Review: Yung Lean Live @ the back of the truck

On Thursday the 2nd of April, Jonatan Leandoer Håstad (Yung Lean) emerged from the darkness at Stockholm’s Frihamnen harbour and beckoned the audience to follow him towards the back of a truck, parked up next to a Russian freight ship. Lean opened the door and revealed the interior, laden with burning candelabras, wall hangings, a dead tree decorated with dream catchers and various statues of animals. The set, highly reminiscent of a fairytale woodland cottage with elements that wouldn't be amiss in a Wildean opium den, provided the perfect space for Yung Lean to deliver his introspective and atmospheric performance as well as allowing for further aesthetic development of his new artistic direction, first introduced in the video for his latest single: ‘Boylife in EU’.

Employing a giant candy cane as a walking stick and declaring himself our ‘magical host’, Lean began his performance with ‘friday the 13th’, taken from his 2018 release, Poison Ivy - the high-energy fan-favourite providing the perfect introduction to the set. Håstad was not afraid to place the emphasis of his show on introspection and reflection rather than pandering to the more militant wings of his fan base, who often scream for nothing but the ‘Old Lean’ and the days of ‘Ginseng Strip 2002’ . Such a focus was also apparent in his tracklist, as the rapper incorporated songs from both his punk band Död Mark, as well as his side project jonatan leandoer96. This provided fans with the rare chance to see Lean perform in his native Swedish tongue whilst also hearing tracks that haven’t thus far been featured in any live show. Precedence clearly being given to the complete artist both behind, and beyond, the rap persona ‘Yung Lean’

As for the quality of Håstad’s performance it must be said that once again he delivered. Lean’s live performances have repeatedly been praised for their emotional fluctuation from intense euphoria to crippling melancholia. Although, on this occasion, the audience were not there to respond to, and reciprocate, Lean’s emotional output, the intensity still remained. Agonistic, wailing harmonies that rose above the original melodies, as well as improvised ad libs helped to cement the feeling that this was an authentic and original live experience, despite the obvious, physical barrier between audience and performer. The, sometimes, painful discordance of Lean’s voice may leave parents scratching their heads, but for the fans they provide an alternative to the polished and sanitary hits that permeate mainstream society.

Yung Lean must be praised for the effort Lean has put into the performance. Not only in terms of production value, but also in terms of artistic altruism. Countless artists have offered live experiences during this uncertain time of lockdown, but they have usually been limited to Instagram live streams (see Chris Martin’s disorganised and fairly lacklustre #TogetherAtHome and Gary Barlow’s cringeworthy ‘The Crooner Sessions’). Lean has set a new precedent and consequently has cemented himself as a consummate artist. In his own words, ‘The show don’t stop, the show gotta go on.’

You can watch the full live performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VQkk3sDLac&t=1355s