Yungblud confounds the haters with this swaggering show

MUSIC
Yungblud
Qudos Bank Arena, January 11
Reviewed by ROD YATES
★★★★½

Even with four albums to his name, British artist Yungblud acknowledges some will be here because of his showstopping cover of Black Sabbath’s Changes at last year’s Back To The Beginning Ozzy Osbourne tribute concert.

If ever there had been doubts about the credentials of the 28-year-old born Dominic Harrison – and there have been plenty, courtesy of critics who’ve long cast a suspicious eye over his genre-straddling sound and larger-than-life persona – that one performance did a tremendous job of dispelling them.

Yungblud doesn’t stop working from the moment he steps on stage.

So too does a night such as this.

As with Ozzy – who gifted Yungblud the gold cross that hangs around his neck – the singer does not stop working from the second he walks onstage, a whirling dervish of perpetual motion who takes wild-eyed pleasure in whipping the crowd to ever more manic heights.

Harrison is a stunningly good frontman, blessed with Mick Jagger’s swagger, Michael Hutchence’s sex appeal, Iggy Pop’s manic energy and the roguish exuberance of David Lee Roth.

Throughout the show there is fire, there are confetti canons, there is localised banter (“I f--king love Chicken Twisties!“), and an impromptu invitation to a fan from Wollongong to play guitar on the light grunge of fleabag.

If it all sounds a bit cliched, it is – but Yungblud’s ability to revive and breathe new life into old tropes feels undeniably exciting.

A monumental Changes that re-confirms his reputation as a singer par excellence is a dramatic counterpoint to the pop-punk of The Funeral, the Gorillaz-tinged Lowlife, the string-laden pop-rock of Idols Pt. 1 (one of several songs to feature a four-piece string ensemble) and opening nine-minute epic Hello Heaven, Hello.

And while the quality of his material is yet to consistently match his abilities as a performer, Yungblud is one of the greatest young rock stars going around at the moment.

CIRCUS
Duck Pond
Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall, January 9
Until January 12
Reviewed by CHANTAL NGUYEN
★★★★

The circus is back in town with Circa’s Duck Pond: a satirical mash-up of The Ugly Duckling and the ballet Swan Lake. Unlike Circa’s sociopolitical pieces or prestigious classical arts collaborations, Duck Pond is a relaxed outing for the whole family. There’s not a ballet shoe in sight: just slick glittering unitards, wings for Cupid, lethal red stilettos for the Black Swan, and a bunch of yellow overalls and flippers for the obligatory duck slapstick (Libby McDonnell’s costumes).

Set to Jethro Woodward’s techno reconstruction of Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet score, the story flies along in a series of satisfying acrobatics. There are aerial silks, trapeze swings, somersaults, sky-high balances and (my personal favourite) the aerial pole. Who needs the Black Swan’s famous “thirty-two fouettés” variation when she can just spin — mid-air and upside down?

The ‘Underduck’ emerges triumphant in this charming piece of work. Credit: Daniel Boud

Audience members gasp as the artists launch and lock their bodies into human towers, slings, and catapults. But the best moments always feature a more artistic aesthetic where — if you took a split-second photo — the resulting image would capture clean balletic lines, more pointed feet, and the performers in formation like ancient Greek statues.

The Swan Lake story pairs surprisingly well with The Ugly Duckling. After all, both tales feature a waterfowl heroine battling villains and discovering her true self. Duck Pond’s main character is also something of an underdog (“Underduck?” I pun to my groaning guests), relegated Cinderella-like to carrying down-stuffed pillows and sweeping up feathers.

There’s some social class commentary as the Prince raises an eyebrow at her lowly janitorial status and modest Elizabethan neck ruff, turning his attention to the more glamorous Black Swan, who is flaunting the kind of sparkling unitard Taylor Swift might wear.

Characteristic of Circa and its trailblazing director Yaron Lifschitz, the acrobatics are focused on narrative rather than stunts, lyricism rather than exhibitionism. The costumes and set keep it classy with dramatic monochrome and mood colours. There’s even a billowing fabric lake finale that Australian Ballet fans will recognise from Graeme Murphy’s beloved production.

But Duck Pond is still notable for its likeable characters and Australian sense of larrikinism. This is a credit to the performers — not even Cirque du Soleil has character arcs in which you can emotionally invest.

And once the main story is over, the fourth wall drops in a cheery coda as the artists perform their hearts out for the appreciative, laughing audience.

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