In 2017, Yungblud met the world with a riotous show at The Water Rats, a dingy club in London’s Kings Cross area that also hosted Bob Dylan’s first live performance in the U.K. — as well as the first ever by Irish group The Pogues.
They went on to even bigger things and this weekend Yungblud will, too. On Aug. 11, the Doncaster-born artist will host the inaugural Bludfest, a 30,000 capacity, one-day event at Milton Keynes Bowl, England.
Previous performers at the venue include Queen, Green Day, Metallica, Foo Fighters and Michael Jackson. The 27-year-old – real name Dominic Harrison – will be joined by a diverse bill including his recent collaborator Lil Yachty, Soft Play (fka Slaves), Jazmin Bean, Lola Young and feature a slot by The Damned; the headline performance will mark his first full U.K.
live show in over a year. Harrison released his most recent LP, Yungblud , in 2022, which charted at No. 1 in the U.
K. and landed at No. 45 on the Billboard 200.
Across two stages and alongside fairground attractions, an art exhibition and a nod to the beloved Camden boozer The Hawley Arms, Bludfest is an all-encompassing proposition. “I’ve said from the start that it cannot be a gig wrapped in a festival , it needs to be a whole world,” he tells Billboard . “When I spoke with the team it became clear that it was important that part was nailed.
” Disillusioned with the state of the live music industry, Harrison has also been vocal about keeping ticket prices afford.