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You Me At Six, We The Kings and Forever The Sickest Kids, live from Newcastle O2 Academy.

For a good while, You Me At Six have had their fair share of doubters. And, with their biggest UK tour to date selling out well in advance, those doubters have had to eat some of their words. However, that satisfaction doesn't take away any of the pressure placed upon the Surrey boys, who - in the last two years - have gone from playing to rooms of five people, to rooms of five thousand people. With the biggest shows of their lives ahead of them, this is an incredibly insane time for the band, and we headed down to Newcastle Academy to see if they really are worthy of these crowds.

Opening up for us this evening are Texas six-piece Forever The Sickest Kids. As they hit the stage, both band, and the songs they play bubble over with energy, making them a seemingly perfect choice for this kind of show. And whilst, yes, they're not exactly pushing any musical boundaries with songs like 'She's A Lady' and 'Hey Brittany', they do make for a half hour set chocked full of boisterous, ready-made hits. New song 'She Likes (Bittersweet Love)' takes all of one chorus for the audience to latch onto; showcasing exactly how catchy this band really are. However, it's with the wonderfully poppy closer 'Woah Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)' that even the worst of critics are converted, because really, they're good enough at what they do to be the perfect kind of guilty pleasure.

Next to take to the stage are another American offering in the form of We The Kings. The four Floridians, fronted by the unmissable red-head Travis Clark, play a pleasant blend of pop punk, not unsimilar to friends All Time Low and The Academy Is... Tracks like 'Skyway Avenue' and 'Stay Young' allow for some wonderful singalongs. 'Secret Valentine' even induces a few shiver-worthy moments, as Clark feels confident enough to step back from the microphone, allowing for the crowd to finish the song. Throw in a cover of Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle' - which seems a little lost on some young members of the crowd, nevertheless - and you have a damn decent set. Yet, it's with their biggest hit to date 'Check Yes Juliet' that the band are really at their best.

The show's early curfew means that tonight's headliners take to the stage at just 8.15pm, and it feels a little odd at first. But as You Me At Six walk onto the dark stage, the time is one of the thing's flung to the back of your mind. In fact, it's hard to tear your eyes away from the stage as they open with the powerful drumming of 'Safer To Hate Her'. Already, as the band burst into life, the crowd are singing along word for word. Launching into 'The Truth Is A Terrible Thing', 19 year old frontman Josh Franceschi's vocals sound incredible and his ability to control the crowd is nothing but admirable. The plain black backdrop that they play against serves only to emphasise the intensity with which they play, as Franceschi throws himself on the floor during third song 'Kiss And Tell'.

And then, they exit the stage. But, as howling sirens sound and red spotlights spin around the venue, it becomes apparent that this show is about to get a lot more insane, and as the earlier backdrop falls to the stage, we're shown just how.

Kicking into 'Hold Me Down's opening track, 'The Consequence' the band are perched high above the stage on an array of ramps and risers. As the band themselves run around, with grins plastered to their faces. the next part of the set blurs by in a fury of pop-punk, with the band's added live edge. 'Playing The Blame Game' is gloriously smooth - with added "jazz fingers!" - while songs like 'Liquid Confidence' and 'Stay With Me' slow down the pace of the show, yet stand to prove how talented these musicians really are. As mentioned earlier, Franceschi's vocals are sounding incredible, despite worries about his voice pre-tour, with the rest of the band providing an immensely tight performance. Other highlights include the power-packed 'If I Were In Your Shoes' and a beautiful rendition of new track 'Fireworks'.

It doesn't take long for the band to return for their 'encore', as the frontman wanders centre stage, asking if the audience would like a few more. 'Always Attract' is a clear crowd favourite, but lacks some of it's intensity as a full-band affair, in comparison with previous acoustic versions. However, that doesn't stop the audience's spine-tingling singalong, which is captured by Franceschi on a camera for their upcoming DVD.

Back to full force, the energetic 'Save It For The Bedroom' is gloriously raucous, with Travis Clark running onstage to lend his vocals for the song's final choruses. And, as the band close this celebratory night with the explosive 'Underdog', you can't help but realise that this is exactly where the band deserve to be.

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