By Meliza Sestito
Photography: Georgina Hurdsfield
The room erupted into around 3,000 cheers as the lights went down, the ground shaking as many members of the audience started to stomp their feet in excitement.
For many in the crowd, You Me At Six are a band who played a key musical role in their adolescence. That was evident on Friday night at the first of two shows at Manchester Victoria Warehouse. Where you might once have looked around and saw mostly fellow 16 to 17-year-olds, this audience consisted mostly of fellow 20-somethings – proof that you never really grow out of a favourite band.
There was a jaded divide in the crowd interaction between the band’s new material from VI and classics such as ‘Bite My Tongue’, ‘Save it for the Bedroom’ and ‘Reckless’, with new singles ‘Back Again’ and ‘3AM’ drawing a completely foreign energy from the crowd.
There is no question that front-man Josh Franceschi has a type of swagger and bravado that seems to come effortlessly to him, yet he also offered a glimpse into a more lachrymose side of his personality. Right before the powerful ‘Take On The World’, Josh gave a speech about how the Manchester Arena bombing had had a profound impact on him: “If that ever happened at one of our shows, my heart would be broken forever.” Touching on how Manchester’s resilience has inspired them, his words drew many a tear from the crowd.
The nostalgic encore, brought out by the crowd collectively singing DJ Otzi’s ‘Hey Baby’, was welcomed with head banging and mosh pits. The show then came to a climactic finish with the fan favourite ‘Underdog’, giving off a familiar, nostalgic ambience.
It’s clear that even though You Me At Six are moving away from the musicality of their early years, they still understand the significance to their fans of their older material. As the band morph from their pop-punk origins into a new electric-funk era, fans can only hope the old You Me At Six isn’t entirely left behind.
“It was a photo that changed my life,” says Richard Davis at HOME café in the city centre. This picture is of Joy Division, taken by British photographer Kevin Cummins on Epping Walk Bridge in Hulme. The stark, steely images would go on to define the band and this part of the city’s legacy. It…
Based on Douglas Day Stewarts’ hit 80s romance, An Officer and A Gentleman takes to the Manchester Opera House stage to transport us into a timeless story of love, courage and redemption. This Curve production is a neon sensation of retro hits and escapism.
To celebrate 16 years of their music, The Maine take the road for a limited number of shows in the UK and Europe. After stops in Cologne and Amsterdam, tonight marks Manchester’s visit. Under the enigmatic ceiling of New Century Hall, a voice over the speakers orders the crowd to “adjust your enthusiasm in 5, 4, 3,…
The latest series to take Netflix by storm is the real-life story of Scottish comedian Richard Gadd. Baby Reindeer documents Gadd’s encounter with previously convicted stalker “Martha Scott”, detailing the disturbing series of events that would culminate in her eventual imprisonment.
Leave a reply