YouMeAtSix @ Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall – 18th October 2008

YOU ME AT SIX @ WOLVO WULFRUN

I arrived at the Wulfrun earlier than usual, after hearing that people had been queuing since before I had even woken up. It was true. At 6 O’clock the queue was round the corner of the venue, mostly consisting of teenage girls with faces full of metal. Some were surrounded by M&S bags, looking as though they had been there since about 6 in the morning. That’s what I call devotion.

After the release of their debut album ‘Take Off Your Colours’ (which reached number 25 in the charts), the band have been increasingly popular. The album is considerably different than the demos which have been on the bands Myspace. Personally, I wasn’t sure if I liked the changes, and preferred the band slightly ‘rough around the edges’. Tonight, for me, was the decider. If they had become the band which had changed to sell more albums, it would be the last time I go to see them.

HOUSTON CALLS@ WOLVO WULFRUN

By the time I got into the Wulfrun, it was packed. Surprisingly, tonight was the biggest venue that the band had managed to sell out. The support acts for tonight were Houston Calls and Farewell. I’ve never heard of them before, and won’t try to listen to them again. There were the front few rows in the crowd whom appreciated them. But then there was the rest. The songs washed over my head, they all sounded the same. If the bands hadn’t introduced themselves, I could have been fooled that I was experiencing déjà vu. I didn’t care though. They were not who I was here to see.

YOU ME AT SIX @ WOLVO WULFRUNYOU ME AT SIX @ WOLVO WULFRUN

Eventually, after a wait that seemed to take forever, the intro for ‘The Truth Is a Terrible Thing’ wakes everyone up. Not only the opener of their show, but also of their album, it gets a raucous reception. The rowdy teenagers both in the crowd and on the stage thrash around without a care in the world. The whole of the set seems to be a constant audience sing-a-long. Not that this is a bad thing. In fact, I would give the crowd ten out of ten for their drive and emotion for the band. Saying this, the band in turn seemed to be giving 100%, which I have to say is the running theme through all the times I have seen them live.

Thankfully, the old classics such as ‘You’ve Made Your Bed’, ‘Gossip’ and ‘If I Were In Your Shoes’ sound pretty raw live. Which is to me, is what YM@6 is all about. Josh’s diction hasn’t changed, it sounds strange but somehow on the album, you can understand him too much. To me, the highlight of the show was the album track ‘Always Attract’. Tonight was the first time that the band had played the mellow, heart-warming song. Quite frankly without it, there may have been a hole in the set. Although lead singer Josh forgot his words, it didn’t seem to matter. The crowd filled in the lyrics that the front man had forgotten, and all was back on track. Somehow, the feeling in the room came together at that moment.

YOU ME AT SIX @ WOLVO WULFRUN

Tonight, I felt I was in a room full of people that were loyal to this band. They had bought the album (or at least downloaded it) and knew every track in preparation for this show. The atmosphere was full of admiration and respect for the five musicians before us. The show was intense. I had my reservations about tonight, but they went straight out the window as soon as the lads took the stage. I would re-live tonight; just to capture the energy that the band gave off.
Debut Album ‘Take Off Your Colours’ is out now. Buy it.

YOU ME AT SIX @ WOLVO WULFRUN

Set List

The Truth Is A Terrible Thing
Jealous Mind Think Alike
Gossip
If You Run
You’ve Made Your Bed
Nasty Habits
Tigers And Sharks
Take Off Your Colours
Save It For The bed Room
Always Attract
If I were In Your Shoes
The Rumour

Review – Shannan Carlton
Photos – Lucy Pryor

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