His nasal American-Yorkshire voice struggles to convince: Yungblud, at OVO Hydro, reviewed

Even before albums became bloated, thanks to the largesse offered by CDs and streaming, most contained filler: those so-so songs merely passing needle time, weak aural bridges between the big hits and superior deep cuts.

Bubblegum-punk and Auto-Tuned pop, sung in a distinctly nasal American-Yorkshire hybrid

Increasingly, live concerts have filler, too. With the collapse of record sales, young pop performers feel compelled to jump into huge arenas more quickly than might be wise. It’s not always as easy as it looks. A massive social media profile doesn’t always translate into having sufficient willing bodies to fill these vast spaces, and while you can ship in pyrotechnic back-up, fancy sets and snazzy screens, one thing you can’t subcontract out are the songs.

Traditionally, arena shows require a big, rangy catalogue. When that’s lacking, the enterprise can be a perilous one. This becomes obvious during Yungblud’s set (which, looking round, is lacking quite a few of those willing bodies, too). Formerly an actor in Disney teen drama The Lodge, Dominic Harrison has prepped astutely for the role of TikTok pop star, singing all the right things about all the right subjects. Yet touring his self-titled third album, released last year, it is apparent that while the flesh might be willing, the material is lacking.

His rather dated mix of bubblegum-punk, emo-rap and Auto-Tuned pop, sung in a distinctly challenging nasal American-Yorkshire hybrid, struggles to convince. For an hour in a sweaty club, perhaps it would work. For 90 minutes in this hangar? Not so much. A handful of songs – ‘I Think I’m Okay’, ‘Medication’, ‘Cotton Candy’ – rise above the fray, the rest sink into a generic mass. As the set goes on, the early momentum flags.