Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs
YOU ME AT SIX – Josh Franceschi
You Me at Six are due to start their Australian tour for the first time in 5 years this July in Perth on the 9th and finishing up in Melbourne on the 16th. It’s been a long-awaited return for the band and fans alike. Heavy took the chance to catch up with Josh Franceschi to chat about the upcoming tour and some insight on their newest album, Truth Decay.
Australia has been a home away from home for the boys. Our knack for being welcoming and laid back has always been something Josh looks forward to and this time around they get to enjoy our ‘colder’ weather instead of coming in the guts of our Aussie summers! There’s always been a connection between You Me at Six and our Australian bands. Whether it be on our home shores or abroad they’ve always clicked and ‘banded’ with our musos. We touched on playing shows or festivals with Parkway Drive, Yours Truly, Tonight Alive, Northlane and Tame Impala, for balance of course. One thing that stood out for me was Josh mentioning our (bands) have this self-sufficient ‘fuck this, we just got to do it ourselves’ attitude that isn’t waiting for anyone to sign them… actually getting out there making their dreams come true by themselves. This made me feel a huge sense of pride about our musicians. He isn’t wrong, we have so many amazing bands that spend day in and out grinding to make it in this industry.
Truth Decay has amassed millions of streams on platforms, and I wondered how this resonated with You Me at Six. Josh made a really good point in stating that this really didn’t mean ‘fuck all’. A song can stream well and in a live environment can fall dead. He would rather gauge a songs success in how it is received playing a show, when they feel most connected to their fans. Seeing fans singing along to an album with all their heart when it’s only just been released means so much more then any stream would.
You Me and Six are just shy of being together for 20 years and I wondered how they nurtured their professional and personal relationship together to which Josh replied, “Our collective goal is to take care of one another verses anything else”. Keeping everything equal and fare, talking through decisions and never disrespecting one another for something that might feel ‘good’ at the time. They’ve known each other since they were kids and treat each other as if there are truly family. “I could pick up the phone at anytime to their parents and know full well I’m doing right by their sons”. Being kind and respectful comes first and the music goes with this. I feel a lot of bands could learn from this way of thinking.
There’s plenty more covered in the full interview, have a listen and enjoy.