With their fourth studio album ‘Cavalier Youth’ shooting them into the mainstream last year and having spent a lot of their time touring across America in the past twelve months, it’s very rare that an occasion to get up close and personal with You Me At Six comes about. However on a rainy Wednesday evening, we headed to the brand new Dr Martens store on Oxford Street for an evening of celebrations and a delightful acoustic session courtesy of the You Me At Six boys.
The event was largely to support the release of the new Dr Martens book, which is just brimming with the history behind the brand and how it’s developed, changed and improved over the years to remain relevant and a staple in every persons wardrobe. Music has always been a huge factor in the development of the Dr Martens brand and its various shoe styles have found themselves becoming mandatory footwear for generations of music lovers, from punks, to MODs and even deep within the hip-hop scene. Dr Martens encourage their customers to be themselves, to be original and their #standforsomething campaign has been widely received, promoting the best DIY bands from across the world and connecting them with their fanbase in ways that no other company can.
After a brilliant speech from legendary radio DJ Steve Lamacq, which delved into his experience with Dr Martens over the years, he welcomed You Me At Six to the makeshift stage. The band positioned themselves neatly in front of the shoe shelves and opened with ‘Fresh Start Fever’, from last years successful album. The small, yet enthusiastic crowd were treated to five acoustic tracks, which included old favourites such as ‘Loverboy’ and ‘Underdog’ as well as newer material, all taking on a mellower tone which allowed frontman Josh Franceschi to really flaunt his astonishing vocal abilities. The set was short and sweet, but when you consider this is a band who have sold out Wembley Arena, it really was a privilege to witness the band in such an intimate location.
The evening continued on, with Lamacq taking to the DJ decks on the first floor, whilst those in attendance, danced, chatted away and tried to restrain themselves from buying everything in store, (seriously, it was so hard). Next time you’re in London, head to the new Oxford Street store, revel in the unique and exclusive artwork on show and maybe even pick up the new book while you’re there, it’ll be more than worth your time.
TAMSYN WILCE