To celebrate the launch of his first ever festival BludFest – set to take place at the legendary Milton Keynes Bowl this summer – Yungblud caught up with NME at his favourite pub The Hawley Arms in Camden to tell us about following in the footsteps of David Bowie and Queen, the epic line-up, saying thank you to his community, online beef with The 1975's Matty Healy, and what to expect from his huge new concept album; inspired by Oasis, The Verve, Suede, Madonna and more
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MusicTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Cheers man.
00:03 - Cheers bro.
00:04 - Oh hi.
00:05 - Didn't see you there.
00:07 - Welcome to the Holy Arms.
00:09 You're watching NME, I'm Andrew Trendle.
00:11 We're here with Youngblood.
00:12 - Yeah we are, how you doing?
00:13 - Good man, thanks for inviting us.
00:15 - Of course man, of course.
00:17 Nice rainy day in Camden.
00:18 - Yeah, well it's quite fitting we're here
00:20 'cause I saw you've been sharing your memories
00:21 on Instagram as of late.
00:23 - Yeah.
00:24 - And you shared your World NME Awards after party.
00:26 - I did man, I did.
00:27 That was like, that was crazy.
00:30 I remember that, it was like,
00:31 that was the first award show we got invited to.
00:33 - Yeah.
00:34 - Ever, you know what I mean?
00:35 And I just think, I think all I wanted to do
00:39 was just, if I fucking won, just like spend it with them
00:42 and have a mad night, you know what I mean?
00:44 It was cool and we rode the tube up,
00:47 which was not the fucking best idea to eat
00:49 and we had a mad night, it was crazy.
00:50 - 'Cause then you have to change to get from Brixton
00:52 to where you're at.
00:53 - Yeah we do.
00:54 Stockwell, Stockwell.
00:55 Victoria Light and Stockwell and then change
00:57 to get on up here, it's good.
00:59 - And what happened?
01:01 'Cause it looks like you tore the place apart.
01:02 - Yeah, it was mental.
01:03 I remember, I've actually got pictures of it
01:05 on the middle floor of it.
01:07 It was a bit more mad than I expected
01:09 'cause you don't know, like,
01:10 every time we've, in the history of like done mad shit,
01:14 which is loads of stuff,
01:15 I've just literally put in my phone like,
01:17 here's the location, turn up to it
01:20 and then I kind of look at someone on my team
01:23 or I'll be like, do you reckon people are gonna come?
01:24 And I was like, I think people will come.
01:26 And it was mental.
01:28 It was like, rammed the old pub, had a mad night.
01:30 It was sick.
01:33 Fucking lit.
01:34 - They let you back in?
01:35 - Let me back in.
01:36 I think they actually like it.
01:37 I think it's the only fucking pub
01:38 that'll let you fucking go mental in it.
01:40 Put beer on the fucking walls and embrace it,
01:43 you know what I mean?
01:44 - Well, I was thinking that if you were to kind of
01:47 crack open your head and empty out the contents,
01:49 it'd look a bit like Camden.
01:50 - I think so.
01:51 I've come to Camden my whole life, you know what I mean?
01:54 I think like, I remember coming here
01:56 from about six or seven,
01:59 'cause my old man used to work in London.
02:01 He used to bring me down on Saturday
02:02 'cause he had guitar shops
02:04 and he used to fucking work in the shop
02:05 and on the way out, he would purposefully drive me
02:08 through Camden because I had the big fucking shoes
02:11 and piercings and I was obsessed with it.
02:14 I used to come here like every Saturday on my lunch break
02:16 and just be like, whoa, buy a spike belt,
02:19 buy a corn T-shirt, buy a Trivium T-shirt.
02:23 Yeah, man, it was cool.
02:24 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:25 And good Chinese food too.
02:27 - Banging Chinese food, literally.
02:29 There's that one on the river as you went out as well,
02:34 which is like on a barge, which is fucking mental.
02:36 I can't remember the name, but it's sick.
02:38 - Yeah, well, we'll get onto the big announcement
02:40 in a minute, but you've been talking a lot
02:43 about kind of taking stock
02:45 and figuring out where you're at.
02:46 I mean, what's kind of led you to that?
02:49 - I think to be brutally honest with you,
02:51 it's the first time I've actually realised
02:54 what the fuck has gone on.
02:55 I think from being like 18 years old
02:58 and starting this thing to last year,
03:03 at the end of last year, Christmas,
03:05 it's been like, I've just kept my head down and kept running.
03:09 Like I've never actually been like, oh, whoa, what the fuck?
03:13 Like we played Wembley Arena last year
03:15 and I wasn't even there in my head.
03:17 Do you know what I mean?
03:18 I was like, we've got Paris tomorrow.
03:19 And it was like, wow.
03:20 And I think all I wanted to do was just kind of play a gig,
03:23 meet people, play a gig, meet people,
03:24 play a gig, meet people, play a gig, meet people.
03:27 And it's kind of been the first moment where it's like,
03:30 whoa, and I've actually kind of taken stock
03:32 on like the good bits, the really bad bits,
03:34 the fun bits, the crazy bits,
03:37 and kind of sat down with myself and be like,
03:40 all right, what do I want to do next?
03:41 Because 27 next, I've been doing it since I was 18.
03:45 And it's like, whoa, you know what I mean?
03:48 I think it's been a fucking, the most,
03:53 unbelievable, it's like a fucking movie what's happened.
03:56 Like I could write it down.
