LIVE REVIEW: YUNGBLUD + DUNE RATS @ RIVERSTAGE 17/01/26

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

The saviour of rock ‘n’ roll or just a naughty boy? Yungblud returned to Brisbane with Brisbane locals Dune Rat in support – three years after his last gig in 2023 – to Riverstage and a huge crowd.

Yungblud (aka Dominic Harrison) feels like the real thing, but even he states that “he won’t be good”. Is he the future of rock? The set he put on at Riverstage in Brisbane is certainly staking that claim. His claim is that his music attracts all ages to rock as he referenced, his carefully curated collaborations with The Smashing Pumpkins and Aerosmith and his covers of Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss classics. His understanding is that as Yungblud, he has been ordained by the past rock legends to take rock music forward into the 21st century as he is the new guardian of the rock music torch.

His cheeky personality, his look (does he take a bad photo?) and his universal pop-rock sound: let everyone know he and his new album ‘Idols’ maybe give you part of the answer. But in the end, it’s about how you write music and perform it live.

The crowd that turned up ridiculously early in massive lines was enormous considering the humid heat and later torrential rain storm in Brisbane. It was a crowd of all ages and the merch tents were doing a roaring trade.

Once the doors were open, the massive crowd filled the venue. The heat was oppressive, especially done at the front of the stage. I was really looking forward to seeing the local Brisbane band Dune Rats. The band were given the honour of opening the concert in their home town.

It went dark and the three-piece Dune Rats (Danny Beus, BC Michaels and Brett Jansch) made a huge ‘old-skool’ surf-punk-pop noise. They bounced onto the stage and got the party started, delivering an energetic 40 minute set filled with catchy riffs and cheeky lyrics. Dune rats invited the crowd to ‘If It Sucks, Turn It Up’ and followed it with ‘Dalai Lama, Big Banana, Marijuana’ and ‘Be Like You’.

Dune Rats then hit it with ‘Red Light, Green Light’ as they gave a blistering, fast paced and upbeat performance. They really did help to set the tone for the night ahead and the knowledge it was their home town gig made it even more special. The band kept up the high energy with ‘Scott Green’, ‘6 Pack’ and ‘Ratbags’ as bass player Brett Jansch let loose. He was running around that stage and whipping his hair around like there was no tomorrow, it was hard to take your eyes off him. Dune Rats also played the echo game: “when I say Yung, you say Blud” as the response reverberated around the venue.

Then, Toby joined Dune Rats to deliver an homage to The Angels and to the Riverstage venue: “a place we used to come to when we were young and now we are playing here”. The band launched into the cover of the Australian classic rock song ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’. It was nostalgic and referenced that passing of the rock torch to a new generation. If the young fans didn’t know the song (and many didn’t), they know it now and its call-response of 'no way, get fucked, fuck off' bits. It went off!

Dune Rats finished their set with the fabulous songs ‘Rich Kid Rehab’ and ‘Bullshit’ that were delivered with real style. It was a fantastic set.

There was a short break as the stage was stripped back. There was space needed for a three piece string ensemble to be lodged into the back of the stage. Drums, guitarists and many techs rushed around and got the stage ready. The lights went dark and blue light flooded the stage area and stage smoke machine haze flooded the venue from the stage and the sound desk. After ten minutes of intro sounds played, the band arrived on stage quickly followed by Yungblud as ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’ kicked off the set. Within 30 seconds, confetti cannons blasted across the venue to the delight of the crowd. It was hands in the air!

Yungblud hit the stage. He made his way to the drum kit riser and jumped from it like he was being fired from a cannon. He's sprinting around the stage and threw his whole body into the large space. He quickly followed with ‘The Funeral’ as Yungblud took up an acoustic guitar, his face beaming towards the crowd under a spotlight. Fans were quick to sing-along. Then, 'Idols Pt. I' kicked in and picked up the rock pace and the firing of the fire pillars.

The best part of the set was then being delivered to the crowd. The songs ‘Lovesick Lullaby’ and the Aerosmith co-write ‘My Only Angel’ were performed beautifully. Then, a complete surprise as a local man Ullah asked Yungblud if he could play guitar on ‘Fleabag’. It was shirts off as Ullah played live on stage supporting Yungblud. Then, there was an odd starting phrase and delay as the brilliant ‘Lowlife’ was performed. It was the highlight of the set.

As the heavens opened and rain pelted down, the emotional highlight of the set came as Yungblud thanked the crowd for sticking by him since he first toured in Australia at 15 years of age. He showed genuine gratitude and was truly appreciative that the crowd had come out to see him perform. He, then, launched into his performance of late Ozzy Osbourne’s band, Black Sabbath, ‘Changes’. He’s been consistently performing this song as a way to honour his friendship with Ozzy Osbourne.

The emotion had been spent: it was back to the party and high energy of ‘Fire’ was delivered. The last three songs of the regulation set were here: ‘Monday Murder’, ‘I Love You, Will You Marry Me’ and ‘Loner’. The performance from Yungblud was full of cheeky energy and sexy sass as he showed his arse again.

Yungblud started the encore with ‘Ghosts’ and the venue lifted with emotion peaking: hands in the air, voices and bouncing. Then, the huge hit from the ‘Idols’ album, ‘Zombie’, was performed. It is a song written around his own experience of watching the declining health of his grandma who has now passed away. It is a truly haunting and lyrically beautiful song with that melody. The phone lights were up again and the confetti rained down over the crowd.

Yungblud thanked the crowd for being here, telling the 9,500 fans to get home safely and he promises to be back very soon, so here’s to hoping that it’s not another three years before we see him again. Whatever comes next for Yungblud, it will be worth waiting for. Long live rock ‘n’ roll!