Gang Of Youths @ The Underground

So tonight I am getting my expat on.  I know nothing of the music of Gang of Youths, except that they're Aussies, so I'm gonna check them out.

A good size crowd at the Underground (shame it's a Live Nation venue, otherwise it'd be perfect).  I had no idea they had this good a following - but that's cause I'm old and not up to date with a lot of new music.  And people were into it!  From the first song the crowd was singing and dancing and hanging off every word.  Charismatic frontman, David Le'aupepe, has a great presence on stage, from rugby-player-confident-but-not-necessarily-good-dancer to great between song banter (Though what's this "We're from London" crap).  And his passion for the songs definitely show through in his performance.  "Brothers" - the solo song on the piano - was a standout for me.  Really personal outpouring on his and his family's life.  It was emotionally draining for the crowd - I'm not sure how he does it night after night in front of a bunch of strangers.  Two song later when "Unison" mentions North Carolina in the first line the status quo of rocking out resumes.  "Goal of the Century" finished the set, which had relied heavily on their latest album, Angel In Realtime.  

In short I had a great night.  The irony is Gang Of Youths would not be a band I'd normally listen to, but live, they were great  Had they not been Australian I would've missed this great show, same if I'd heard their music beforehand.  But I do love to see an Aussie band get some recognition around the world and while he claimed the show as a home town gig (cause his wife is from Wilmington, NC) it was also fun watching the crowd sing along word for word.

Gang of Youths setlist

The Crap Facts:

This is my 474th concert.
This is my 7th concert at The Underground.
This is my 92nd show in Charlotte.
This is my 108th show in North Carolina.
This is my 277th concert in the US.
Gang Of Youths are the 549th band I've seen.