03:57 It's mad.
03:59 - You can't plan it either.
04:00 - You can't plan it.
04:01 I think that's the funny thing about us.
04:03 It's like a lot of people don't know that it's just me
04:07 and me mates and fucking 10 iPhones.
04:10 - Yeah.
04:11 - The whole time since I've been 18 years old,
04:14 I fucking love to clash.
04:15 I love the pistols.
04:16 I love the dand.
04:17 I love Susie Sue.
04:19 And I basically just studied fucking
04:23 how they belonged somewhere when they were like,
04:27 back in the fucking late 70s, early 80s,
04:30 and just put it on an iPhone to connect to people.
04:35 And it just was like, it's been mental up to this point
04:40 to kind of just be like, fucking hell, wow,
04:41 this has got bigger than any of us has ever expected.
04:46 And how the fuck do you deal with that?
04:49 I think we just needed to take a little bit of time off
04:51 and be like, all right,
04:52 what's the coolest thing we can do next?
04:54 What's the thing that serves our fan base the most?
04:57 And what is the thing that kind of always remembers
05:00 the people because that's what it's always been about
05:03 since the beginning, like me meeting people
05:05 and loving them.
05:06 - Yeah.
05:06 - And hoping they love me back.
05:08 You know what I mean?
05:09 - Well, that's it.
05:09 I like how you've always used the word,
05:10 'cause I remember we spoke,
05:11 the first time we spoke was around the time
05:13 21st century liability came out.
05:15 And even then you were using the phrase community.
05:16 You would never say my fans.
05:18 You'd be like-
05:19 - Family, yeah.
05:19 Community.
05:20 I think fans put you on a pedestal and I don't like that.
05:24 I think like, I have such a weird thing.
05:29 I just wanted to, all my life,
05:30 I just wanted to be a part of something.
05:32 I never felt like I did.
05:33 - Yeah.
05:34 - I just wanted to fucking be like,
05:35 oh, I was, even if it was a small piece in something,
05:39 I just wanted to be like, oh, I was there.
05:41 Or that was sick.
05:42 Even when I would like, saw gigs, I was like,
05:44 oh, I was there.
05:46 You know what I mean?
05:47 I felt like I mattered to something.
05:50 And I feel like it's the hardest thing in the world
05:53 feeling really small.
05:54 - Yeah.
05:55 - It's really fucking dark
05:58 and all everyone wants to be, like, is seen.
06:02 And that's completely like, if you don't,
06:05 you know what I mean?
06:06 It's like, people want to be seen for who they are.
06:08 And I just wanted to build a space where it'd be like,
06:14 you will meet people here who will be like,
06:16 yo, I feel like you, that's sick.
06:17 Or, whoa, I didn't know that you dressed like that.
06:22 Or I didn't know that you liked that too.
06:25 Even if it's outside of Youngblood.
06:27 - Yeah.
06:28 - You know what I mean?
06:28 It was like, it just was more about creating a space
06:33 even more than the music in the beginning.
06:36 The music was just kind of a vehicle to be like,
06:39 here's something that you can go to to find each other.
06:43 And then it's like, it kind of got really fucking big.
06:46 And we were like, oh shit.
06:47 And then, you know what I mean?
06:48 It's mad, mad.
06:50 - Well, that's it.
06:51 I mean, take us back to Doncaster
06:51 before you got any music out.
06:54 But you've obviously, you've always been a dreamer.
06:56 - Oh, 100%.
06:57 - Yeah.
06:58 But like, how did you, before you had any fans,
07:00 how did you imagine them?
07:01 How did you envision that community looking?
07:04 And is it exactly what you thought it would be?
07:05 - I think you always, you always want to play Wembley Stadium
07:10 because you saw Freddie Mercury do it.
07:12 But you don't fucking realise what every step of the way
07:16 is like to get to that point.
07:19 And whatever people say about us,
07:24 I can say wholeheartedly that me and my guitar player
07:33 and my best mate, we've worked our fucking bollocks off.
07:36 Because I can't wait.
07:39 I wish people could watch it
07:40 in like a fucking 20 second,
07:43 you know that Black Mirror episode
07:44 when you go inside someone's eyes and you can see it.
07:47 We've just had to hustle the whole time
07:49 because I remember being in Doncaster,
07:54 leaving because it was just not,
07:58 I couldn't have been in a band there.
07:59 You know what I mean?
08:00 It was just not gonna happen.
08:00 I was like, we played the Leopard,
08:02 we played the Vintage Rock Bar,
08:03 we played the sick venues, independent venues in Dorney,
08:06 but all my mates would come
08:07 and you'd just basically sell tickets on the door,
08:09 wouldn't you?
08:10 Literally like notepad and literally like 250 in.
08:14 And then you'd get given a little fucking piece of paper
08:18 or a stamp.
08:19 And I came down to London,
08:21 I met my guitar player in Phil Taggart's night,
08:26 in Slacker night in Old Street.
08:30 And we were literally both wearing Arringtons.
08:32 And I was like, we literally looked like eyeliner,
08:35 black trousers.
08:36 I didn't even have the pink socks on then.
08:38 I was like eyeliner, creepers, trousers and Harrington.
08:40 I was like, what the fuck, you know what Spider-Man mean?
08:42 And we were literally inseparable since then.
08:45 And we just, literally, fucking,
08:50 we lived in South London
08:52 and we just thought about this whole thing
08:54 and dreamt about it.
