I’m usually not that in to support bands that I don’t know. In fact, I missed one (or maybe two) of VANT’s opening songs because I wanted Boojum.
But they were really good. And I say this as someone who never really ‘got’ the Arctic Monkeys/Vaccines etc vibe that VANT are going for.
The politically-minded quartet sounded incredibly polished and managed to get through ten songs in their 30-minute set – an impressive feat that gave a room full of people who had, for the most part, never heard of them leaving with a reason to tune in again.
Cited as one of The Telegraph’s Sound of 2016 acts earlier this year, the band’s debut album DUMB BLOOD which launches in February is definitely something to keep an eye out for.
You Me At Six made the odd decision to not tour their most recent album, Cavalier Youth, in Ireland and we may never truly know why. If memory serves correctly, this leaves a gap of headlining Dublin shows for them that stretched from April 2012 to October 2016.
This Academy show was (gloriously) an 18+ affair with tickets still available on the door – a far cry from the sold out Olympias filled with 13-year old scene kids of the past. But it worked, and it worked well.
A rather fast-paced night saw the band run through a mix of eighteen songs in just under an hour and a half on stage. Those looking for old fan favourites like Save It for the Bedroom or Finders Keepers could forget about it as it seems any remnants of 2008’s Take Off Your Colours had been destroyed.
A far cry from the sold out Olympias filled with 13-year old scene kids of the past.
In one of the more confusing moments, frontman Josh Franceschi informed the crowd that his booking agent had confirmed a Dublin return in the new year only to backtrack and say this wasn’t true, but that he would make it happen for us.
Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten old, or maybe I’m just still disgruntled over the four year wait, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.
Highlights of the night included a subdued rendition of Too Young to Feel This Old prefaced with some choice words about Donald Trump, and Plus One – a recently released song from the upcoming Night People LP.
We also got a sneak peek of another song off the increasingly promising album (due in January) in the form of Swear, which makes a welcome return to the band’s previous sound that was definitely absent on Night People’s title track.
Franceschi’s instructions before Forgive and Forget saw a room full of people on their friend’s shoulders, leaving everything at the door and simply focusing on having a great night. This was the moment of the set for me that truly felt like You Me At Six were back.
For a Monday night, the crowd were electric and did not give up until they were confident the band weren’t coming back. The pure energy present in The Academy clearly makes it extremely worthwhile for You Me At Six to return to smaller venues where they feel most at home.
Evie - Not The Pokémon 