Tonight, at Cardiff Uni’s Great Hall, is Gang Of Youths’ first-ever headline live show in Wales, the London-based Australian group having only visited once before. It’s a muted intro for Dave Le’aupepe and co, though: they walk on stage with little fanfare before starting the low burn of Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane.
Before breaking into the catchy The Heart Is A Muscle, Le’aupepe introduces the band as being from “Sydney, just down the way,” gives a hearty speech about their first time here, supporting Sam Fender in 2021 (“People were tweeting they didn’t like us… fuck you Kyle!”), and even throws in a bit of banter about Wales’ loss in the rugby yesterday to Georgia (“bit shameful if you ask me, as an Aussie”). It’s also the first of many times this evening Le’aupepe praises our “beautiful Welsh voices”.
The anthemic The Angel Of 8th Ave is warmly greeted as Le’aupepe steps out from behind his guitar and starts moving around the stage, lapping up every bit of attention from the crowd. Speaking of whom, one of many big singalong moments tonight is the intro to Let Me Down Easy as the crowd accompanies its violin intro. None of which can quite dispel what’s incensed Le’aupepe tonight, online rumours that the band hates each other: he repeatedly affirms that the band have never been closer. “An attack on my boys is an attack on me, cunt!” (He is if you need reminding, Australian).
A musical highlight this evening is the beautiful Brothers, from Gang Of Youths’ most recent album Angel In Realtime: the rest of the band leave the stage for Le’aupepe to sing it at the piano, and he dedicates it to his siblings and late father. A double whammy of What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out? and In The Wake Of Your Leave finishes the main set, during which Le’aupepe calls the crowd “fuckin’ top cunts! The toppest of top cunts!”.
Despite saying (with a wink) that they “don’t do encores, we’re a cool postpunk London band now,” Gang Of Youths return for a gorgeous live rendition of Magnolia and finish with Goal Of The Century. It’s a great gig to shake off the Sunday night blues.
Gang Of Youths, Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Sun 20 Nov
words JOSHUA WILLIAMS
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