08:56 And then nobody wanted to fucking sign us
08:59 or write about us or whatever.
09:02 And we just fucking went to America.
09:04 Summit happened.
09:06 I can go into that, it's a mad story,
09:08 that's for another time.
09:09 But it was like literally went to America
09:12 because it was our last chance.
09:13 My manager was like, someone's heard you on the radio.
09:17 You're gonna go and play a guy's fucking gig night in LA
09:21 because it's not happening here.
09:24 Let's just fucking give it a shot.
09:25 And we had a meeting with an independent label out there.
09:27 And basically I went via New York
09:29 because one of my managers was from New York.
09:32 An Irish guy called Emmett Power
09:35 used to work for the fucking management company.
09:37 And this guy can get you in anywhere.
09:39 I'm telling you, this guy can fucking talk
09:42 his way into anywhere.
09:43 He talks into any party.
09:44 And we were living in a squat, stunk like fucking damp.
09:47 - Like Jedi power.
09:48 - Do you know what I'm saying?
09:49 Literally.
09:49 And basically I went to New York
09:51 and I was gonna write with a guy
09:53 whose studio was inside the Universal building.
09:56 So we got the Irish guy to pretend
09:59 that he was my fucking drummer.
10:01 'Cause when you go into a Universal building,
10:02 you get given a fucking pass
10:04 that expires after 12 hours.
10:07 And basically he would ride the elevator all day
10:11 and be like, "Yo, you heard this fucking Youngblood kid
10:13 blowing up out of the UK, total bollocks, utter bollocks."
10:16 We got the music and it's just like
10:18 some fucker starts talking about a name
10:20 and everyone starts talking about it.
10:22 Completely lied.
10:23 The old fucking Universal building
10:25 starts to pop into the studio.
10:26 I'm like, "Why are these people
10:27 popping into the fucking studio?"
10:29 Then the West Coast hears about it.
10:31 We go to America.
10:32 Every fucking label under the sun's at this fucking thing
10:36 out of complete and utter bollocks.
10:39 Alone, like this Irish guy's been chatting shit
10:42 in a fucking lift.
10:44 And then I basically was there with me mates.
10:46 We fucking snuck into America.
10:49 So funny getting through customs,
10:50 like, "Why you got two guitarists here?"
10:51 I'm like, "Just fucking going on a road trip.
10:54 Wanna play fucking music or whatever."
10:57 And then I threw up.
10:59 My guitar player was like, "Let's play any fucking gig."
11:01 And we got signed in America
11:03 and then nothing fucking happened for seven months.
11:06 And we just kept doing it.
11:07 And I remember the point was like,
11:09 the reason why it's all about community
11:11 is because for some weird reason
11:13 we were big in the Netherlands.
11:15 - Yeah.
11:16 - I don't fucking know why.
11:17 - It's always the Netherlands or Belgium.
11:19 Yeah.
11:20 - Netherlands and Australia.
11:21 We were fucking big there for some weird reason.
11:24 When I say big, we'd sold out a hundred tickets.
11:26 Like anywhere else we could sell 10.
11:27 But like in the Netherlands, we were like fucking,
11:30 I don't know, Lenny Kravitz or some shit.
11:32 We're like, "Fuck yeah."
11:33 And then we went there and I remember
11:38 just picking up my iPhone and someone saying to me,
11:41 "Why don't you just fucking talk into it for fun?
11:45 Just record yourself.
11:47 Don't have to go anywhere.
11:48 All your songs are about politics
11:51 or expression or individualism or anything.
11:54 Why don't you just fucking talk about it
11:57 without anyone there?
11:58 Just get weird in your fucking house."
12:00 And I started to do that.
12:01 And I remember people started following us.
12:04 I remember getting a hundred views on my story
12:06 and being like, "What the fuck?
12:07 A hundred people have just fucking seen us."
12:09 - Like, "Mom!"
12:09 - Do you know what I mean?
12:10 No, literally a hundred people have just seen us.
12:11 And then we went to Amsterdam
12:13 and then I would just go out into the line
12:14 and talk to people in the line.
12:15 And then that turned into a thousand.
12:17 And then we went to Belgium the next day
12:18 and 60 people, probably 40 people came from Amsterdam,
12:22 did the same thing.
12:25 And now that turned into 10,000,
12:28 that turned into 20, 100, a million, 4 million.
12:31 And then yeah, that's how we fucking got here.
12:33 It's mad.
12:33 - That's awesome.
12:34 All from chatting shit in a Lyft.
12:35 - Yeah, all from chatting shit in a Lyft.
12:36 Honestly, it's fucking hilarious.
12:38 I can't wait for,
12:40 if anyone ever fucking can be asked to do a film about us
12:43 one day, it'll be mad to go into it.
12:45 - Who would play you?
12:46 - Ooh, fucking hell, who would play me?
12:49 Barry Kean has got the same nose as me.
12:52 - I can see it.
12:52 - At the minute.
12:53 - I can see it, yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:54 - He's got a smile line that sometimes grows there.
12:56 About my height as well, I think.
12:57 - Yeah, he loves getting his kit off as well.
12:58 - I love it, man, same.
12:59 - But a really good scene in the movie will be the next one.
13:04 - Yes.
13:05 - This is a tasty segue, by the way.
13:06 - Yeah, crazy.
13:07 - Tasty segue.
13:08 Queen, David Bowie, Green Day, Linkin Park, Youngblood.
