Yungblud – Idols World Tour // The Warning // The Molotovs // The SSE Arena Belfast
Now, if there was one artist who, over the last 12-24 months, has garnered attention and drawn an army of fans his way, it would be a young man in the form of Yungblud. Since the late great Ozzy Osborne passed away, this young lad rose like a phoenix from the flames to heights he could have only dreamed of with his performance at Ozzy’s memorial show and rightly so.
That day will, of course, be announced to so many on that day that Yungblud was someone who in 2026 demanded your attention. Here we are, April 2026, and his Idols World Tour rolls through Belfast’s SSE Arena for what would turn out to be hotly tipped as the best show of the year. #controversial
Alongside him, Mexican Sister trio The Warning and one of the UK’s hottest properties right now, The Molotovs. This is set up to be EPIC! What could go wrong? Well announced before the weekend were a series of Fuel Protests due to the chaos of the global market and rising costs hitting the UK and Ireland right now, last week I was trapped down south amidst the same protests so the trauma of that event had me nervous as to how it may impact travel to the SSE this evening, but after all that drama it turned out to be a damp squid and to no avail for most. #phew It would have been a disaster if it had, as The SSE would have been smack bang in the middle os where everyone travelling to the show would have found themselves, so a huge sigh of relief for all involved this evening that it didn’t take flight, that means we can all soak up the atmosphere as the we approach kick off time.
Up first, The Molotovs, who today announced a major UK tour of their own after midweek results put them challenging for No.1 in the Official Charts with debut album Wasted On Youth (Marshall Records). So we will see them back in Belfast in October, so pay attention, kids, and if you dig it, get your hands on some highly desirable tickets for their Ulster Sports Club debut. But tonight, this powerhouse duo take to the gargantuan SSE Arena stage to lay down a foundation for this evening that will set the arena on fire! The beauty of this band is their visceral homage to the bands that inspired them, Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols, Blondie, The Damned and The Libertines, to name but a few. The raw, angst-laden nature of their live performance is evident to all. The brother-and-sister duo Matt and Issey, who have been honing their craft for years, lay it all out in a blistering set. Matt, like a caged animal set loose, unleashes all that pent-up energy into their highly stylised song-writing that captures the imagination and feeds the soul. Their performance is an explosive start to the evening, bringing an almost feral quality at times as they drive home that 1970’s rebellious quality that you can only get from a punk-driven sound born out of the UK. There is nothing quite like it. Many have tried to recreate that DNA, but so many have failed to deliver, till now. The Molotovs are a joy to behold, and for the first time in a long time, are flying the flag for a new generation of mod-infused, punk rock dripping with razor-sharp guitar lines and thunderous basslines. You’ll be hooked right from the off. Their headline UK Tour kicks off this September, and you can grab tickets for that here: Ticketing & Direct Link: https://themolotovs.os.fan/
Now, next up, another mesmerising band who have taken the global stage by storm, rock sister-trio from Monterrey, Mexico, The Warning. These crazy ladies have been tearing it up like nobody’s business for the last few years and have turned heads everywhere they have played. With a reputation well beyond their years, sisters Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra are a monstrous, multi-faceted trio who command stages whenever they play live. Dany on guitar, Pau on drums and Ale on bass all share vocals, all play piano, and look like models. What’s not to love! The wave of enthusiasm for this band is not hard to understand. Turn on YouTube, and you’ll see a ton of reaction videos from across the globe of influencers delving into The Warning’s back catalogue, losing their minds at the talent on display from live performances. From Dany’s hefty guitar work to Pau laying down thunderous drum work, all while delivering stellar vocals when Dany steps back from the mic. So getting the opportunity to witness it all here in our glorious city is something pretty special. The first thing that hits you is the sound, it is huge! The fusion of Dany’s guitar, Pau’s slamming drums and Ale’s thunderous bass just reverberates throughout the arena. If ever there was a band built for the big stage, it’s The Warning.
