* The Student Advertiser website where this piece was first published has since been deactivated, as such the link at the bottom redirects to my portfolio where I have saved the interview for posterity.
Having formed well over ten years ago and scoring some unbelievable achievements in that time, it’s no surprise that You Me At Six wanted a bit of a break before they released their latest critically acclaimed album ‘Night People’ in January. However, now the band are feeling refreshed and “don’t plan on stopping anytime soon”, according to lead guitarist Chris Miller. He spoke to TSA ahead of their Glasgow SEC show on 13 April about the band’s strong feelings on ticket touting, their plans to play as many shows as possible and why recording in Nashville was ‘a dream come true’.
Having been a band for over 10 years now, you have notched up some considerable achievements on your belt, including four Top Five albums, and taking 13 consecutive songs onto the Radio 1 A-list – can you tell us a little about what these achievements mean to you as a band?
So far we have accomplished some great things that have exceeded our expectations of what we ever thought we could achieve, they mean a huge amount to us. We don’t plan on stopping though as these just keep pushing us forward.
You have recently announced your new single ‘Take On The World’ from your critically acclaimed 5th album Night People. How has the reaction been since the new album release? Can you tell us a bit about the production that went into it?
The reaction to our new album has been mind blowing, after a long stint away writing and recording it’s nice to come back with a bang. We recorded Night People in Nashville TN at the legendary Black Bird studios. There is a lot of history in those rooms and to be part of it was a dream come true.
Your search for a new sound with the latest album led you to a new producer, Jacquire King, who is known for his work with James Bay and Kings of Leon. What was it like working with him and temporarily relocating to Nashville?
Working with Jacquire was different to anything we have ever done, it’s exactly what we wanted for this album. A new approach and style/technique of recording lead to a greater and more exciting final product.
Your latest tour kicked off on the 3rd April, with a stop off at Glasgow’s very own SECC on 13th. Having performed in Glasgow many times over the years, what’s it like coming back here? Do you have any fond memories of the city?
We have many many fond memories of playing in Glasgow. Scottish crowds are some of the best in the world. It’s always a buzz when the crowd starts chanting “here we go!” We always look forward to hearing that.
What’s your plans once the tour is complete?
We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon, we want to play as many shows and head to as many new places as we can. We have had our time off before this album so we are refreshed and ready to go.
We see you’re very involved with the Fanfare Alliance. Can you tell us more about your involvement and your opinion on the subject?
Ticket touting is something that we as a whole fully believe is wrong. The point we are trying to put across is that every fan of music should have an equal chance to pay the same price for a ticket as anyone else. It’s simply unfair for a fan to be at a show having paid double or even triple to the person next to them just because an online bot has stolen their chance of purchasing. We hope more artists will stand up with us as without live shows our industry will be completely different.
For a group with such a huge devoted online fanbase – what is your stance on online music downloads and your outlook on the record industry today? The sale of vinyl records is continuously growing in popularity once again, what do you think has caused this kind of shift in the industry?
The music industry is constantly evolving and there’s nothing we can do about that, music is more accessible than ever it’s just working out a way that is fair for the artist as much as the consumer. I believe vinyl has had a resurgence because as a product it is a lot more interesting and collectable than the standard jewel case CD. With music so readily available online it’s nice that people are still after something physical.
Quick Fire Round
Who are your musical influences?
currently – kings of leon, the killers, muse.
If you couldn’t be successful musicians anymore, what would you be doing?
I think we would all still be involved in the music industry in some way even if we weren’t the guys on stage. it’s something we are very passionate about.
What song do you remember most from your childhood?
Phil Collins – Paradise.
If you could have dinner with any famous person, alive or dead who would it be?
Hendrix.
It was April fools day a few days ago did you guys pull any pranks, or have any been pulled on you?
We are so busy when we are on tour we don’t even know what day of the week it is!
First Published on: The Student Advertiser
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