13:12 What do they all have in common, Dom?
13:14 - They played a gig at Milton Keynes Ball.
13:16 - Fuck yeah.
13:16 - What the fuck?
13:17 (laughing)
13:18 I know, that's fucking mad, isn't it?
13:20 - Yeah.
13:21 - Wow.
13:22 - I think I kind of, Bloodfest is happening.
13:26 I'm launching my own festival.
13:27 I had the idea to do it probably about November last year,
13:32 so late, I just was fucking insomnia one night
13:35 and was like, you know what?
13:37 What's the next thing we can do
13:38 that is really a staple
13:43 and really just fucking pushes the boundaries?
13:45 That's what it's all been.
13:46 To be honest, this whole thing's been
13:47 about fucking with people.
13:48 - Yeah.
13:49 - Been about like, when press don't write about us,
13:51 when labels don't want us,
13:52 when fucking festivals don't take us seriously,
13:54 when people don't take my generation seriously,
13:56 let's just fucking poke the bear.
13:58 - Yeah.
13:59 - Every time, piss everyone off and get away with it
14:01 'cause we're a community.
14:01 - We're gonna do it anyway.
14:02 - We're gonna do it anyway.
14:04 And I was like, wow, why don't we do that?
14:06 And I was like talking, I was like,
14:07 you know, where could we do it?
14:08 We could find like a thing.
14:09 And then people really got excited by the idea of the show.
14:13 Then they went, do you know what?
14:15 Let's do it at Milton Keynes Ball.
14:16 And I was like, what?
14:16 Because I have that picture of Bowie in the yellow suit.
14:19 - Yeah.
14:20 - And I was like, I'm 83, I can't remember,
14:21 correct me if I'm wrong.
14:23 And I remember Bowie in a Bible Green Day.
14:25 - Yeah.
14:26 - And I was like, what?
14:27 We're gonna do it there?
14:28 They were like, yeah, we think we can do it there.
14:29 And yeah, it's fucking happening.
14:32 - What are you gonna wear?
14:33 - I don't know yet.
14:34 I've got to think about that very carefully.
14:36 - You have a few costume changes.
14:37 - I think I've got a few costume changes.
14:39 But at the minute, it's like,
14:42 I'm really excited to kind of,
14:46 I think we've been on the road for five years.
14:48 We've been fucking everywhere.
14:49 And I'm really excited to lean into the Britishness
14:52 at the minute.
14:53 - Yeah.
14:53 - And I think this fucking country needs
14:55 a bit of a kick up the ass.
14:56 You know what I mean?
14:57 In terms of like, just mad concepts.
15:00 We're all very set in our fucking ways.
15:02 This is how you do this.
15:03 And this is how you do that.
15:03 And I was like, you know what?
15:05 Fuck it, we're gonna keep it really UK themed.
15:07 Kind of try and bring a bit of fucking unity
15:11 and love back to the union, Jack.
15:12 You know what I mean?
15:13 And fucking try and redefine it a little bit.
15:15 'Cause it's fucking,
15:16 feels like a load of bollocks at the minute.
15:18 You know what I mean?
15:18 - That's how Britpop did it.
15:20 - Yeah, I think so.
15:20 And it's all about unity.
15:22 It's all about love.
15:23 And it's all about a place where people can come to.
15:27 I think like with Youngblood,
15:28 we dreamt of a world five years ago.
15:32 Now I'm gonna physically fucking build one.
15:34 - Yeah.
15:35 - And it's like, this is gonna be a place
15:36 where you can come to and be utterly yourself
15:40 with your mates, with your family, with your friends.
15:43 Even if you're completely on your own.
15:45 If people don't know who you really are,
15:47 you're hiding it.
15:48 - Yeah.
15:48 - You're fucking blood festing to it.
15:50 And I just get really buzzed off the fact
15:53 that people are gonna find relationships,
15:55 make friends there.
15:57 I think it's all about just community and unity
16:01 and creating a festival that's all about the people
16:04 and not fucking corporate.
16:06 I think 'cause we have the best festivals in this country,
16:10 but I think as they get older, they get staler.
16:14 - Yeah.
16:15 - And they get less about the people
16:16 and they become more about the transaction
16:19 and more about the, they just become a bit fucking dated
16:22 and I just wanna vibe out a bit.
16:24 - Yeah.
16:25 - And I just wanna create something fucking cool.
16:27 - Yeah.
16:27 Well, let's start with that lineup.
16:29 Yourself, of course, it's gonna be good.
16:31 Lil Yachty, Softplay, The Dams, Nessa Barrett, Lola Young.
16:35 That's awesome, man.
16:36 I mean. - Crazy.
16:36 - How'd you land on that?
16:38 - I just wanted it to be completely artists
16:42 that I think are real.
16:43 - Yeah.
16:44 - Do you know what I mean?
16:45 Like I'm saying, I think no matter what,
16:48 a lot of people, whatever people say,
16:50 we are fucking real.
16:51 Like we are literally person to person,
16:53 like an artist built on like,
16:56 hello, I'm Dom, what's your name?
16:59 But there's fucking 10 million of us now.
17:01 You know what I mean? - Yeah, yeah.
17:02 - And I think I wanted to find artists that are like that.
17:05 Lola Young's one of my favourite artists at the minute
17:08 from this country.
17:09 I think she's rad.
17:10 I think she's got her own thing going on
17:12 that's different and weird
17:14 and really, I think it's like a really exciting time
17:17 for British music.
