Yungblud performs at Rams Head Live on Feb. 15, 2022. (Photos by Rashad Polk)
“We want Dom! We want Dom!” The chants for Dominic Harrison, performing as Yungblud, echoed throughout Rams Head Live recently as the house lights went down and he prepared to take the stage. Despite the show being his first time performing in Baltimore, the suspense had been building for years. Yungblud has a handful of shows in DC under his belt, but the closest to Charm City he’d come has been performing on the 2018 Warped Tour at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, where he not only blew minds with his own set, but also joined Canadian pop-punkers Simple Plan on stage to lend vocals on their hit “Just A Kid.”
Before the music at Rams Head Live on Feb. 15, there were a few rules to be addressed including: Scream as loudly as possible, jump around as high as possible, spread love, and lose your ever-loving mind. Once the rules were read and understood, Yungblud — along with Adam Warrington on guitar and Mikey Rennie on drums — launched into “Strawberry Lipstick.”
Watch the official music video for “Strawberry Lipstick” by Yungblud on YouTube:
The enthusiasm of the crowd was apparent from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm led to a couple of fans requiring medical attention just two songs into the set, which was something that Youngblud was able to spot from the stage. After immediately stopping the set to direct security and medical personnel towards the overwhelmed fans, Youngblud led his band off stage so that the staff could work without distraction to ensure that everyone was healthy and having a good time. Once everything was resolved, Yungblud and crew picked things back up and opened the pit with “Superdeadfriends” off of 2020’s Weird! Album.
A man of many talents, Yungblud is a trickster who apparently has an affinity for photography. Mid-song he made his way to stage left and motioned me to come closer. When Yungblud wants you closer, you get closer. Little did I know that it was all a ploy to snag my camera and take a self-portrait. Pretty slick move if I do say so myself.
(Photo by Dominic Harrison)
In preparation for “I Love You, Will You Marry Me,” Yungblud wrapped himself in a Union Flag and donned a white Gibson SG. The flag was especially fitting for a song written about a tragic love story that took place in Sheffield, England. At this point, Yungblud was blown away by how loudly the audience was singing along, wishing out loud to be able to perform in Baltimore on a nightly basis. It seems that Baltimore was pretty good at following the rules. Ironically, “Anarchist” was the next song up and the delirious mass at Rams Head Live continued scream, jump, and love throughout the entirety of the show.
After a fiery performance of “Loner” a fan held up a hand drawn portrait of Yungblud. Upon noticing the drawing Yungblud accepted the gift, struck an identical pose with his tongue out, and delicately placed it atop one of the speaker cabinets onstage to be displayed for all in attendance.
Generally speaking, Yungblud’s music is a cross-pollination of hip hop and pop-punk. Explicitly speaking, he carefully curates specific elements from each genre to blend as the bedrock for his introspective, yet relatable lyrics. This is precisely why there is such a strong connection between performer and fans at a Yungblud show and why the crowd at this show was the loudest I’ve ever heard.
Here are more pictures of Yungblud performing at Rams Head Live! on Feb. 15, 2022. All photos copyright and courtesy of Rashad Polk.
