British rocker Yungblud put on a performance in Raleigh Tuesday (7/18/23) that in one word can be summarized as ‘energetic,’ — both from the artist and the fans who nearly pushed their way onto the stage. Yungblud is currently on a world tour, aptly named ‘Yungblud, The World Tour,’ that started back in February, 2023 in Cardiff, England and concludes on Aug. 26, 2023 in Rome, Italy.  

Dressed in all black wearing a studded belt and wrist cuff, fishnet sleeves, and a wallet chain, Yungblud immediately reminded me of an early 2000s pop-punk band frontman. As he walked onstage silhouetted by a screen displaying angle wings and devil horns the rocker clearly knows how to make a dramatic entrance and kicked off the show with 21st Century Liability 

It makes sense as the pop-punk genre has seen a revival in recent years with artists like Machine Gun Kelly and Blink-182’s Travis Barker cranking out new songs and collaborating with artists both new and old in the past five years. Yungblud broke onto the scene in 2018 and continues to release new music that has clear roots in the 2000s — but has made it his own. Unlike most of the pop-punk music of yesteryear, the new iteration of the genre which often mixes rap and hiphop sounds into the songs, isn’t afraid to sing about their feelings. Sure, some of the early 2000s bands sang about depression and heartbreak but the new class of rockers are tackling topics like depression, suicide, and anxiety. 

The lyrics and subject matter of the music might be more serious, Yungblud not only captures the sounds, but embraces the rock and roll lifestyle that most fans of the genre know and love. His edgy appearance isn’t the only thing that makes him such an entertaining artist, Yungblud knows how to connect with his fans and pump them up. As he took the stage the fans lit up and despite attending close to 100 concerts in my life, this crowd was easily in the top five when it came to excitement and noise. Yungblud is not a musician who stand at the microphone for the entirety of the performance, there’s nothing wrong with artists who do that, but mellow he is not. Within the first minute or two of the concert he was jumping onto the amps below the stage and reaching out to the crowd at the barricade. For an early fan of punk and then pop-punk, Yungblud is a welcome change to the pop music that floods the airwaves these days. The show itself was also a refreshing change of pace from the well choreographed dance moves and shows planned out from start to finish. It’s refreshing to see a young and talented musician with some much energy connecting with his fans and giving them the same things so many kids connected with in the 2000s with their favorite pop-punk bands. 

Much like the early pop-punk bands, the fans were some of the youngest I have seen at a concert in a long time — that’s a good thing for the artist who has only been on the scene five years. With bands like Blink-182 selling out stadiums this summer, mostly packed full of 30-something year olds who grew up on the catchy riffs and playful lyrics, the longevity of artists like Yungblud can last decades. It wasn’t just young adults and teenagers rocking along with the band, throughout the venue it was hard to find a single person not jumping along to the music (including the parents or guardians of the teens tasked with supervising).  

I’m Music Magazine’s Photographer and Writer Michael Praats caught all the action from the show and has a photo gallery you can check out to see for yourself why Yungblud is an act worth catching if you have the chance. Even if you might not know every word to every song, it’s easy enough for everyone to enjoy this performance. A setlist for the Raleigh, NC show follows our photo gallery.

Pix & Review by I’m Music Magazie Photographer/Writer Michael Praats