Yungblud

Fresh from his recent tour of Australia and NZ, British rocker YUNGBLUD gives us a rare pictorial insight into his journey as one of the biggest pop-punk stars of the Gen-Z era…

Political, provocative and impassioned, Yungblud (aka Dominic Harrison) has, in the space of four years, become one of the UK’s most recognisable artists through his unique blend of pop, punk and emo tunes. From his 2018 debut album, 21st Century Liability, where nothing was sacred — gun violence, psychosis, sex, drugs and suicide — to his 2020 follow-up Weird! and this year’s self-titled LP, Yungblud is all about the exploration of oddity and self-acceptance.

When we’d just started, playing Brixton was all me and Adam wanted. If we’d just played Brixton we’d have been happy, and that would have been it. Me, Adam and Mikey lived in a two-bed flat in Clapham — Adam would sleep in the living room — and we’d all just watch videos of Kasabian live at Brixton and think, “If we ever make it there, we’ve done it”. And then we got there. It was so f—king big! The scale of it was insane. The fact you had to climb stairs to get to the back of the venue… we’d never really done that before. That’s kind of when it got dark, I think. That’s a point in an artist’s career, Brixton Academy, especially if you’re English. You either stay at that level or you go bigger, and I think that was our turning point. Not long after, the pandemic hit. That’s when I lost that courageous naivety that I’m only just getting back, two years later.

Combating stereotypes and gender norms while shredding a guitar in an iconic skirt accompanied with pink tube socks and just generally being uniquely himself, Yungblud has become a renowned name within the music industry, garnering an enormously loyal and die-hard fan base in the process. “My generation is over being divided,” he declares. “Being divided is an old concept that is rapidly becoming obsolete. We are opinionated. We are full of contradictions. That’s the beauty of it. Our intention is to make this world equal. No matter what size you are, what shape you are, what colour you are, what sexuality you are…”

This was in the middle of the “ice cream man” session. It was about 1a.m., and I remember everyone wanted to go home. I didn’t want to go yet, so I went into the other room, away from everyone else. I sat down at that piano and just wrote “teresa”, start to finish. I think it started with the piano melody for the intro and after that, everything else just followed. Everyone else in the control room was like, “Oh no, he’s got something”. They started a new session and recorded it without me knowing, and we got the whole thing. I think we were there until 7a.m. in the end, just to get all this energy out of me. It’s crazy when you get that second wind to keep going, even though everyone’s so f—king tired. It was a freight train. I said, “Right, I’m ordering us milkshakes, burgers, whatever — we’re finishing this song tonight”. And we fookin’ did.

It’s no secret Yungblud shares his truth and ideology through his music, but now with never-before-seen images of the Pommy singer-songwriter, taken by his closest friend and photographer Tom Pallant, he tells his story via written word in the latest cool photo volume All My Friends Have Deserted. From laughing with friends to dominating the stage, this book, authored by the man himself, presents a unique photo series and behind-the-scenes look at his life.

I was fucked… I’d done a 5,000-mile round trip, no sleep, a radio show in between and literally landed an hour before the show.

Inside, fans are able to check out Yungblud’s growth from his first-ever tour in 2019 to releasing his second album during a global pandemic to returning triumphantly on festival mainstages, culminating in his biggest ever headline show — a sold-out Alexandra Palace in London — and all the moments in between. It shows Yungblud as a man of multitudes — whether it’s screaming into the mic or pulling faces at the camera, the vicious energy of his performances carries onto the pages. The result is a photo-essay rollercoaster that takes readers on a journey through the highs and lows of Gen-Z’s most essential new rock star.

“This book is the culmination of the first three years of Dom and I working together,” explains Pallant. “We’ve come a very long way since I met that black-haired boy with his headphones on in Victoria Station in London on March 6, 2019. All My Friends Have Deserted documents the journey of us growing as people and artists into what we are now.” Adding, “I’m very fortunate to have a connection like this with someone who gives me the freedom to create as openly as we can. For me, it’s the greatest thing in the world.”

Authentic and electric, rebellious and irreverent, yet still utterly human, Yungblud is the new face of punk spreading his message of love and acceptance wherever he goes. “In this life, people are going to try and hurt you because they are terrified of your imagination. They are terrified of your individuality,” Yungblud asserts.

“Yungblud is a place to come together and not only be accepted for who you are, but to be loved for it — it’s literally what it means. Any sexuality, any gender, any colour, anything you want to be — I feel so honoured to stand next to you all and be by your side.

“I want this story to really symbolise who we are,” he continues. “We are a culture of people who come together every day, we come together to belong. And if you feel like you don’t belong anywhere, welcome home.” Enjoy this special edited extract for MAXIM, as Tom shares a few exclusive and unseen photographs from his impressive work, with accompanying words from Yungblud.

Yungblud’s first authored book, with photographer Tom Pallant, titled ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE DESERTED (rrp$49.75), from ACC Art Books, is available at ACC Art Books, Amazon and Urban Outfitters

Words by DOMINIC HARRISON
Photographed by TOM PALLANT

For the full article grab the September 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.