17:18 You know what I mean?
17:19 I think like from Central Sea to Lola Young,
17:21 like it's actually like moving.
17:25 - Yeah. - You know what I mean?
17:25 It's globally been like, whoa, that's cool.
17:28 I like the accent.
17:30 When it's so funny, I've been to America so many times
17:32 and everyone's like, oh no, you can't sing in your accent
17:34 or you can't do that thing.
17:35 I'm like, fuck off.
17:36 You know what I mean?
17:36 It gets thicker.
17:37 Little Yachty, I think he's like,
17:41 in his respective genres,
17:42 trying to do what I'm trying to do,
17:43 like push the boundary as much as possible,
17:46 whether people like it or not.
17:48 I had an idea to do the icon slot
17:51 of like an artist we kind of pay homage to,
17:54 why this community kind of,
17:57 what inspired it in the first place.
17:59 And like the reason I got the white streak in me
18:01 is because of the dam,
18:01 do you know what I mean? - Yeah.
18:02 - I've got them in me house.
18:04 And I think like every year about,
18:07 what is it, about 7.30?
18:08 I think so, it's like 7.30 or seven o'clock,
18:12 we're gonna have an icon.
18:14 - Oh, like Glastonbury Legends slot.
18:15 - Basically, yeah, but my own.
18:17 And it's like, we're gonna icon slot
18:19 and then in about seven o'clock
18:22 and then Yachty, then me.
18:23 - Yeah. - It's gonna be sick.
18:24 I think Nessa Barrett's amazing.
18:26 I think she's a songwriter for a new generation.
18:31 It's gonna be sick.
18:32 And there's many more to come as well.
18:33 But I just think like,
18:35 I just wanted something that transcends genre,
18:38 is defiant as fuck,
18:39 is all about inspiration
18:42 and imagination and just a celebration,
18:45 a unity between artists, people.
18:50 It's gonna be sick.
18:52 It's gonna be mental.
18:53 My plan is eventually to take it worldwide.
18:55 - Oh, wow.
18:56 - But the ads are starting in the UK.
18:58 - Yeah. - And it's gonna be,
19:00 hopefully, I think I know it is,
19:02 it's gonna be like something
19:03 that no one's ever seen before
19:04 because my mind is mental.
19:06 - Yeah. - My head's mad.
19:07 And I wanted to kind of put that into a physical world.
19:10 When you walk through those gates at Bloodfest,
19:12 you are walking into like a physical manifestation
19:15 of young blood in its fucking,
19:18 you can touch it.
19:19 - Yeah. - You know what I mean?
19:20 Instead of like, look about it,
19:21 look it on the internet, read about it,
19:23 you can physically fucking hold it.
19:25 - All those acts you just mentioned,
19:26 they fit in that Venn diagram.
19:28 It's a bit spicy, you know?
19:29 It's like--
19:30 - Yeah, it's a bit fucking naughty.
19:31 - Yeah. - It's a bit like, yeah,
19:33 doing their own thing, like not beholden to anything.
19:36 - Yeah. - It's just like, yeah, man.
19:38 That's what I do.
19:39 I know how hard it is.
19:41 - Yeah. - Because I know
19:41 either people don't wanna give you a fucking leg up
19:46 because you're too dangerous.
19:48 - Yeah. - People don't believe you.
19:51 People think it's fake.
19:53 Or people just think you're a little bit too loud.
19:55 And that's what I've experienced.
19:56 - Yeah, yeah. - By some fucking miracle,
19:58 being able to try and get somewhere.
20:02 So I'm like, I'm gonna look at artists
20:04 and be like, you're real as fuck.
20:06 Come and play this because I think my fan base
20:09 or my community, my family are gonna like you
20:14 and you need to be heard.
20:15 And what you're saying needs to be heard.
20:19 - Yeah. - And I think like,
20:20 it's gonna be cool.
20:21 It's like proper festival where it's like,
20:23 cut the bollocks and just come together.
20:26 - Big collabs on the night?
20:27 - Probably.
20:29 I think like, I've got mental ideas.
20:30 To be honest, that's the lineup.
20:32 But some people are gonna come out
20:35 that are gonna be legends for my set,
20:37 for other people's sets.
20:38 Like, I want it to be like, it's mental.
20:40 Like, who I've got coming out of me is fucking mental.
20:42 - Give us some clues, go on.
20:45 - Glasses.
20:46 - Glasses.
20:48 Who's got glasses?
20:49 Answers in the comments.
20:50 - In it.
20:51 - But tell us about sort of the rest of the experience.
20:54 'Cause it's not just, you know,
20:55 you've got some community kind of events going on.
20:56 - 100% like my idea is like to have,
20:58 I'm not gonna give it all away,
20:59 but like my idea is to have like,
21:02 we're gonna have a make a friend tent.
21:03 - Yeah.
21:04 - That's like a massive tent in the middle of the festival.
21:07 If you wanna make a friend, go in there.
21:09 So people can be like, you know what?
21:10 I wanna make some friends and I wanna connect to people.
21:13 All you gotta do is be inside that tent
21:15 and then you're approachable.
21:16 - Yeah.
21:17 - You know what I'm saying?
21:17 Like, if you wanna go make some mates,
21:19 if you wanna go create experiences,
21:20 if you wanna do something, I'm just like,
21:22 we're gonna do loads of crazy shit like that.
