Sunday night saw British rockers You Me At Six, American sweethearts We The Kings and Australia’s own The Mission In Motion grace The Roundhouse, Sydney, for what proved to be a night of unforgettable live music.

The Mission In Motion opened the night and set the bar for their international counterparts. While supporting bands don’t always draw much of a crowd, Sydney proved their love for the Aussie rockers, turning up early to catch their live set. With crowd participation at an all time high for songs like ‘New Skin,’ and ‘On The Wheel’ The Mission In Motion proved exactly why they are fast becoming one of Australia’s favourite talents. They played an exceptional live set, with energy at an all time high, and vocally and instrumentally were very tight.

We The Kings were up next, and opened with a bang on ‘She Takes Me High’ from their second LP Smile, Kid. There’s no denying that the Australian public holds a love for the American pop-rock outfit, and that love is very much reciprocated. Playing a solid set, with songs ranging from all three of their albums, the live performance from We The Kings was quite impressive – Travis Clark’s vocals were generally spot on (apart from a few rough notes in love song ‘We’ll Be A Dream,) and as a front-man proved to be quite charismatic if not a little creepy, with quotes such as “"I want to have all your babies... I don’t have a vagina though. Can I say vagina on stage? I have the sperm and man parts though. So it can happen” followed by “You guys look like a giant orgy right now. Like a mix between a porno and animal planet.”

While the Sydney fans were lapping it up with laughs and cheers, one does have to question whether this is entirely appropriate banter, as the majority of the We The Kings fans in the pit were indeed on the younger end of the teenage scale.

Nevertheless, I was impressed with the live performance of We The Kings minus the talking part from Travis. The songs from their poorly received third album Sunshine State Of Mind were actually a lot more enjoyable to listen to live, as the band live played with a greater energy and more prominent rock sound compared to what is heard on the record. Highlight songs of the night included “Skyway Avenue,” “Secret Valentine” (introduced to the crowd by Travis as ‘This is a song about sexual intercourse!’) and of course ultimate crowd favourite and closing song ‘Check Yes Juliet.’

Finally it was You Me At Six’s turn to rock out The Roundhouse; and that is exactly what they did. Blowing all other competition out of the water, the British boys proved just why they are one of the most exciting live bands to see right now. Opening on ‘The Consequence’ the energy was high from the get go, with the crowd singing along almost as loudly as lead singer Josh Franchesci.

Notably, the band shares an amazing onstage chemistry and prowess. From synchronised head bangs and jumps, to Josh’s onstage dancing, the whole set they just looked like they were having the time of their lives. The setlist was a great mix of new and older songs – from the more punk driven ‘Save It For the Bedroom’ to the exciting new single ‘Loverboy,’ instrumentally the band sounded great, and vocally Josh was spot on without a sour note to be heard. The crowd was having as much fun as the band with circle pits being formed, as well as many crowd surfing in an attempt to be able to grasp Josh’s hand on their way out.
Crowd favourites and highlight songs were singles from album Hold Me Down, ‘Liquid Confidence’ and ‘Stay With Me.’ ‘Fireworks’ also proved to be a hit, slowing down the pace a bit, and giving us a chance to really admire Josh’s vocal range. With slow dancing couples in the moshpit and the room lit up by mobiles and swaying hands, the Roundhouse was truly memorised by the British rockers.

Ending on single ‘Underdog’ proved to be a great choice, with the anthemic chorus and overall energy of the song sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy. With the boys announcing they are trying to get on the Soundwave 2012 line-up, Australia and You Me At Six’s love affair seems set to continue.

Third Album by You Me At Six Sinners Never Sleep is out in Australia October 3rd.