You Me At Six and All Time Low- Glasgow Hydro, Thursday 12th Feb 2015 review

A co-headline tour between You Me at Six and All Time Low is a recipe for success; two of the biggest bands in rock dominating the UK one gig at a time. The concert is in full swing by the time I make my entrance to the rainbow-tinged SSE Hydro in Glasgow. American indie rock support Walk the Moon have just finished their set, and despite having missed them, hearing the excited chatter in the air in the wake of their live performance is evidence of their excellence. But the thousands of spectators have only just begun their night.
The pop punkers from Maryland bound on stage with gusto and immeasurable energy. Kicking off with the fan favourite ‘A Love Like War’ followed by all-time classic ‘Lost in Stereo’, the crowd is enraptured with All Time Low within moments.
It is clear the Hydro arena is filled with All Time Low fans; the lyrics are sung back to the band at incredible volume. Powering through upbeat tracks such as ‘Stella’, ‘The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver’ and ‘Weightless’, the band’s stage presence is undeniable. In particular, lead guitarist Jack Barakat’s bouncing around the stage is exhausting even to watch.
The atmosphere slows, and phone lights are thrust in the air as lead singer Alex Gaskarth gets the chance to truly show off his vocals with powerful ballad ‘Therapy’. Goosebumps on arms, tears in eyes, the audience belt out the lyrics at the top of their lungs along with Alex.
‘Time-Bomb’ involves the band inviting several fans up onto the stage to sing and dance along with them, and new song ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ went down a storm. Their set finished with a bang in the form of 2008 hit single ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In.’ This is a band who truly love their job and visibly and thoroughly enjoy themselves every time they are on stage. Their positivity and energy is what makes the crowd so enamoured with them, even those who didn’t know them well before tonight. All Time Low definitely gained hundreds of fans in Glasgow.
The crowd waits with baited breath for You Me at Six to take the stage and blast out their original blend of alternative and pop rock. True to their style, they begin with an atmospheric instrumental overture before vocalist Josh Franceschi walks up to the microphone and starts to sing. The gritty and melodic ‘Room to Breathe’, hit track from the 2014 album ‘Cavalier Youth’, signals the beginning of a sixteen-song set guaranteed to blow the roof of the Glasgow crowd.
With songs from earlier years such as ‘Stay With Me’, ‘The Consequence’ and ‘Underdog’, coupled with the more contemporary sounds of ‘Carpe Diem’, ‘Loverboy’, and ‘Reckless’, the English band’s music is electric and captivates the entire crowd. Josh Franceschi’s distinguished and outstanding vocal range is what drives the band. This is particularly evident during the strong emotional sounds of ‘Crash’, inciting a sea of lighters and phone lights twinkling in the darkness of the arena.
‘Bite My Tongue’ is a fan favourite, from 2011 album Sinners Never Sleep, and there are rapturous cheers from the crowd at the iconic beginning lyrics, ‘I hate to break it you but you’re just a lonely star’. The night culminated in the band’s new single ‘Lived a Lie’, lighting up the Hydro in an infectious chant of ‘We are believers’ to Dan Flynt’s rhythmic drum beat.
You Me at Six and All Time Low’s winning combination created an unforgettable evening of unique rock from two young bands ascending the ranks of the modern music scene. A better match has never been made before.