March 25th marked the final night of You Me At Six‘s European Youth tour. The five-piece hailing from Surrey are a prime example of the recent widespread of British rock, with their fourth album ‘Cavalier Youth’ snatching the top spot on the charts, and rightfully so. The boys took out their mates in Deaf Havana on a successful run of Europe, speckled with sold out shows. This last date in Amsterdam was no exception.
Here are HTF, it’s quite evident that we are massive fans of the classic rock sounds of Deaf Havana, and each time we see them live we are reminded exactly why that is. These guys are continually creeping up the ladder; probably two giant steps at a time. It’s clear that they have come a long way since their post-hardcore days and their Top 10 album ‘Old Souls’ is proof that they have become more comfortable with the sound they have acquired. At 19.30 sharp the band took the stage with their album opener ‘Boston Square’, a brutally honest song masked by its fast pace and sing along quality. Vocalist James Veck-Gilodi seemed awfully pleased to see a packed out room as he jokingly points out “It’s nice to play to actual human beings, as opposed to just dogs, and rats, and goats or whatever.”
The crowd lent their help in occasionally clapping along to the beat but only a select few seemed to be really appreciating the six talented gentlemen on stage, which is surprising considering the amount of hands that shot up when asked who had seen the band before. Deaf Havana played a bunch of songs from their latest release, including ‘Speeding Cars’ and ‘Everybody’s Dancing And I Want To Die’, but they also played some older songs off ‘Fools And Worthless Liars’, which seemed to result in quite a positive reaction, especially when it came to lead single ‘I’m A Bore, Mostly’. Amidst their set, the English act showcased a new song titled ‘Trigger’, a hauntingly catchy track that got the crowd somewhat moving and by the time the second chorus rolled around, some were already singing along to the line “I have the gun, you pull the trigger.”
However, it is with songs like ‘Anemophobia’ that James gets the chance to show off his god-given gift in the form of a supreme vocal performance, that starts off soft but leads up to a beastly roar. Just as he gets ready to give away his vocal duties to his younger brother Matthew, the party gets crashed by none other than the boys in You Me At Six, who had a few tricks up their sleeves…and by that we mean shots in their hands. Well, it was the last night of tour after all; that calls for something special. The song ‘Mildred’ gives way for the younger Veck-Gilodi sibling to show that he’s got some great pipes too (it must be the water in their household).
Now, seeing as it was the final night, the boys in Deaf Havana decided to treat the crowd to a cover of Robbie Williams‘ ‘Let Me Entertain You’, which they had even performed with You Me At Six‘s Matt Barnes a few shows back. The crowd went absolutely bonkers. We’re just hoping that by the next time these boys are back in Europe this will be the reaction they will be getting throughout. It was an array of singing (or screaming) along and continuous jumping, which proved to only be a hint of what was to come when the headliners hit the stage.
By that time, the atmosphere in the room had heated up (and we’re not just talking about the temperature). The crowd, which consisted mainly of a sea of young girls, was impatient and jumpy awaiting the time their favourite band would finally hit the stage. Having announced it via Twitter a mere half an hour before show time, You Me At Six‘s lead vocalist and front man Josh Franceschi was sick, but that did not stop him from prancing around on stage. The energy from the crowd obviously reciprocated back into the band’s performance. The minute they started the set with ‘Too Young To Feel This Old’, the room erupted with the deafening sound of cheering from every section of the room. The perfect choice to begin their 15-song set, this song is so anthemic that it sets a great initial tone for what the upcoming hour will entail.
If you have been an avid fan of You Me At Six for a while now, you would know that content wise ‘Cavalier Youth’ possesses a more positive undertone, but one thing You Me At Six have always been able to pride themselves on is huge choruses. With this quality they were able to bring that stadium feeling into a small venue. Especially in the newer tracks, which dominated the night’s set list, the poppy, feel-good vibe of songs like ‘Fresh Start Fever’ and ‘Forgive and Forget’ practically yelled out for the audience to get off their feet as they sing their little hearts out.
It was nice to see things mixed up a bit when the lads performed older tracks from ‘Hold Me Down’ and ‘Sinners Never Sleep’. Classic You Me At Six tunes like ‘Stay With Me’ were welcomed with hands being shot up in the air and passionate singing. Guitarist Chris Miller‘s performance was so on point all night, and you’re constantly reminded that there is more to this man than his long tresses. In a track like ‘Loverboy’ he is given the chance to grab his moment in the spotlight as it contains a stunning guitar piece.
‘Underdog’ is another track that induces major crowd involvement. This used to be the closing track for so long, but now it’s been shifted right into the middle of the set. But fear not, that didn’t stop the infamous show-stopping moment that occurs when it rolls back into the chorus after the bridge. “1-2-1-2-3-4!” Josh counts the crowd in before the word “UNDERDOG!” is yelled out by 700 sweaty, yet enthusiastic individuals.
As the set rolls closer to its end, it brings in the more laid back tracks like ‘Liquid Confidence’, ‘Cold Night’ and ‘Wild Ones’. ‘Cold Night’ is introduced as an upcoming single based off that feeling you get when you fall in love. Needless to say, the audience loved that introduction, and loved the song even more. Even in their slower songs, You Me At Six manage to maintain that crucial formula for an infectious chorus.
The second the boys stepped off stage, the room had already began calling them back out, for which the band eventually returned with a three song encore, ending the night with ‘Lived A Lie’. Despite not feeling at the top of his game, Josh Franceschi deserves a special mention for making it through the night with his usual charm. Though vocal wise, it may not have been his best performance, he made use of his space and delivered as much energy as he was receiving. In that sense, major props are also due to the crowd.
You Me At Six are fast becoming one of the biggest bands in the UK and their live performance is a perfect depiction of why that is. It’s always a pleasure to watch these boys and see the way they continue progress. We can’t wait to see what this year has in store for them. If you can make your way down to a show on the upcoming UK tour, we highly recommend it, but act quick: the remaining shows are bound to sell out any day now.
