You Me At Six

A mix of post-hardcore, melodic pop-punk, and aggressive alt-rock, British quintet You Me at Six rose to mainstream popularity with their 2008 debut Take Off Your Colours, followed two years later by their breakout sophomore album Hold Me Down, which reached the Top Five in the U.K. They remained an international chart staple throughout the next decade, with each of their first four LPs going gold in the U.K., while 2014′s Cavalier Youth cracked the Billboard Top 200 in the U.S. In 2021, the band released their acclaimed seventh full-length effort, Suckapunch.
Formed in 2004 in Weybridge, Surrey, the band’s lineup comprises Josh Franceschi (vocals), Max Helyer (guitar), Chris Miller (guitar), Matt Barnes (bass), and Dan Flint (drums). They made their recording debut in 2006 with We Know What It Means to Be Alone, a four-track EP that was followed by another, Untitled 4 Track EP. You Me at Six made their full-length debut one year later with Take Off Your Colours on Slam Dunk Records in the United Kingdom and Epitaph Records in the United States. Produced by Matty O’Grady and John Mitchell, Take Off Your Colours reached number 25 on the U.K. albums chart and spawned the hit singles “Save It for the Bedroom,” “Finders Keepers,” and “Kiss and Tell.” Thanks in part to heavy touring, including a performance at the 2007 Slam Dunk Festival, the band’s popularity grew steadily and earned them a nomination for Best British Band at the 2008 and 2009 Kerrang! Awards. Working once again with producers O’Grady and Mitchell, You Me at Six released their second album, Hold Me Down, in 2010. Featuring the singles “Underdog” and “Liquid Confidence,” Hold Me Down reached the Top Five of the U.K. albums chart.
The following year, the band relocated to L.A. to work on their third release, Sinners Never Sleep, with producer Garth Richardson (Biffy Clyro, Rage Against the Machine). The record saw them move in a heavier direction and featured throaty vocals from Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes and Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall. The album arrived in late 2011 and peaked at number three in the U.K. album chart. After the success of Sinners Never Sleep, they recorded a new song for English theme park Thorpe Park’s new ride, The Swarm, and released it as a digital single in 2012. The final date of their nationwide tour that year — at a sold-out Wembley Arena — was recorded and released as a live CD/DVD set in 2013.
You Me at Six teamed up with Fall Out Boy producer Neal Avron in mid-2013 and started work on their fourth studio release. Titled Cavalier Youth, it arrived in early 2014 and went straight to the top of the U.K. album chart. Reflecting on the successes of their first decade together, the band began working in a new direction, bringing in Nashville-based producer Jacquire King to helm their punchy, hip-hop-influenced fifth LP, 2016′s Night People. Beginning with the track “3AM,” You Me at Six began teasing material from their sixth album, VI, slated for release in the fall of that year. Not showing any signs of slowing down, the band wrote and recorded their seventh studio album, Suckapunch, in 2020, which was released the following year and quickly shot to the top of the U.K. Albums chart. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Scott Kerr