You Me At Six - 02 Academy Bournemouth
I managed to catch You Me At Six at the 02 Academy in Bournemouth as part of their warm-up for Reading and Leeds Festival ahead of the weekend.We seem to have a second wave of summer in the UK, just in time for the busy weekend of beer and music at Leeds Reading Festival. It was great to watch them and see how they are doing, considering their packed touring schedule for most of the year.
Their support act, The XCERTS, were very fun and high-energy. They just released their new album Learning to Live and Let Go on Friday and it was great to see them perform live. They perfectly match the energy of the You Me at Six crowd and they’ve had a fun couple of nights with You Me at Six lead singer, Josh, running out on stage during one of their songs, which was a surprise to them just as much as it was to the crowd! Then, there was a planned special appearance on the tambourine Ben Thatcher from Royal Blood. They gave an excellent performance and were not at all phased by the large and over-powering crowd.
The whole vibe of the evening was hot, heavy and blissful vibes. I feel You Me at Six have come home with their new album. Lead Singer Josh stated in an interview during the promotion of Truth Decay, that they used to be the prince of Emo in the UK and they just wanted to get back to that. (Maybe look for the actual quote). They really tapped into those feelings of uncertainty and uncomfortableness that we are all currently feeling in scope with this album. I think this album and their performance has really allowed them to pull their older and more well known songs effortlessly into their new sets. Josh expressed how grateful they are to their fans and the crowd. Compared to their performance at Ally Palace, they were much more raw and intimate with this performance which was only a 2,000-person crowd. They made a point of highlighting how they are allies to the LBTGQ+ by stating everyone should be who they are and love who they love, and they dedicated their song “Take on The World” to the LBTGQ+ community. It’s a very special song to the community and highlights their commitment to their fans, no matter what.
Overall, the gig was outstanding fun and a perfect way for, not only You Me at Six to warm up for the weekend, but also all of us to be able to enjoy their new music.