YUNGBLUD Sheffield: Doncaster's-own emo rockstar makes it his business to give fans the greatest moments of their young lives

“This is crazy to me,” declared the 24-year-old Doncaster-born powerhouse, pointing to different wings of the Utilita Stadium. He was on home turf, stood on the same stage he spent half his young life looking up at.

"I saw Metallica up there. I saw The Who up there. I saw Green Day up there,” shouted Dom, wearing his influences and heroes on his sleeve. Those same bands and many, many more have their DNA in YUNGBLUD’s sound. He carries purestrain emo pedigree of every artist and teenager of the past 20 or 30 years to wear eyeliner and use music as therapy for rage.

But I’ve not seen an artist as angry as YUNGBLUD in a long time, and I’ve certainly never seen one who wants his audience to love themselves as much as he does. He is a genuine rockstar. From the second he erupted on stage with 21st Century Liability he held complete sway over the arena by sheer force of the connection he has with rapturous fans. His biggest hits – The Funeral, Tissues, fleabag – come first with an confessional sermon about his mental state when he wrote it and how you move on from that if you've ever been there. He confessed how he wrote ‘Anarchist’, one his first hits that he penned five years ago, during one of the lowest moods of his life at a time he felt “trapped in a box”.

"But little did I know beyond the walls of that box," Dom said, sweeping the crowd. “Was every single one of you. You make me feel I have a place in this world. Thank you so, so much.”

YUNGBLUD seems to make it his business to pick out fans and give them the best-yet moments of their young lives. Just ask Rainbow.

"This is a bit mad isn’t it,” said Dom. He had waded into the crowd, stopped in front of a teenage megafan, and held the mic up to their face. They went bug eyed when they realised Dom wasn’t moving on.

"What’s your name?” said Dom.

“Rainbow,” said the shell-shocked youngster.

"That's a f***ing cool name!” shouted Dom. “Everyone give it up for Rainbow!”

He held the mic up again. “I want you to pick the next song.”

Somewhat trembling, they went with ‘California’. I’m writing this in so Rainbow can prove this mind-boggling experience really did happen to their friends.

Then there were the three teenagers carrying Trans-rights flags Dom scooped out the crowd and brought on stage for a heartwrenching performance of ‘Mars’. The three of them could barely contain their tears, stood together like the winners of a beauty pageant. ‘Sweet Heroine’ took in everyone in the arena by force – you will sing-a-long.

I can’t call Dom’s music complex – before any song is over you’ll know it inside and out, and enough of the words to join in the last chorus. But beating through them is a raging, teeth-bared message of loving yourself and the finding the power to keep moving forward. YUNGBLUD is one of Doncaster’s own and a rockstar of immense talent.