'My favourite band just broke up - here's why I don't want a reunion'

After 20 years, You Me At Six say farewell, but what comes next for fans of the band and the UK music scene?

This week, You Me At Six said their final goodbyes after a 20-year career. It marked the end of an era — not just for the band, but for the fans who’ve grown up with them.

I still remember the first time I saw Save It for the Bedroom on Kerrang! TV, long before the official video dropped. A scrappy montage of tour footage that somehow catapulted the surrey lads into a key part of my life for the next 18 years. I bought Kerrang! magazine just for them and I made it my mission to see them live whenever I could. They were the band that introduced me to the world of rock — and, by extension, metal, hardcore, and so much more.

So, standing at the O2 Academy Brixton this week, I couldn’t quite put into words what it felt like knowing this was the last time. When your favourite band breaks up, it can feel like a little part of you disappears too. The moments you attached to their music — where you were when a certain album dropped, how it felt to see them live for the first time — end up frozen in time. It becomes a line in the sand between who you were when you first discovered them and who you are now.

I felt a pang of sadness for the band: an overwhelming, empathetic kind of sadness of “God, that must be so strange”, knowing they were just a few shows away from the end. But it was also a mix of emotions for me too, one that I couldn’t quite pin down; part heartbreak, part celebration, part... identity crisis?

It’s the first time I’ve really felt a band breakup. When Lower Than Atlantis called it a day, or Deaf Havana went on hiatus, I was sad — but not like this. This is the first time I’ve experienced that specific kind of ending. The one that makes you go, Wow. I’m never getting this exact joy again. Next time, maybe I’ll be more prepared.

We’ve all seen bands split for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes they outgrow it: they start families, priorities shift, and you know there’s the reality that life moves on. Other times it ends because of fallouts, or solo careers, or even a quiet fade-out, announced in a vague-cryptic Instagram statement. And weirdly, that kind of drama can make it easier to move on, at least we can point the fingers or say “it was for the best.”

But when a band simply bows out — no scandal, no big argument — it’s harder to sit with. With You Me At Six, there was no drama; I didn’t want them to move on, but I had to. As Josh Franceschi said in the latest Kerrang!, “This is a celebration, for us, and for the fans”, and with over 80 shows around the world on this final run, they did exactly that.

But the question I keep circling back to is: what comes next?

Reunions feel almost inevitable these days. Paramore returned stronger than ever. Blink-182 are back. My Chemical Romance came out swinging. And Sum 41? I wouldn’t bet against a reunion a few years down the line. It’s tempting to cling to that hope and think, maybe one day they’ll be a one-off show. But deep down, I don’t think I want that. I don’t want to spend the next decade hoping for a Warped Tour revival or a Slam Dunk 2035 surprise.

It’s the end of an era. But it also clears space for something new; new music and new bands to obsess over. You Me At Six were never shy about supporting the next generation and their final run was no exception. The support acts on their tour were among the best in UK rock right now; Boston Manor, Holding Absence, Kid Kapichi, Mouth Culture and many more. Fantastic live bands with their own energy, edge, and something to say.

You Me At Six started out as a group of young lads from Surrey who got the opportunity of a lifetime — and they never forgot what that felt like. On this final run, they made it a point to give the spotlight to the next generation. Now, it’s our turn to show up for them.

With grassroots venues closing at an alarming rate, it’s more important than ever to head out to local shows and support live music at every level. It’s important to check out the new artist playlists and turn up early and catch the support acts. Because if we don’t? We risk missing out on the next wave — the bands influenced by the ones we grew up on, the ones carrying the torch forward.

I’ll miss screaming Underdog at the top of my lungs with a room full of strangers. And yeah, the next time I hear Always Attract, I’ll probably cry a bit. But I’m also excited. Excited to discover new bands and excited to see who steps into the spotlight.

Excited to watch some teenager find their version of what I found back when a bunch of floppy-haired lads told me to ‘save it for the bedroom’.

What band shaped your teenage years? Drop a comment below and tell us which bands you miss, or tag me on Instagram.