Because if the band are going to celebrate their debut album, then so will we!
It was the tour we were led to believe might never happen: You Me At Six’s 2008 debut, Take Off Your Colours in full.
The album that launched a long and successful career, TOYC saw the Surrey quintet become one of the best bands in British rock. They’ve released five albums since, frequented some of the biggest stages in the country, and even soundtracked their own theme park ride (Thorpe Park’s stomach-churning Swarm). And none of it could have happened without those 13 tracks laying a rock-hard foundation.
While the record earned a special place in the hearts of YMA6 fans, there is one set of people who’ve become less keen on it over the years, as they’ve grown as songwriters, and their career has progressed and matured, treading new territory with each record: the band themselves.
They – and frontman Josh Franceschi, in particular – have been extremely vocal over the last half a decade about not wanting to play those songs live. “Play The Rumour!” fans would shout at shows, with “No chance, mate!” being Josh’s reply. In one now-famous YouTube clip, Josh even goes on a rant after a fan requests to hear Gossip at an upcoming show.
“Are you on crack cocaine?” comes the singer’s retort. “How ’bout noooooo! Are you mental? Come on now! We might play one or two songs off Take Off Your Colours… but Gossip? I’d rather someone punched me in the balls for the rest of my life, every single day, with a sledgehammer, than ever, ever, ever admit to writing Gossip. Ever.”
And that was that. Until You Me At Six headlined Slam Dunk in 2015. The pop-punk festival played a pivotal role in YMA6’s early career; TOYC was released on Slam Dunk records and all was set up for them to 'come home' and play the album in full. Well, not quite.
The five-piece aired around 6-7 of the tracks that weekend, with the lucky Midlands even getting a rare run through of Gossip. According to a probably-not-that-reliable setlist.fm, You Me have only played Gossip 48 times in their entire career. To put that into perspective, they’ve played their cover of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face 71 times. That’s how much they don’t like that song.
Anyway, they’ll have to suck it up, since come November, they’ll be playing Gossip a grand total of 10 times. Josh seems to have come to terms with this now, recently tweeting, perhaps rather sarcastically, of his love for it.
It’s no surprise that fans snapped up the chance to see Gossip – and the rest of TOYC live – and so many extra dates were added, because for many, that album is a massive nostalgia trip.
For the people invested in it (of which there are many, since the album is certified Gold), it marks a certain period in their lives; their teenage years, or early-20s. When things mainly consisted of sweeping your fringe to the side and figuring out the best way to sneak alcohol into Slam Dunk (empty suntan lotion bottles usually worked… we hear).
It throws back to the years where you were finding your feet in the world – forging friendships (and later fucking them up), figuring out what the hell you’re going to do with your life, and navigating the minefields of dating, love and break-ups. TOYC was the perfect soundtrack to our Dawson’s Creek-esque lives, and the voice of our generation, from a UK perspective (perhaps importantly, with most pop-punk at the time emanating from America).
In 2003, Chicago pop-punks Fall Out Boy released their debut, Take This To Your Grave; a bitter break-up record. And, in a way, Take Off Your Colours, which arrived five years later (when FOB were already off losing their minds in the madness of Folie à Deux), was the British version.
The lyrical matter was equally as juvenile (perhaps why the band cringe when they look back), the sound of a 17-year-old literally spilling his guts on record. And the result? In both instances… raw and visceral. And registering a big fat zero on the ‘fucks to give’ scale. Put simply: it was exciting, real and relatable.
There were stories of a man (or boy? Lad? Dude?) scorned, in You’ve Made Your Bed (So Sleep In It). The title summing things up pretty well, it called out a girl for cheating – her indiscretions uncovered after her lipstick was found on the backseat of her best mate’s car (uh oh).
‘You've made your bed, so sleep in it / But never call me again,’ sung Josh matter-of-factly, before adding ‘You've made your bed, so sleep with him / But know I'm the best you'll get’. If ‘yassss kween’ had been a thing at the time, we’d have been yelling it, since lines like those just made you root for the guy in the song. Or just Josh. We were rooting for Josh.
Similar narratives ran through tracks like Save It For The Bedroom, with the chorus line ‘So who’s keeping score on who is a whore? / With you by my side, that look in your eye’ and one of the most satisfying middle-eights in pop-punk history, those 20 lines of ‘Save it for, save it for the bedroom’. What the hell has this girl done?! We wondered, while also relating what we could to less than savoury characters in our own lives.
Songs like Jealous Minds Think Alike, meanwhile, were achingly confident. Lines such as ‘You can be the smile I don't want… you'll be the girl I don't call’ – not knowing the back story – almost came off a bit knobbish. But extremely self-assured, all the same. And it’s hard not to be impressed by that level of confidence, especially from a bunch of kids just out of college. It was an early indicator of Josh being the sassy, charismatic frontman we came to know him as.
Musically, the songs were just big, with plenty of catchy hooks and anthemic choruses. Several of the tracks on the record became alternative club night staples (which is a pretty good barometer of success when it comes to songwriting, really) and few bands achieve that on their debut record.
But of course, the band offered glimmers that they were more than just a pop-punk band. We a little peak of Chris ‘Chewy’ Miller and Max Helyer’s guitar prowess with that solo on the title-track, while the album’s ballad, Always Attract, proved they were multi-layered.
Once you got over the fact Josh was singing a love song with his sister (guest vocals are provided by vocalist Elissa Franceschi), Always Attract was just beautiful, and emotional enough to move a listener to tears – yes, I got a little misty-eyed the first time I heard it, but the hayfever was bad that day, okay! Those strings playing, behind those two talented, familial voices, as the drums build to a magnificent crescendo… if you don’t get moved by that, then there’s a good chance you’re dead inside.
At its core, Take Off Your Colours is the sound of a band who had something inherently special about them. A band who were always destined for big things. It’s the sound of youth. The sound of being a teenager. Of finding your feet, and having your whole life ahead of you. Of being able to achieve whatever you want, if you a) have confidence and b) put your mind to it (which the band themselves proved).
The song that perhaps sums it all up best is closing track, The Rumour. Again, overly confident, but in a self-assured and charming manner – ‘I am the rumour on everyone’s lips / I am the curse on your girlfriend’s hips / We are the difference, we’ll make a start / Tell all your friends to sound the alarm…’
Looking back, it was almost a call to arms: ‘This is us. We’re coming. And it’s going to be huge.’ It was a triumphant ending to the record, and always made for a huge moment live. The energy when those first few bars of music kicked in was always intense, bordering on electric.
‘Hold your hands in, into the air… hold your hands up, as if you care,’ spills Josh sombrely during the middle eight break, as the goose bumps arrive, and arm hairs stand on end.
One thing’s for sure… come those wintery December nights, when we pile into Brixton Academy (or whichever venue we live closest to), we’ll all be holding our hands in the air, because we most definitely care. And always have.
Words: Jennyfer J. Walker
