‘Special’ gig with Young’uns shared around the world

The Young’uns, at North Wall, Oxford, on Tuesday, May 30. Review by STEPHEN OTTNER

An evening with The Young’uns is something to be looked forward to and linger fondly in the memory afterwards, and so it was for their gig at North Wall in Oxford.

Some 20 years ago the teenage friends Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle stumbled across folk music in the back room of a pub in Stockton-on-Tees. Could any of the regulars in that room have anticipated that their calls for “the young ‘uns” to get up and sing would result in a trio that would go on to win three BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards?

The core of The Young’uns performance is the harmony singing to which there’s a light touch of piano, piano accordion or guitar added to some of the songs. The songs, penned by Sean Cooney, of everyday heroes who overcome adversity and make extraordinary contributions to others are both moving and uplifting. Contrast was provided by some rousing sea shanties that got the audience enthusiastically joining in on the chorus. There’s always humour aplenty thanks to the sharp wit of David Eagle (now an award-winning comedian in his own right) playfully attempting to derail Michael and Sean.

As well as the capacity audience at North Wall the performance was live streamed to around 300 homes. Lucy Shields of Live to You Living Room said "This felt like a really special gig for us. Live to Your Living Room sprang out of Folk Weekend: Oxford back in 2020, so it's been wonderful to continue our links with the city. The Young'uns have always been big supporters of everything we've done to make live music more accessible, so having them play for us again was a real treat. Their songs are all about the magic of human connection, so it was fantastic to be able to connect their fans around the world to share this experience with us."

The Young‘uns are undoubted masters of their craft and any opportunity to see them live should be seized. It is remarkable after so many years together and so much touring there is a freshness and spontaneity in every gig. The demand for a second encore sums up what the audience thought of the evening.