English rockers You Me at Six are one of those bands that has been on my radar for several years, but I’ve somehow managed to miss them every time they toured the States (back when I lived there). So when I saw that the band was playing at London’s famed Alexandra Palace and the buzz seemed to be at an all-time high, it was the perfect storm for me to grab my gear and check this one out. Throw in the opening band Black Foxxes who’ve just released one of my favorite records of the year so far and things could get very interesting.
To say that You Me at Six are huge in the UK is an understatement—numerous Kerrang awards and several gold records all-leading up to a new album called Night People that just debuted at number 3 on the UK charts. Having lived in London for less than a year as an expat from San Francisco, it continues to blow my mind how different the levels of popularity there are between bands in the US versus the UK. You Me at Six have a respectable fan base in the US, but in the UK they are bona fide superstars.
With a sound falling somewhere between Taking Back Sunday and Royal Blood, these guys continue to make solid records. It’s a step above the cookie cutter bands of the current movement and these guys have the songs in place on the new record to break them worldwide. It will be interesting to see how the States embrace the upcoming tour along with radio and all the other essential elements to break a band these days. I’d say they have the UK conquered at the moment.
The setlist pulled pretty equally from the band’s five albums, but it was truly impressive to watch them open the set with the title track from the newest record. You really have to love a band that opens with one of their latest singles/ current “hit.” It’s a sign that they don’t have to rely on that one to keep the crowd interested until the end.
Australia’s Tonight Alive was second to take the stage and were impressive enough that they could have easily been viewed as a co-headliner. Last time I saw them I think they were opening for TBS years ago in San Francisco and I don’t think they had quite figured out who they wanted to be. This time around was much different. Confident, bold, and a matured sense of songwriting definitely made them a highlight
Opening the show was Black Foxxes from Exeter (yeah, I had to look it up too) who were absolutely incredible. Watching their set brought me back to the ’90s post-grunge movement when rock took back its throne amongst a sea of evolving grunge. Throw together the best elements of Buffalo Tom with a bit of Husker Du and Grant Lee Phillips and you can start to imagine what these guys sound like. They make a hell of a lot of noise for a three-piece and the record is fantastic.
TONIGHT ALIVE
BLACK FOXXES
Bottom line: solid touring bill with two acts that can easily hold their own and an up and comer who’s looking to bring back a long-lost style of rock ‘n’ roll to the masses. You Me at Six head over the States next month for a full tour, then back to the UK for festival season where they will be playing all the big ones.
Were you at the show? What did you think? Join the conversation in the comment section below.