21:25 There's gonna be loads of stuff
21:26 like looking back on what Youngblood's done.
21:29 We're gonna start, we're gonna have a blood burger there.
21:31 It's just gonna be fucking mental.
21:32 - Oh, what's in that?
21:33 - It's just gonna be like fucking horns on the back,
21:35 branded like a cow, devil horns.
21:38 It's gonna be a vibe and we're just gonna,
21:40 it's gonna be full of like experiences
21:44 that make people like connect
21:46 and kind of encourage you to express yourself.
21:48 Or not, you can just walk around
21:50 and watch people doing it.
21:51 You know what I mean?
21:52 It's gonna be all about, it's all about,
21:55 it's all about that.
21:57 I mean, I went to Glastonbury and I loved Glastonbury.
21:59 I think that festival is fucking amazing.
22:01 And I think I kind of wanted to kind of
22:05 take a little bit of inspiration from that.
22:08 And that is all about the people.
22:11 You know what I'm saying?
22:11 And I think I want to create my version of that.
22:14 We're taking the Holy Arms to the festival.
22:16 - Oh, so you're gonna be propping up the bar all night?
22:18 - We're literally building the Holy Arms
22:20 in Milton Keynes Bowl.
22:22 And I'm probably gonna be out about 4 p.m.
22:25 watching bands and fucking pouring lager.
22:27 And then I'll probably be like at seven o'clock,
22:30 I'll fucking go have a shower, wash me winky
22:32 and get ready to be fucking Youngblood.
22:33 It's gonna be fucking mental.
22:35 - But what's the capacity on that then?
22:37 - Well, we can do between 30 to 70,000 people.
22:42 So we'll see.
22:44 - That's amazing.
22:45 And to see that many people there manifest,
22:46 it's gotta like, just make you feel sort of invincible,
22:50 unstoppable as a unit.
22:51 - I just feel like that's the thing.
22:52 It's like, if you love Youngblood.
22:56 (phone ringing)
22:57 Oh, police car.
22:58 - Oh, he's here.
22:59 - You know what I'm saying?
23:00 Like if you love Youngblood,
23:03 if you hate Youngblood but are kind of interested,
23:06 if you've ever had anything to do with Youngblood,
23:08 if you've loved it at 15 and outgrown it,
23:12 if you've come to it older,
23:14 if you've come to it, it's like,
23:16 I wanna signify it's gonna be here forever for you.
23:19 I am not ignorant that people come and go to fan bases.
23:23 I've done it to many artists.
23:24 It's like, but I want Youngblood to be a constant
23:27 in people's lives.
23:28 That when you wanna turn to it,
23:29 to feel that feeling again,
23:32 that this is, it's there all the time
23:34 and I wanna do this every year.
23:36 No matter what we do.
23:37 Like I hope everyone comes.
23:40 - That's best.
23:41 - Like, you know what I mean?
23:42 I hope everyone comes and I hope it's a crazy thing,
23:45 but it's just like, I want it to be a place where,
23:46 you know what, like once a year,
23:49 I can go to a place and be all to myself
23:52 and then it might get me through.
23:54 And then, do you know what?
23:55 I know it's happening next year
23:55 and I know it's gonna happen the year afterwards
23:57 and I want people to come from Italy.
23:58 I want people to come from Spain.
23:59 I want people to come from Latin America or whatever.
24:02 And that's why we've kept the tickets
24:04 as low as we possibly can.
24:05 - Well, I was gonna ask,
24:05 'cause ticket prices are getting pretty mental now.
24:08 60 quid, that's a bargain, man.
24:09 - That's what I'm saying.
24:10 60 quid, 10 or more bands, that's it.
24:13 And it's like, no ticket fees, all in.
24:16 'Cause I hate going to a site and being like,
24:17 "Oh my God, all right, cool, 45 quid."
24:19 And it's like 20 quid plus 10 quid on top.
24:23 I'm like, no.
24:24 I'm like, that is it.
24:25 That's the vibe.
24:27 We're not even making money on it.
24:29 We're literally just doing it for the fucking tunes.
24:32 And it's like, that's it.
24:33 We got it as low as we could.
24:35 And I'm excited.
24:38 It's like, all of it is about, again,
24:41 saying thank you for this moment,
24:44 for being here with me.
24:46 And it's like a physical thing where it's like,
24:49 I've had so many arguments about the price point,
24:51 but I was like, that's it.
24:52 That is literally it.
24:53 That's what we're doing.
24:54 And it's like 60 quid, all in, 10 plus bands.
24:58 And it's gonna start, day event.
25:02 Don't know where it's gonna go in the future.
25:04 Hopefully it'll be whatever,
25:06 but it's a good starting point.
25:08 And I was like, we wanted to do it in Milton Keynes
25:11 because one, it's an iconic venue.
25:12 It's halfway between the kind of the North and London.
25:15 Easy to get to.
25:17 Last trains are gonna be easy.
25:18 I've literally thought about everything.
25:20 I was like, yeah, I'm gonna do it.
25:21 It's gonna be easy.
25:22 I've literally thought about everything.
25:23 I was like, how much is it?
25:25 Can I afford it?
25:27 We're gonna let you put like,
25:28 some of my favorite artists plus me on for 60 quid.
25:31 I'm gonna get there.
25:32 Milton Keynes, last trains are running
25:34 till an hour and a half after I got off stage.
25:36 And then who am I gonna go with?
