weather, the fans made the most of this evening, giving both YUNGBLUD and Only The Poets the energy they deserved, and giving them a good reason to hopefully visit Slovakia again in the future.
Written by: Lou Z.
Photographed by: Lou Z.
Edited by: Nèri Cliteur