The ladies are magnetic to watch, beaming smiles throughout their set. These three ladies are truly living the dream, all the way from Mexico to Ireland and beyond. hook The dreams have been turned into reality, and reality is stadium-sounding anthems that have you singing along from start to finish. They have some real bangers in their arsenal, every one with a gargantuan sounding chorus that just pulls you in with a hook so big it should be illegal. It is so cool to see these ladies up there commanding the stage as they do; it must be such a powerful message to any young girls in the crowd who have dared to dream about picking up an instrument, if ever there were three young ladies to aspire to musically, here they are right in front of you, showing how it’s done. A breathtaking live performance, stellar musicianship, all delivered with ease. The Warning is a band to keep an eye on for sure, dripping in talent and time on their side. I look forward to seeing where their adventure goes in the coming years. Hopefully back to Belfast in a more intimate venue where we can get up close and personal to really appreciate the air moving from their bellowing rock soundtrack. The ladies move on the US end of the Yungblud Idols World Tour beyond the UK dates but do return to Europe over the summer, so we may yet get to see them again in 2026. You can check out all things The Warning here:
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Now for the main event, Yungblud, as I previously mentioned, came into their periphery in recent years after the passing of Ozzy Osborne. But many who have not delved into his music before now will not know that this lad, born in Yorkshire, England, the 28-year-old multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and performer, first picked up a guitar at age two and began writing his own songs at age 10. Following the release of his self-titled EP and his full-length debut, 21st Century Liability (2018), his subsequent three albums, Weird! (2020), Yungblud (2022), and IDOLS (2025), all debuted at No. 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart. His lyrics have resonated with millions around the world, earning him meteoric success. He has since accumulated tens of millions of followers, 8 billion streams, and sold over 3 million albums and 1 million concert tickets. Let that sink in, this guy is and has been huge for years.
With that being said, I myself would be guilty of not really keeping my finger on the pulse of Yungblud, and part of that was maybe a preconception of who I thought he was as an artist, which is something we can all be guilty of from time to time, but really should know better. All the coverage around Ozzy opened my eyes and ears to him in a way that made me put on my big-boy pants and really take a fresh look at the musician he has become in recent years. All of which will be laid out for us bare on this fine stage tonight. What unfolded was truly one of the best rock shows we have seen in this venue in many years. A truly explosive performance that went way beyond expectations and announced to the Northern Irish crowd that Yungblud is a rock god in his own right!
Kicking off in a barrage of smoke and light, he kicked right in with ‘Hello, Heaven Hello’ and right there, right then, you knew you weren’t in Kansas anymore. The night had been propelled into the stratosphere with a bombastic explosion that overwhelmed the senses and made the hairs on the back of your head stand on end. His stage presence is something to behold, and his vocal range just takes your breath away as he strides his way through a setlist that has longtime and newbie fans on their feet. His ability to connect with his fans comes to the fore as he takes the time to interact with those who crave his attention, making their night, if not their year.
The level of intensity across the stage is mesmerising, every inch of his body is focused, chaotic and frantic with a purpose to deliver one of the most memorable performances of his life, every single time he walks out onto the stage. Tonight, he lays waste to SSE Arena in Belfast, with the fortunate crowd in attendance living their very best lives as they absorb a soundtrack made to turn heads. ‘Idols’, ‘Fleabag’ bring the house down, and when it pays homage to Ozzy with ‘Changes’, you can feel the electricity in the room; it is palpable.
He spends as much time in the air as he does with his feet on the ground, contorting his body to squeeze out every drip of his being into his live performance, and the Belfast crowd appreciate that. I would say it has been a while since I have seen a true frontman deliver a solid performance like this. The world of rock and metal, especially, has become very complacent; we have great frontmen delivering solid vocals and killer bands, but the performance aspect of the industry has been lost. Not tonight, this is what we have been led to believe what a rock band, what a frontman should be, and Yungblud is that to his very core. He has transcended from a kid in a bedroom wailing at posters on a wall to a monster live, commanding the stage in front of thousands of screaming fans. This young lad has come a long way from his Yorkshire roots. Breaking down the barrier between artist and fan, immersing himself in the energy of his audience and soaking it all up before spitting it back at them like a fireball of emotion through a high-octane show. This was truly one of the finest shows I have seen at this venue in quite some time, no cookie-cutter half-assed show here. This was a full back against the wall, playing for your life performance by everyone in the band, no holds barred, grit and determination delivery that dragged every single person along for the ride.
I have no doubt Belfast feels battered and bruised after such an exhilarating show; this is what it is all about. Thank you, my man, thank you. Yungblud, you legend!
The Idols UK &+ Ireland Tour dates are as follows:
11.04.26 Sheffield, Utilita Arena
12.04.26 Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
14.04.26 Belfast, SSE Arena
15.04.26 Dublin, 3Arena
17.04.26 Leeds, First Direct Arena
18.04.26 Cardiff, Utilita Arena
20.04.26 Glasgow, OVO Hydro
21.04.26 Newcastle, Utilita Arena
23.04.26 Birmingham, Utilita Arena
24.04.26 London, The O2
25.04.26 Manchester, AO Arena
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Photography: Darren McVeigh / Metal Planet Music
