You Me at Six Band - A Slow But Steady Start

The US most certainly does not have a monopoly over alternative rock music. There have been several notable UK groups that have crossed over to international success. One group that might just be well on its way beyond Surrey, England is the You Me at Six band.

For a group with an engagingly unique name, you'd expect them to already be somewhere close to the top by now. That might just be the case but the rise to fame and great album sales has most certainly been slow.

The members first came together in 2004. The original line up consisted of Josh Franceschi on lead vocals, Max Heyler on rhythm guitar, Matt Barnes on bass, Chris Miller on lead guitar and Joe Phillips on drums. Phillips was replaced by Dan Flint in 2006. Early on, the group was complete and solid enough to have been able to immediately start work on a You Me at Six discography. This wasn't the case though. For two long years, the group simply concentrated on moving around and playing in various small gigs.

By 2006 however, they were finally able to push a minor release with We Know What it's Like to be Alone, an EP that contained four tracks. This was followed in 2007 by another EP that contained four tracks. This was also the year when the group started playing in bigger events and venues, most notably at the Camden Underworld in which they played to a full audience.

The rising local support for the group eventually paved the way for the first official You Me at Six band album. Take Off Your Colours was released through Slam Dunk in 2008 and took the 25th spot in the UK charts. Two singles in the album, Finders Keepers and Kiss and Tell likewise took slots in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.

The success of this first venture convinced the band members that they did have a future in alternative music. This led to the recording and release of Hold Me Down in 2010, this time under Virgin Records. This second work performed even better than its predecessor in the charts, taking the 5th slot in the UK Album Chart. The album is now certified silver.

In the same year, the group added a new EP to the growing You Me at Six discography. They released Underdog which contained Fact-tastic which to date, is one of their more interesting pieces. The lyrics of the song detail the band's take on inaccurate pieces of information spread about bands by well populated music sites and forums. This was a direct stab at online properties like Punktastic.com. Following the Underdog EP were Liquid Confidence Live EP and the Stay With Me iTunes bundle, both of which were also introduced in 2010.

Despite the slow and uneventful start, this is one musical group that is definitely making a better name for itself. It has been nominated three times as the Best British Band in the Kerrang! Awards from 2008 to 2010. They have never won yet but they might just be on their slow, measured way to winning soon.