Live Review: You Me At Six, Hellions, Columbus

Under the starry 'lighting' of Forum Theatre, Brisbane punks Columbus take the stage with opener Summer Dress. The three-piece are a perfect fit for tonight's line-up with their punchy tones and charismatic stage presence, and singer Alex Moses’ flirtatious onstage banter is cheeky as he questions the crowd, "You all voted yes, right?" Finishing with Say What You Want and Raindrop, the boys from the Sunshine Coast well and truly own their spot on this tour.

A large banner hangs from the ceiling depicting Hellions’ Opera Oblivia cover art in a sea of red and blue as creepy sounds that evoke aliens creep through the speakers. “Make some noise, Melbourne!” vocalist Dre Faivre screams down the mic as Thresher takes hold. The strobes hit out at every beat, complementing the intense atmosphere of anthemic choruses and brutal breakdowns. Their song 24 brings on an early appearance from You Me At Six frontman Josh Franceschi much to the awe and confusion of non-Hellions fans, but everyone goes berserk regardless.  

A white sheet hangs from the roof, covering the stage in its entirety, while the stereo blasts mid-set tunes including Linkin Park & Jay-Z’s Numb, which is received with a collective heartbreaking wail throughout the crowd — not exactly the best pump-up song. But, alas, the room is still buzzing and eventually the lights dim.

You Me At Six jump straight into Spell It Out from behind the sheer screen, which drops suddenly and is met with a deafening applause. Bite My Tongue and Fresh Start Fever power through and the development of Franceschi’s voice is otherworldly. With a career spanning over a decade, Franceschi’s vocal power and range have skyrocketed; he hits incredible notes with force and conviction. “We wanna make this the best show we’ve ever played in Melbourne,” Franceschi declares as he instructs fans to get up on friends' shoulders for No One Does It Better. Playing a mix of the old and the new, You Me At Six are a nostalgia band (for some); the soundtrack to those angsty teenage years. But every new song goes off with passion and love and it’d be a crime to label them like that again. 

An emotive speech about how the band nearly gave up recently — “we were done,” Franceschi explains — is spine-chilling. The love and inspiration the band receive from their Aussie fans is what saved them, apparently. The empowering Too Young To Feel This Old is You Me At Six's main set closer. 

“What a waste of time,” Franceschi jokes about the tradition of encores as the band reemerge for an encore jammed full of fan-favourites: Stay With Me, Reckless, Underdog. The band finish on the rough and raw Room To Breathe, after which a bit of oxygen wouldn’t go astray at all.