Gang of Youths shake the Enmore Theatre with a triumphant homecoming concert after illness

“It’s good to be home” declared Gang of Youths frontman Dave Le’aupepe, as the award-winning band continues their record-breaking Say Yes To Life tour.

Australia’s biggest rock band Gang Of Youths made an emotional return to their record-breaking Say Yes To Life tour with their first of six sold-out homecoming gigs at the Enmore Theatre.

A nasty chest infection frontman Dave Le’aupepe has been battling for a couple of weeks forced the band to reschedule the opening concert on Wednesday.

The now London-based band has sold a massive 50,000 tickets for the Australian tour, playing eight shows at Melbourne’s Forum in addition to their triumphant Sydney run which coincides with this year’s ARIA Awards.

Gang of Youths opened their Sydney run on Thursday. Picture: Christian Gilles

Just a year ago, Gangs (their name shortened by fans in the grand Australian tradition) won four awards, including Album of the Year, for their bold, emotionally-charged second album Go Farther In Lightness.

During one of his articulate and fulsome acceptance speeches, Le’aupepe declared his belief in the “redemptive power of rock’n’roll”.

He has had to harness that force in recent months after the death of his beloved father — speaking at length about his dad during the Sydney concert — and trying to keep voice-sapping illnesses at bay on tour.

Le’aupepe shared it was only their second Sydney concert since his father’s passing, the first being their well-received performance at the NRL Grand Final in September.

Gang Of Youths last played Sydney for the 2018 NRL Grand Final. Picture: Brett Costello

You could measure the love for this band, who have commanded every festival main stage for the past few years, by the loud volume of excited buzz which erupted into an almighty roar among the sold-out crowd before Gangs launched into concert opener Fear and Trembling.

“It’s good to be home” Le’aupepe proclaimed as they ripped into a finely honed set of fan favourites including What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out? and a transcendent Keep Me In The Open.

Le’aupepe writes wordy expositions about intense feelings and the human condition; these aren’t easy crowd karaoke numbers.

Le'aupepe is one of Australia’s most dynamic frontmen. Picture: Christian Gilles

Yet his adoring audience scream out every word, establishing a deep connection with the frontman as he sings his pain and hope and thumps his chest above his heart to show his appreciation of them.

That band conjures a cacophony of swirling guitars and incendiary rhythms, which unfortunately — like a lot of the singer’s lyrics during the night — lost in a sonic wash.

It’s not so much that it was too loud but that the Enmore Theatre’s art deco acoustics don’t translate too well to the lounge seating upstairs.

A three song piano interlude from Le’aupepe in the middle of the set — which included a rendition of Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You and generous sharing about his family — was beautiful but a little long, sapping the concert of the momentous energy it had built to that point.

Le’aupepe ripped open his soul during the Sydney concert. Picture: Christian Gilles

But this band, a worthy candidate for stadium greatness, swung back into high gear with the sexy hip-swivelling swagger of Let Me Down Easy and melodic Magnolia.

The band continue their Say Yes To Life tour in Brisbane this weekend before heading back to Sydney on Monday.