25:40 And I think a lot of people get like frightened,
25:42 but oh, I've got no one to go with
25:44 because I like Youngblood, but two of my mates don't.
25:48 But it's like, we want to keep the tickets affordable.
25:50 So like, oh, just come anywhere you might like it.
25:53 Or we're just gonna advertise on my Discord.
25:56 Join my Discord, meet friends.
25:59 Like, are you going?
26:00 And then it's like, connect with people
26:02 and meet them on the day and have a mental experience.
26:04 I think it's like, we just wanted to create something
26:07 that's literally like a Youngblood no brainer.
26:10 If you like Youngblood or come down, you know.
26:13 - But that's what I mean.
26:14 I mean, you're just being your true self,
26:16 telling your truth, people that kind of recognize
26:18 that truth to come into you.
26:19 So I just wanted to ask like,
26:21 when something like, when like the other month
26:23 when Mattie Healy had a go at you,
26:24 or when people take a net pop
26:25 at like certain parts of your community.
26:27 Have you got a thick skin?
26:28 How does that make you feel?
26:29 - I don't, honestly, I don't really care.
26:32 I just think like, that whole 75 thing was funny to me.
26:36 I mean, a lot, it was quite funny
26:39 because we were in Manchester Arena, ironically.
26:42 And that whole thing happened and I just found it funny.
26:45 I was like, it went on a little bit too long.
26:48 That's why I found it funny.
26:49 'Cause I fucking, I like the dude.
26:51 Do you know what I mean?
26:52 I fucking think he's a bit of an idiot,
26:54 but I like his fucking tunes.
26:56 But I just find it funny.
26:57 I'm like, it was a pretty cool thing.
27:01 I was like, fuck it.
27:02 All right, some fucker's talking about me, cool.
27:05 And I thought about it for like two minutes
27:08 before I went on stage
27:09 and then never thought about it again since.
27:10 - Yeah, that's it.
27:11 And it didn't escalate to like legendary beef.
27:13 - No, I don't think so.
27:14 I think, to be honest, I think if we saw each other
27:15 at a party, it'd be like, all right, you fucking dickhead.
27:17 - I mean, you stand for a lot of the same things.
27:19 - That's what I'm saying.
27:20 It's just like, it's funny.
27:21 And it's like, I think that's the thing about
27:24 being British, you know what I mean?
27:25 And like people like me, people don't.
27:30 And that's just what you got.
27:35 I used to, honestly, I'd be lying
27:38 between the ages of 22 and 25
27:40 if I was saying it didn't get to me, 'cause it really did.
27:42 And I think kind of this year,
27:44 having a little bit of time out for it,
27:45 I'd be like, it's all bollocks anyway.
27:47 You know what I mean?
27:48 It's all fucking entertainment.
27:50 And I'm just having a good time.
27:53 I love my community.
27:54 I love my fucking music.
27:56 Like, I love it.
27:58 I fucking do.
27:59 And that's all I've ever known up to now.
28:01 And it's got us to here.
28:02 And tell the truth, fucking lead with your gut,
28:07 love people, and I think you'll be all right.
28:09 - Yeah.
28:10 - Do you know what I mean?
28:11 That's just my motto.
28:12 - Well, that's it.
28:13 I mean, when you started teasing it,
28:13 you said in order to move forward,
28:15 you've got to look back.
28:16 And this feels like a very, very tidy way
28:18 to kind of end a chapter.
28:19 Is it the end of a chapter?
28:20 - It is the end of a chapter.
28:22 I think kind of going into new music,
28:24 which I can't wait for you to hear.
28:26 Like, again, I'm 27 next.
28:27 And I think kind of for a character like me or whatever,
28:31 it's either fucking death or rebirth.
28:33 And I feel like this point has been amazing up to now.
28:38 I will never lose what it's about in terms of Youngblood,
28:41 in terms of the soul of it.
28:43 But musically and everything like the next album
28:46 is probably, it's something I've been working on
28:50 for two years that I've not shared yet.
28:52 And it's a fucking adventure.
28:54 - Yeah.
28:55 - It's a full concept that you can play
28:58 from start to finish.
28:59 - What can you tell us about that arc of that?
29:00 - It's been made in England.
29:02 It's been made in the North.
29:03 And it's all about, it's kind of like,
29:10 I flip the narrative where I've sung about darkness
29:14 and this album is the light.
29:15 - Yeah.
29:16 - And it's all about getting through it and it's positive.
29:19 And it's that thing, it's that thing in your stomach
29:23 that you feel when you listen to Oasis or The Verve
29:25 or Bowie or Suede or Madonna,
29:29 that you just like, I don't know how that makes me feel,
29:34 but it makes me feel like I can get up today.
29:36 And that makes me feel like I'm invincible.
29:37 And it makes me feel like I can do anything.
29:39 - Yeah.
29:40 - And that's what this new album sounds like.
29:42 Stone Roses, Amy Winehouse,
29:45 everything that has kind of fundamentally
29:49 done work on my soul.
29:54 - Yeah.
29:55 - Everything up to now has been about your heart
29:57 and your head and making sure that you're educated,
30:02 making sure you use your voice, making sure you,
30:04 making sure I really, you know what I mean?
30:06 Making sure I use my head, use my voice,
30:08 speak from my heart, meet people, be fucking loud,
30:11 be bright, be unapologetic, be crazy.
30:15 And then this is a bit like, all right,
30:18 what does my soul want to say?
30:21 What do you feel like in your fingertips?
