Live Review: Yungblud makes emotional return to Birmingham for Utilita Arena show

Last summer at Villa Park the Doncaster native won the hearts and minds of both the metal community and the city with his cover of ‘Changes’ during Black Sabbath’s final Back To The Beginning show.

So, it came as no surprise mid set at the Utilita Arena last night when things got emotional for artist and fans alike.

There where cheers around the arena as soon as the opening piano notes of ‘Changes’ rang out, with Yungblud – AKA Dominic Harrison – telling fans he’d been scared of returning to Birmingham to perform it because of the life changing impact the song has had after performing it last summer.

‘Changes’ was dedicating to Ozzy, who he described as his “friend in the sky tonight”, and what followed was a stunning rendition of the track – originally released by Sabbath in the 1970s but which subsequently was made famous in the early 2000s when Ozzy released a ballad version of the track with his daughter Kelly.

Harrison went onto explain his adopted love for the city, telling fans, “I love Birmingham, I promise I will come back here every year until I die.” The crowd went wild.

Yungblud was in town as part of a UK tour to support last year’s fourth album Idols.

The record saw the musician lean into British classic and 70s infused rock, a move which (mostly) won him plaudits from fans and critics young and old – both who were present inside a sold-out Utilita Arena.

What was on paper a relatively short 14-song set, was actually a masterclass by a frontman who has become the torchbearer for a new generation of rock fans.

An artist who – along the way – has also built a community for fans of all types and all ages.

Unsurprisingly, Harrison was the star of the show all night. While he was flanked by at least half a dozen other musicians, it was Harrison who spent all night in the limelight, running across every inch of the stage which was flooded in a shallow covering of dry ice.

In an era of arena opulence, it was a relatively simple stage set up, with Harrison and his band performing beneath a faux gothic-esque arch with huge LED screens covering the rear and sides displaying live footage of Harrison and fans all night.

After an intro tape of War Pigs, Yungblud opened with ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’, with tickertape exploding over the heads of fans when the nine-minute epic kicked into life.

The Funeral and Idols Pt. I followed in quick succession with Harrison discarding his leather waistcoat to huge cheers – opting to play the rest of the set topless, wearing black leather trousers, boots and occasionally a pair of black sunglasses.

Watching Harrison perform, his mannerisms, his energy, his passion, it’s easy to see parts of Freddie, Jagger, Iggy and Ozzy in the frontman.

Some of the beloved tropes of the latter were in full force too, with Harrison frequently urging people to get their hands in the air.

‘Lovesick Lullaby’s Britpoppy overtones and then 2021 single ‘fleabag’ were among the set’s early highlights.

For the latter, Harrison picked a fan from the audience (James from Birmingham) to join him on guitar for the song.

Later in the extended version of it, Harrison climbed out among the crowd and was held aloft by fans.

There was a good dose of silliness too, with a segment where Yungblud urged fans to stick their tongues out, with many captured on camera and broadcast out across the arena. Fans were also urged to make new acquaintances with those either side of the who were in attendance.

It wouldn’t be a rock show with a good dose of pyro and throughout the night, jets of fire shot up into the air from the front of the stage, illuminating (and heating up) the front few rows.

After closing his set with ‘Loner’, Yungblud returned to the stage for ‘Ghosts’ before a huge rendition of single ‘Zombie’ – with the entire arena singing along with the house lights on.

Yungblud isn’t reinventing the rock and roll wheel – but to claim he is would be missing the point. His current sound repeats a well-trodden path by some of this country’s greats.

However, what he’s doing with aplomb is taking that mantle and giving a huge demographic of fans the best night of their lives.

It’s easy to discount as hyperbole when a touring musician heaps praise upon the city their tour bus has arrived in.

However, hearing Harrison talk about Birmingham, it’s clear he has developed a genuine love of the city and its people.

Sadly, after two years, Yungblud’s festival Bludfest heads to mainland Europe this summer rather than its adopted home at The National Bowl in Milton Keynes.

Given the size of the wave Yungblud is currently riding, it’s probably a safe bet he’ll be back there and the likes of the Utilita again soon.

Yungblud played:

Hello Heaven, Hello

The Funeral

Idols Pt. I

Lovesick Lullaby

My Only Angel

fleabag

Lowlife

Changes (Black Sabbath cover)

I Need You (To Make The World Seem Fine)

Fire

Loner

Encore:

Ghosts

Zombie

Suburban Requiem