Even the end of this was weird.
I’ve never been to a gig before where someone was packing their stuff away in the last song, as they had a 5.30pm train booked, but we are where we are and one-third of The Young’uns, Michael Hughes, has work tomorrow – which probably explains why this is a matinee gig in the first place.
And whilst he’s tidying up, there’s kind of the elephant in the room, the other two – the wonderful Sean Cooney and David Eagle, who have been in this band along with the equally wonderful Hughes since they met at the local folk club in Stockton On Tees – are singing “Fairytale Of New York”.
And, look, I might as well say it: I can’t stand the song. And while I’m at it, I can’t stand this time of year either, so (and this wouldn’t be an unreasonable question) why am I at a Christmas show?
The answer to that is simple: The Young’uns are magnificent and it is a long time since they played in the Midlands. Seeing them sing is at once life-affirming and social history, and anyway, this is a Christmas gig like no other.
For every traditional song (and by that I mean a Christmas Carol and I mean traditional folk songs) like “Sound Your Bells” or the absolutely lovely “I Am Christmas” (and as much as I detest Christmas I don’t have a heart of stone) there’s an interlude of genuine comedy, as Eagle is one of those naturally funny chaps, and like the other two, he exudes natural warmth, and his manner also means that no two Young’uns gigs are the same.
They adopt a couple of carols and there’s a bit of audience participation, but best of all is “Tim Burman” a gorgeous song from this year’s “Tiny Notes” record which tells the tale of someone on the doomed Pan-Am 103 flight shot down over Lockerbie. If you want to understand this band’s appeal then listen to this track.
Elsewhere, in keeping with the fact this evening goes to places you wouldn’t expect, I wasn’t planning on hearing David Essex’s “A Winters Tale” when I came out to the show. My mum would have loved it.
The version of the only decent Christmas song, Jona Lewie’s “Stop The Cavalry” has a particular relevance given the Israeli war and the genocide (my website, my views) that Israel is perpetrating and it’s striking they play it in their own way, and in so doing they spotlight their warmth, their empathy and their incredible skill.
They are a stunning group, The Young’uns, unique you could say, but it’s those words, warmth, empathy and skill, that keeps them so relevant.
THE YOUNG’UNS @ WARWICK ARTS CENTRE, COVENTRY 10/12/23
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