30:23 You know what I mean?
30:24 When you stick on Live Forever or you stick on Valium Skies
30:28 or you stick on Screamadelica, you know what I mean?
30:33 It's gonna be, it's an album that's,
30:37 that's gonna definitely fucking reach for.
30:40 - Yeah.
30:41 - Be a great like Urban Hymns or like Screamadelica.
30:43 And I know fucking the old dudes are gonna
30:46 leather me in the comments for that,
30:50 but I don't give a fuck because I'm gonna go there.
30:52 And I think if you fucking listen to it,
30:54 it's that from a new perspective.
30:57 - Yeah.
30:58 So if the world is a bin fire,
30:59 you're kicking the bin over and being like,
31:00 let's fucking go.
31:01 - Yeah, 100%.
31:02 And I just think it's all about unity
31:04 and all about love in another way,
31:07 as opposed to like, fuck you,
31:09 this is the world we've got to get to.
31:10 It's about like, nah, come together,
31:12 look each other in the eye.
31:13 - Yeah.
31:14 - And like fucking be human, man.
31:16 - Yeah.
31:17 And are you gonna use Bloodfest to kind of launch it?
31:19 Or is this, does that feel like it's--
31:20 - I feel like it's, yeah, Bloodfest,
31:23 it's all a little master plan.
31:26 I think it's kind of creating,
31:29 like I got loads of songs that I mean,
31:33 in the past year since me last album,
31:34 I think nothing's like,
31:36 I've been experimenting and just dropping songs
31:39 in real time, like Low Life sounds completely different
31:41 to Happy, that's completely different to Haters,
31:43 sounds completely different to When We Die,
31:44 Can We Still Get High with Yachty.
31:45 - Yeah.
31:46 - It's all just been about like, where do I wanna go?
31:47 Or just having fun with it.
31:50 And then the kind of the answer came of,
31:53 you know what, I'm gonna make this album
31:56 I've been trying to make for two years
31:57 because that's the fucking truth.
31:59 - Yeah.
31:59 - And that's the truth.
32:00 You know what I mean?
32:01 At the end of the day, when I shut my eyes
32:02 and fucking clench my fists and go,
32:03 "What do I wanna do next?"
32:05 And me fucking heart, and me gut gets to speak to me
32:09 as opposed to like, "What should I do next?"
32:11 Or, "What could be beneficial?"
32:13 Or whatever, all that bollocks that comes in
32:14 when you're fucking an artist trying to go like,
32:17 "Holy shit, we got to this level, how do I navigate?"
32:20 I think I'm just gonna,
32:23 there's a mixtape of songs that I've written
32:26 that I love that might not make any sense,
32:29 but I think are fucking sick.
32:30 - Yeah.
32:31 - So, I think, go into Bloodfest
32:35 and start fucking, I mean, in the meantime,
32:40 create a fucking opus.
32:43 The next album is an opus.
32:44 - It's your Black Parade.
32:45 - It's a fucking, it's a Tommy, it's a Quadrophenia.
32:48 It's a Night at the Opera by Queen, it's a Black Parade,
32:51 it's urban hymns, it's a thing that's intended
32:55 to be listened from start to finish
32:57 that has pushed me harder and fucking
33:02 made me gut myself harder than anything else before.
33:05 You know what I mean?
33:06 It's like, it's crazy.
33:08 We locked ourself in a studio in Leeds
33:10 and just felt, as opposed to like,
33:15 just shut the world out,
33:18 as opposed to what's popping on this,
33:20 what's the state of art or whatever,
33:23 and the minute it's like, "No, fuck that."
33:25 - This is it.
33:26 - Could this album have been written 50 years ago?
33:27 Could this album have been written in 50 years time?
33:30 Fuck everything else.
33:32 When was it created?
33:33 I don't know, because it's just, it just is.
33:37 And I think that's the goal.
33:38 And I'm buzzing.
33:39 - That takes balls, man.
33:41 - Yeah, it's cool, I just think like, fuck it,
33:42 because I've always led from truth
33:46 and I've always like, we've got fucking further
33:48 than we ever thought we would get.
33:49 And I can say that because it's like,
33:51 I don't even get it.
33:53 I'm like, I'm down, it's all about each other.
33:55 So like, fuck everything else is bonus,
33:57 so we may as well just try it.
33:59 And just try and reach for fucking Queen
34:01 and try and reach for Bowie
34:02 and try and reach for The Verve,
34:04 because I don't think they even knew at the time
34:06 what they were doing.
34:07 And fuck it, we'll just, I hope people like it
34:10 because it's fundamentally probably the most truthful
34:13 I've been able to be since 21st Century Liability
34:15 because 21st Century Liability happens
34:18 and then the whole fucking world gets involved
34:21 and holy shit, and then sometimes
34:23 you've got to shut yourself off.
34:24 And again, I've trekked this album like I've just started.
34:29 - Yeah.
34:31 - You know what I mean?
34:32 - Born again.
34:33 - Fucking yeah, to be religious about it.
34:35 - South Yorkshire's answer to America,
34:37 you could call it Donny Idiot.
34:38 - Donny Idiot, 100%.
34:41 - Maybe in the movie too.
34:42 Dom, thanks so much, man.
34:43 - Thanks for having me, man.
34:43 - Cheers, bud. - Thank you.
34:44 - Appreciate you guys. - Cheers.
34:45 - Cheers.
34:46 (upbeat music)
34:48 (music)
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