You Me At Six

Night People

PIAS

THE POP-METAL pride of Weybridge in Surrey have been together since they were teenagers, and the influence of American skate-punk and emo can still be heard in their music. But frontman Josh Franceschi is in his mid-twenties now and recently gave evidence to the Westminster parliament's Culture, Media and Sport's inquiry into the activities of ticket touts – for which he is to be congratulated as one of the few artists prepared to speak out (there being little in it for them, presumably).

His singing voice is also in good shape, particularly on the opening title track, which was also the first single to trail the band's fifth album. Two more (Swear and Heavy Soul) have since failed to trouble the Christmas charts, but the album – out next week – should do better. They are on the cover of the first issue of Kerrang! magazine of the New Year to launch a set recorded in Nashville with producer Jacquire King, and sounding angled towards the US market, with a smorgasbord of guitar sounds that plunders musical history before the group's more obvious influences, and perhaps rather too many of the slower tracks that American rock fans seem to go for.

Keith Bruce