Text by Thiago Vidal
After a great show in Rio de Janeiro on December 10th, with Dead Fish and a sold-out crowd, the British band You Me At Six landed in São Paulo and told us about their time in Brazil.
Regarding the band's show in Rio de Janeiro, the band's vocalist, Josh Franceschi , expressed his amazement at the audience's reception. "What they say is true, the Brazilian audience is absolutely incredible," he posted on his personal profile on X (formerly Twitter). The band is truly committed to meeting expectations after so many years since "Come to Brazil".
It was in this atmosphere that we met with the band on Wednesday the 13th, moments before their performance at Cine Joia in São Paulo. We talked to Josh about references and reception of YMAS's latest studio album, Truth Decay , what they think of the gig so far, and if the setlist still holds any surprises.
You Me At Six will perform two more times here in São Paulo as part of their "Cedo ou Tarde" tour, which marks the return to the stage of the São Paulo band NX Zero. That same night, the audience will also enjoy performances by Day Limns, Glória , and Supercombo.
Check out the full interview:
Wikimetal: How's the trip going so far? Are you enjoying it? Did you have time to do some sightseeing or go for a walk?
Josh Franceschi: The trip has been fantastic so far. We didn't have much time in Rio, so we went to Christ the Redeemer, saw some places in the city, went to the beaches…
In São Paulo, it's more or less the same thing; we go out for a walk in the city, and tomorrow we have a trip to the beach planned. We're going to stop by a friend's house and spend the day with him at sea, which will be great. And, of course, we have these incredible shows on Friday and Saturday nights.
WM: We love the new album! What's your favorite track? Or is it not a matter of having a favorite among the songs?
JF: For me, it's like that relationship where parents don't love one child more than another; the songs usually surprise us when they come into contact with the fans and the way they react. Sometimes during production I think, "You're going to love this song," and after the release comes, "We didn't really like this one, but we loved that other one!" Our thinking is that we have to give our best, and all five of us need to enjoy the final work. From then on, it no longer belongs to us; the music belongs to the fans and the people who appreciate our work. After all, the fans are truly the heart of any band.
WM: Listening to your latest work, I noticed that in Truth Decay the band adopted a more atmospheric and sometimes heavier sound. This progression has been present since makefeelalive , where did the influences come from in this more mature stage of the band? What were you listening to during the album's production?
JF: To be honest, the conversation we had before making the album was that we wanted to make an old-school YMAS album, but one that would sound good in 2023. We listened a lot to the bands we grew up listening to, so we came to the conclusion that it would be cool to revisit our teenage years but with the experience of YMAS today and everything we've learned in those years in terms of production.
We listened to a lot of Taking Back Sunday, Blink 182, Fall Out Boy . Those bands we've liked since we were very young… I so wanted to be like them, I wanted to be in Paramore or My Chemical Romance . Influence is a complicated thing and at some point we crossed that line as a band, where you stop being just a fan and start playing with those artists. We came to the thought that we couldn't keep doing FOB karaoke, let's find our own sound or the guys will start thinking we're a fraud. [laughs]
In the end, I think it was interesting to look back and imagine what we could create with that same spirit, the same DNA, because the band is on its eighth album, how can we make it sound contemporary and not so nostalgic or inexperienced? We had a lot of fun making this album, we went to Santorini, a small Greek island, we worked hard for a few weeks and that was basically it, it was really cool.
WM: In Rio you played “Liquid Confidence” at the fans' request, will there be any surprises in the setlist for the upcoming shows?
JF: To be honest, I still don't know. I saw some things online where fans were organizing a game where the band chooses one to three songs and plays the song that comes up with the chosen number. I know that's going to happen at some point, so I'm worried because I'm not sure if we'll be able to play it. We're not a very well-rehearsed band [laughs], so I hope that when the moment comes it'll be something like, "Okay, we can probably play this one," we'll see… and we also took out some songs, added some older ones, and we're looking forward to everyone having a great night.
WM: This weekend you're performing with NX Zero at Allianz Parque. How did you react to the news? Did you have time to check out their sound? Did you like it? How's this new phase of playing in arenas for larger audiences going?
JF: We listened to NX Zero, and they are one of the biggest and most respected bands in the Brazilian scene. Besides appreciating their sound, we're very excited to share the stage with them.
We approach every show the same way; the size of the venue, the city, or the country might change, it doesn't matter. It's more about being independent, even on days when I wake up and think, "I'm not really in the mood today," even on bad days, as soon as we step on stage everything changes. The next hour and a half is all that exists, it's all that matters in the world, and I have to make sure that the people who spent their hard-earned money to see us leave feeling better after the show because they saw us play live.
For me, it doesn't matter if we play at smaller festivals, giant festivals, bars, or arenas; our work remains the same. We play, and our focus is on creating a space where people can tell a friend, partner, or family member that they feel better after seeing our show. So that's what really matters, and that's how I truly feel when I step onto the stage.