Rock Group Breaking up After 20 Years Together

You Me at Six, an English rock band that first formed 20 years ago, has announced they are breaking up. According to Kerrang, the band — comprised of Matt Barnes (bass guitar), Josh Franceschi (lead vocals), Max Helyer (rhythm guitar), Chris Miller (lead guitar), and Dan Flint (drums) — are saying goodbye over the next year. The band will play their final shows in 2024 and 2025.

“When we started YMAS we were kids. We only ever wanted longevity, to travel and to experience life as a group of friends. We feel like on the eve of our 20th anniversary as a band, now is a good time to call time,” Franceschi said in a statement shared by Kerrang. “We’re in a fortunate position where our fans still want to see us live and come celebrate the life of this band. So that is what we will do for 2024 and 2025. We can’t wait to see our fans on the road.”

You Me at Six was formed in Weybridge, Surrey, England in 2004. To date, they have seven EPs and eight full-length albums. Their most recent is Truth Decay from 2023.

Speaking about the band’s decision to call it quits, Franceschi told Kerrang, “It’s something we’ve been talking about for a couple of years.” He added, “Pretty early on in our career, we became quite obsessed with the idea of longevity. We were like, ‘How can we create our own luck and create a space for ourselves so we can have a sustainable business – and I hate that word – to be able to travel and see the world and do it for as long as possible?’”

Franceschi went on to say, “We gave ourselves a target of 20 years, and next year is 20 years of the band. We’ve got to a bit of a crossroads in our lives now where we all love what You Me At Six is, what it has given us, and what we’ve been able to give with it, but we also feel like we’ve done everything we wanted.” He then added, “We always wanted to go out on our own terms. No-one’s in the dark about what’s happening, and that means we can enjoy it more.”

The singer then said, “If we were to rock up to Slam Dunk, and be like, ‘This was our last gig, see you later,’ drop the mic and walk off… I think we’re better than that. And I want people to remember our band as being their band.” Fans can find a list if You Me at Six’s current concert dates by clicking here. More show announcements are expected in the coming months.