You Me At Six are a band worth seeing live at least once in your life. Each album gets better and so do their shows.
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Let’s be honest, 2020 has been one hell of a year. With COVID-19 putting the strain on the live industry, many grassroots venues face permanent closure and the government has said many questionable things about music acts. However, we must remember that the British music scene will never be silenced! Even in the difficult situation that we are currently in, many artists are still putting out amazing albums and planning for tours in 2021, including You Me At Six.
I have been a big fan of the band since 2009 and my dreams came true in 2014 when I saw them at Alexandra Palace. I waited in line for probably about 8 hours to see them because I wanted to be at the barrier… and I did get there. However, it was a very cold day in April. My friend and I each bought extra large tour shirts to put over our clothes just so we could keep warm.
Once we had been let in, we soon began to sweat it out as 10,000 people joined us in anticipation of the opening acts. First up was Young Kato. Admittedly, I had never heard of them but they did get us going at the front and dancing with random people – something that 16 years-old me would never do under normal circumstances but at concerts, it all goes out the window.
Next up, we had Don Broco. As a well-established band, they bought more people in… and this is where I began to get crushed. Thankfully, lead singer, Rob Damiani, was encouraging people to move back and ensure the safety of us at the front. I am not a big fan of them, but they are great musicians and if you love them – do try and catch them at a show.
As it was the 5th April, the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, they honoured him by playing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and talked about how he had gotten them into music whilst growing up. I admit their tribute moved me. I love Nirvana too, and if it wasn’t for them, You Me At Six would not exist today. It was beautiful – we all sang along as Josh Franceschi (lead) engaged with the crowd and got us to sway along. After the tribute, we all went back to screaming the words of ‘Bite My Tongue’ and you could hear the angst leave the body of all those around me. It was truly a magical time.
It was a great night… except Matt Barnes hitting me in the face with a water bottle as he tried to distribute water into the crowd. Thanks, Matt!
Here’s a reminder of one of the bangers from Cavalier Youth:
