If you see a lot of live music in Sydney, Wollongong and surrounds, then you could be familiar with the sight of David James Young — but you might not recognise his face.
"People just see the back of my head a lot," he laughs.
David (aka DJY) is usually right up front — dancing, enjoying the music and cheering on the performers.
Some of us might identify as keen gig-goers, but DJY's dedication is next-level.
Last year he fronted up to 327 shows — a personal best — and this year he plans to surpass even that.
World record
David is a 33-year-old writer, podcaster, musician and self-described "guy who goes to shows".
In May his friends started tagging him in a post from Guinness World Records.
The reason? A new world record for most concerts attended in one year had been announced. Joshua Beck of New Jersey, USA, had recorded a relatively modest 86 shows 2022.
As one of David's friends commented: "Well these people have clearly never heard of DJY."
David became intrigued by the idea of making his own submission.
"[It's] like if there was a weightlifting record, and someone got it just by lifting a 20kg dumbbell," he says.
"That's not how Guinness World Records work, you need an absolute freak in there. You need an insanely lofty standard to aspire to."
Proof of rock
But securing a Guinness World Record is not always straightforward.
According to the guidelines, a show had to take place in a venue with capacity of 200 or more to be eligible.
Secondly, if David had been given free tickets to review the show then it could not count towards his tally.
After adjusting his total for these guidelines he was still left with 211 eligible shows (at the time of our conversation).
There was one further catch.
"For every eligible show, I need someone to verify I was there."
David put a call out on social media, sharing a list of shows and asking if people could remember seeing him in attendance.
"The response has just been wild," he says.
"Of the 211 shows, I've got nearly 150 of them covered already. I've been really overjoyed with the response and how willing people are to help me out and support me."
Seizing the moment
David grew up in Nowra on the NSW South Coast, and thinks the town's relative isolation helped forge him into a relentless gig-going machine.
"It's four hours to Sydney on that train, and you'd have to 'Cinderella' at the end of the night [to get home by] 2.30 in the morning," he says.
"This was the stuff you had to do to experience live music."
David's dedication was rewarded with a succession of unique experiences.
"That particular group of people, in that particular place, at that particular time … that will never happen again. That is why live music is so precious and so exciting."
He is keenly aware of the ephemeral nature of every performance — citing the poignant example of catching Prince shortly before the artist's death in 2016; and, conversely, his regret at missing rapper Juice WRLD's Australian tour only weeks before his untimely death in 2019.
Community feeling
With a strong presence on social media, David is a tireless advocate for live music, as well as the sense of community and togetherness that gigs can nurture.
"When I started going to shows, I wanted to be part of something bigger," he reflects.
"Live music makes me feel less alone, and [hopefully] I can make others feel less alone just by being there, by being a friendly face or whatever."
He is conscious of the etiquette of filming shows ("I'm absolutely not one of those people that film song after song after song") but is keenly aware that passionate fans have a role in spreading the word about music they love.
"I'm not an influencer by any means, but I have had people I don't know saying 'I had never heard of this band and now I'm a huge fan'," he says.
"If me sharing 30–40 seconds of a band on my stories can eventually lead to someone buying a ticket, a T-shirt, or an album — then mission accomplished."
He also urges people to embrace the pleasures of solo gig-going.
"A lot of the time I do go to shows by myself, and people have told me 'I didn't realise that was something I could do before I saw you doing it.'"
Love of music
Talking to David, it is clear that his live music adventures are motivated by genuine enthusiasm. He is a fan first and foremost, his conversation peppered with names of musical performers — from huge international tourists, to the newest local up-and-comers.
"Music is the most important thing in my life — and live music is the most tangible possible connection you can have to it," he says.
He is enjoying the world record attempt, and dedicated to the work required to stake his claim. But mostly he hopes his efforts might inspire others into similar epic feats.
"If I get it … I don't want to hold onto it for very long. I want someone to see what I've done … and be inspired to go out and see as much live music as they possibly can for themselves," he says.
"I want people to embrace it and love it and have it be as big a part of their life as it has been for me."
DJY's 5 to watch
David James Young suggests five up-and-coming acts worth catching before they get too huge:
- The Empty Threats
- Gut Health
- Miss Kaninna
- Our Carlson
- Full Flower Moon Band
David could still do with some help confirming the remaining gigs — and if you think he looks familiar (or recognise the back of his head), his Instagram is @djywrites.
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2023-11-30 21:13:51Z
CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIzLTEyLTAxL3RoZS1naWctZ29pbmctbGVnZW5kLWF0dGVtcHRpbmctYS1saXZlLW11c2ljLXdvcmxkLXJlY29yZC0vMTAzMTQxMzA20gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMzE0MTMwNg
