Have you heard of the young father?

This article is not written by a fan girl. This article is written by a girl in love. In love with the music, in love with the rhythm and the lyrics that resonated to all who were lucky enough to have heard them. Words that have, as a result, transformed me into something other than a fan of the band. I’m talking about Young Fathers, a band from Edinburgh that you may or may not have heard of. If you haven’t, I hope this article will inspire you to hit the iTunes store.
I will tell you a story about an epic night out comparable to The Hangover, except that no one got wasted to the point of amnesia. An epic night out is perhaps an understatement. I had the time of my life on a Tuesday night at Sentrum concert venue in Kiev. That’s right! I’m a working adult but still got it! I will not disclose how it all came together, because a. I was not aware Young Fathers existed 6 hours before their gig and I’m slightly ashamed about it, and b. parts of the equation included my brother’s ex girlfriend, Tinder and Steve Morrison. Also the love of my life, but that’s a whole other story.

 

 

As an aspiring artist, I’m always on the lookout for inspiration. I found it that night. Much like I like discovering new music, I love finding new talent. This talent and the artists’ vision was glowing on stage as Young Fathers hit the spotlight. Their music touched me. I refused to leave the dance floor even to go to the bathroom because I felt that if I left for even a second, I would miss out on the notes and the words that were vital to my survival that night. It felt as if everyone had formed a collective emotional experience that we all shared in common. An understanding, if you will. That is how sacred the night was.

 

 

The energy flowed through bodies, like waves of electricity. Speaking of sacred – a man in front of me appeared to be having an epileptic seizure to the live sound of “The Queen Is Dead”. He was gone. Possessed by the music, and I dare introduce such a juxtaposition because that is what the genre was, a blend of music genres that formed a whole new one in my head. I didn’t even have time to look behind me to see how the rest of the crowd was reacting, but I can only imagine they had a similar diagnosis.
As for my first impressions of the band, I instantly developed a tight friendship. A unity. They were united by one cause, interwoven by life paths and present there and then because they love what they do. You could sense their passion and their enthusiasm because they truly gave it all on stage. Including some of their clothes by the end of the night, as they were drenched in sweat from an intense concert that Wikipedia dubs ‘fierce live performances’. I beg to differ. It was wild. The lighting on stage illuminated their glow, which made every second of the show an opportunity to take that perfect photograph. My phone memory was full, maxed out beyond capacity, so I stopped trying to capture every single second and just enjoyed the show.

 

 

You know what the biggest disappointment of the night was? No, it was not Steve forgetting to leave me his ring as a token of appreciation and a memory, or Alloysious refusing to give up any of his shirts for my collection of fan girl items. It was their graceful exit from stage. They left the audience on a powerful note; they left them craving and wanting more. And as an audience, we stood there awkwardly for a good half hour waiting for them to come back. Little did I know, it was the end. Deep down I knew they were debating on coming back, and later that night they told me they were! Oh mysterious producer man, why, WHY DIDN’T YOU LET THEM?
After the crowd dispersed I jammed it out on an empty dance floor because that’s all I wanted to do after their gig. That is how I met Steve, the drummer. I had no shame calling out to him from the bottom of the stage because a. my courage was inflated by the numerous drinks I stole from the bar and b. a friend of mine knew him after all. The details from the sleepless night that followed, you need not know. Although I will say it included lots of drinks, deep and meaningful conversations, hysterical laughter, and me recording everything because I never wanted to forget. On that note, I’d like to leave you with an afterthought. Google Young Fathers. Don’t make the same mistake I did and find out about them 6.5 hours before they are in town.
Do you want know what I remember from that night? It’s not the drinks, or the mesmerizing women, or how attractive the band members were, or how beautiful the sunrise was at 7:00 am when we all woke up. It was their music. Even after all the talks and the laughter, and the fun, it is their music ringing in my ears. I’m already looking forward to February – to my promised ring from Steve (that beautiful liar), and Alloysious’s shirt as a souvenir, and getting to know the other two members that were party poopers and went to bed after 12pm. And of course, another one of these addicting gigs I will not be able to resist.

 

 

Young Fathers tour (July-September):
NY, USA – Montreal, Canada – Katowice, Poland – Portmeirion, UK – Arreton, UK.

To really sum up this long ode to Young Fathers:

The music – Inspiring.
The lyrics – Addicting.
Conversations – Meaningful.
The band – Awesome.

For your very own first impressions, do see:

The Queen Is Dead

 

 

Shame

 

 

Only Child