I remember when I first heard ‘Gossip’. I remember when ‘Hold Me Down’ was released and ‘Underdog’ stormed the Singles Chart. I remember guest appearances from Oli Sykes and Hayley Williams. I remember festivals, support tours and headlines. I remember Live Lounge covers, a clothing label and a theme song for a rollercoaster. I’m even old enough to remember an initial leaning in a heavier direction (Youtube ‘This Turbulence Is Beautiful’ if you don’t believe me.) And I remember when, after twenty years, You Me At Six announced they were calling it a day.

“It’s the beginning of the end!” cries vocalist Josh Franceschi as the band first take to the stage at Concorde 2. If that is the case, they’re certainly making sure they go out with a bang. Warmed up by support acts Heights and The Xcerts the crowd is ready and only too willing to relive the halcyon days of British pop-rock. Kings of the genre, You Me At Six are more than happy to oblige, kicking things off at pace with ‘Room To Breathe’, a fiery angst-ridden hit from their 2014 album ‘Cavalier Youth’.

The album turns ten this year and the tour was originally booked to celebrate this milestone anniversary before inevitably being overshadowed by the subsequent news of the band’s split. Still, the guitars blazed and the room jumped in unison as they rattled through a blistering set packed with older hits such as ‘Reckless’ and ‘Stay With Me’ alongside newer tracks including ‘Mixed Emotions’ and ‘Take On The World’. “2008 was a very good year,” quips Franceschi before ‘Kiss And Tell’ roars into life and the reception for ‘Save It For the Bedroom’ could be heard from the Marina. The crowd belts every word, the lyrics undoubtedly having been emblazoned on many a MySpace page of those present that evening. (We refuse to comment on matters concerning our own MySpace page.)

The opener could well have proved the night’s apex in terms of visceral aggression were it not for the midset inclusion of ‘Bite My Tongue’, a track lauded for a bridge section featuring the harsh vocals of Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes. In his absence, Franceschi doesn’t falter. He doesn’t even hesitate, throwing himself straight into the heavy and coming through swinging.

It’s this commitment to the performance that warms fans to You Me At Six and has done so since 2005. They are an act that delivers on every level; a slick set consisting of pop-punk party starters, emotional break-up ballads and modern rock anthems carried out with assuredness, dynamism and a sense of wry humour running throughout. It’s a send-off, a nostalgia trip and a good night out rolled into one.

It’s also all for a good cause. With the ball rolling on their final tour you could forgive the five-piece for taking the time to enjoy their last outings with the “Sixers” and having the evenings all about them. But tonight’s performance at Concorde 2 takes place as part of BRITs Week For War Child 2024, a charitable initiative with proceeds from the concert going towards supporting children affected by conflict – keeping them safe, helping them learn and cope with their experiences, and equipping them with skills for the future.

Whether broken, aching or full, You Me At Six have always built heart into their act and tonight was never going to be any different. There’s a maturity to the group that has helped them weather twenty years on the road and to end on such amicable terms. But this maturity does not come at the expense of a sense of fun. And the band deliver it in buckets.

With all the throwbacks you would be forgiven for thinking that You Me At Six – made up of guitarists Max Helyer and Chris Miller, bassist Matt Barnes and Dan Flint on drums alongside vocalist Josh Franceschi – stopped producing music sometime in the late 00s but tonight’s set is brought to a close with 2021 hit ‘Beautiful Way’. It’s proof that the Surrey fivesome were never ones to rest on their laurels. Having conquered the British pop-punk scene within the space of two albums they continued to evolve and develop their sound, which makes for a varied and eclectic setlist to herald this beginning of the end.

But, with a future Brighton show teased (“I mean… I do live here now,” smirks Franceschi) perhaps this won’t be the last chance to catch You Me At Six on the South Coast. We certainly hope not. When it comes to pop-punk anthems served up with verve and nostalgia, ‘No One Does It Better’.

Concorde 2, Monday 19th February 2024
Photo by Richard Mukuze