Review: Yungblud at Ice Cream Factory
Yungblud at Ice Cream Factory
w/ Dune Rats
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
On any other night, Perth’s entertainment district would have been a ghost town. Who would ever go out on a Tuesday? Even in January? But tonight was unlike any other, as the new guard of rock star was in town for a sell-out performance at Northbridge’s favourite pop-up venue, The Ice Cream Factory. The 28-year-old UK sensation, Yungblud, was popping by for the final show of the Australian leg of his Idols World Tour.
Often polarising with different ages and music fans, Yungblud seems to walk the line between mainstream and alternative punk rock. Like a Billy Idol or an Avril Lavigne, their art is shiny and clean from major label-paid production and packaged in executive-level marketing while at the same time claiming to have a punk rock ethos. Even the Sex Pistols were manufactured, right? Say what you like about Yungblud, the kid has got talent. Sure, he might have started as a dorky kid rapper (a la 2017 single King Charles), but over the years he has forged his identity and matured into a force that cannot be overlooked.
Previously most of his adoration was coming from the younger generation, but it was his performance of Black Sabbath’s Changes alongside Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt at Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert, Back to the Beginning, in Birmingham that caught the attention of the older generation. What a voice! Endorsed by the late Prince of Darkness, who can argue with that?
It was a real stinker in Perth, with the temperature predicted to still be in the 30s as it hit nightfall, but that didn’t deter the thousands of eager fans that started lining up early to get a good spot in front of their idol. In previous years the larger concerts at ICF have been in the warehouse. Thankfully they have moved out into the open air with a purpose-built festival-sized stage and multi-levelled scaffolding. It is a great design with a huge floor-level standing area and easy-to-navigate higher levels, making it a great venue to enjoy a concert at. With the venue at 4,500 capacity, it was just a question of if it was all going to hold together!
Opening the show were Brisbane’s Dune Rats, pioneers of the ‘bro rock’ genre and staples on the festival circuit, they are no strangers to large crowds. By the time they hit the stage, the sun was down, and the venue was chock full in a hot, sweaty mess. Dune Rats did not fail to impress as they took advantage of the pumped-up crowd, rocking out as they produced a huge wall of sound with their tight musicianship. A cheeky version of The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? had the crowd responding as you would expect to the unofficial Australian pub-rock anthem. Ending with their own anthemic hit Bullshit, the Dune Rats left the stage with singer Danny Beus throwing his guitar at least 20 ft in the air for his roadie to catch.
The Black Sabbath classic, War Pigs, thundered through the PA as the strobes lit up, ringing in the entrance of Yungblud as he appeared on stage in blue distressed jeans, a small patent vest and fly goggle sunglasses. Hello, Heaven Hello opened the show as it opens his 2025 album, Idols. The jeans and vest didn’t last long, as he almost instantly discarded them to reveal his signature leather pants with chaps and sweaty torso.
A live string section was a great addition to the sound, as it accompanied the traditional rock instruments. The pop-punk Funerals and atmospherical Idols followed, and as if it couldn’t get any hotter, the pyros launched giant flames into the air for the drop of Lovesick Lullaby.
“Perth, are you ready to go crazy?” Yungblud was firing on all cylinders as he moved from one side of the stage to the other, pointing in the crowd and moving like a rock star in his element, and the dub/reggae-inspired Lowlife had the ground floor bopping up and down.
“This song is dedicated to a friend up in the sky tonight,” he said, as the piano intro to Changes rang out and the chorus had the crowd screaming to the heavens with him. He appeared emotional as the audience’s rapture became louder than the band before he led the crowd in an a cappella outro of “I’m going through changes!” and they sang along, giving it everything they had.
“We will bring Bludfest here in 27!” he said, referring to his own festival which he founded in 2024. “I love this country like it’s my own!”
High octane the whole way, Yungblud spent most of his time in between singing and telling the crowd, “Put your motherfucking hands in the air!” Pushing the crowd the whole time to engage, “Perth, why are you so serious? I want to see you motherfuckers lose control! Put your hands up, put your hands down!” It was a Yungblud aerobics session, and as he closed the set with his hit Loner, the whole venue was dancing with their hands in the air, doing their best to lose control.
After a brief break the band came back for the emotive Ghosts, with the ticket tape cannons exploding for the big drop. Yungblud challenged the crowd like a demon possessed and beat his heart with his fist as he declared his love for Australia and gave props to the people watching from the street that weren’t lucky enough to score a ticket.
“Come see me and give me a kiss. This is our last song. It’s called Zombie!” he proclaimed before breaking into his latest single. Always appreciative of his fans, there was a special meet-and-greet section set up for fans to interact with the star after the show to get photos and autographs.
It has often been said that there are no true rock stars left, but Yungblud might just prove otherwise. He has carved out a persona of his own, with all the talent, charisma and sex appeal of the stars of yesteryear, but with a genuine love and care for the music, the performance and the fans. Throwing aside the cliché arrogance and over-the-top excess and replacing it with heartfelt gratitude and inclusiveness, Yungblud embodies a new generation of rock stardom.
ANTHONY JACKSON
Photos by Adrian Thomson
