You Me At Six

On a rainy evening on 15th December 2010, groups of teenagers are queuing up, some for three or four hours in the rain, waiting outside the Hammersmith Apollo. The only light illuminating the place is the large sign- 'YOU ME AT SIX, 15TH DECEMBER, DOORS 7PM'- and of course, this is why we're all here.

The Wednesday is the extra added date, so the standing area isn't packed to the brim, which makes a refreshing change. Still, a healthy crowd grows as it edges closer to 7:30pm, and the first support act, Canterbury, hit the stage. They may look no older than seventeen or eighteen, but they're cute and quite enjoyable, though they could still do with some polishing up before they really reach the top. The second support act, Set Your Goals, are a heavier band all the way from California and, although they may not be that well known on this side of the Atlantic, they get the crowd a bit more lively by encouraging circle pits and moshing, so they are a good live act simply due to audience participation. The final support act of the evening are the Welsh up-and-comers The Blackout, and it would seem that a large proportion of the crowd are there for them just as much as they are for YM@6. They seem to really connect with the audience and get everyone singing along, playing a lot of their well known songs and some from their more recent album, The Best Thing in Town. They get the crowd well and truly warmed up for the main act.

At almost 9:30pm, the lights go down, the stage goes black, and the crowd go wild before anyone even sets foot on stage. Screams errupt as each member of YM@6 appears- Max Hellyer (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Matt Barnes (bass), Chris Miller (lead guitar) and Dan Flint (drums) - and, finally, lead singer Josh  Franceschi walks on and you can no longer hear yourself think. After a short instrumental intro, they launch into the song that arguably started it all, Save it for the Bedroom, and the show has started. Songs from their latest album, Hold Me Down, are known by heart almost as well as the old classics, such as Stay With Me and Fireworks, which saw the lighters come out and had everyone in crowd harmonising beautifully. They played the favourites from their first album, Take Off Your Colours, such as If I Were in Yours Shoes and Kiss and Tell (from the second edition), and even went right back for fans who have followed them since even earlier days with surprise track, The Rumour. Two acoustic songs went down like a storm and were recited word-for-word by the crowd, including the usually electric track You've Made Your Bed, and the classic Always Attract. Although Always Attract is usually enhanced by a female guest singer, unfortunately that wasn't the case, but they were joined briefly by The Blackout's Sean Smith for The Consequence. They finished with the upbeat belter Underdog, and everyone leaves with the feeling that they finished with a perfect song choice.

The crowd may have mainly consisted of teenagers, most of which with their lip piercings and sweeping fringes, but nonetheless they provide a fantastic atmosphere of excitement and fun, and there are still the odd fans who you wouldn't expect to see at this sort of gig that give it a refreshing feeling. The band are full of energy for the hour and a half that they play without losing face once. They give and give and give to the crowd, never ever letting a single person get bored or feel that they are not part of things. There are no big productions, no gimmicks, just five boys from Surrey who rock their hearts out just for the love of the music, and they need nothing else.