Live review: YUNGBLUD, Leeds First Direct Arena

Leeds doesn’t just welcome YUNGBLUD home tonight, it roars and loudly takes him back into its arms. This is a sold-out homecoming in the heart of his beloved Yorkshire, and before he’s even set foot onstage, the arena is already at fever pitch. When he finally appears, beaming with pride, he takes a second to soak it in.

“We wrote Idols opposite the Tetley factory in Leeds,” he grins. “And I’m so proud to be singing these songs back home in Yorkshire.”

He’s brought a show worthy of the moment, too. A towering black arch looms behind him with screens firing visuals across the venue like electrical surges. It’s dramatic and just the right side of excessive which is a perfect mirror of the chaos he’s about to unleash.

Before all that, though, the party's already off to an explosive start. The Molotovs arrive early and waste absolutely no time in making an impression. Armed with cuts from their Top Five album Wasted On Youth, they tear through Newsflash and More More More with a snarling confidence that feels like they’re ready for venues this grand on their own. It’s only a 30-minute set, but it’s enough to turn early arrivals into fully-fledged believers. Even with a guitar string breaking, the Cartlidge kids strut about on stage with eyes firmly fixed on topping this venue one day.

The Warning shift the tone without dropping the intensity. The sibling trio operate like a well-oiled machine, locking into grooves so tight they feel ready to burst. Kerosene and Ritual soar with a polished, pop-rock sheen, each chorus ricocheting around the arena as if trying to crack straight through the ceiling. “Thank you for singing along with us,” shouts Dany Villarreal Vélez, and by the time they leave, the crowd is primed and perfectly warmed up for the main event.

In a moment that perfectly captures his personality, YUNGBLUD appears on the screens backstage clutching a comically oversized bag of Yorkshire Tea, grinning like he knows exactly how massive an event this is. Seconds later, he’s sprinting onstage, launching straight into Hello Heaven, Hello as white confetti erupts skyward.

A sudden 20-minute pause due to a medical emergency momentarily halts the momentum, but it only reinforces the sense of community in the room. When he returns, Dom is all heart. “We look after each other at YUNGBLUD shows… we’ve got some making up to do.” What follows is catharsis. Lovesick Lullaby detonates into life, with the entire seated section springing up as one, turning the arena into a sea of flailing limbs.

Mid-set highlight Fleabag brings things even closer to the fans, as one lucky punter is pulled onstage to play with the band. There’s space for emotion, too. A heartfelt cover of Black Sabbath’s Changes, dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne, leaves the arena broken, teary-eyed and united in something deeper than just noise.

Loner crashes the main set to an epic crescendo. But they soon return for Ghosts, and as Dom tries to speak, the magnitude of it all clearly hits him. Overwhelmed he struggles to get the words out. For a Yorkshire lad staring out at thousands of voices singing his songs back at him, this is more than a gig, it’s a life affirming moment.

He closes with Suburban Requiem, and as the lights finally fade, one thing is undeniable. Tonight wasn’t just a homecoming. It was a coronation.

YUNGBLUD is on tour in the UK until April 25.

Read this next:

• “This will be a homecoming”: Inside YUNGBLUD’s spectacular return to the stage – and his biggest UK tour ever
• YUNGBLUD: “It’s so funny when people don’t understand me”
• Meet The Molotovs: The London punks going off with a bang