The 1975 live review

The last month or so has been a dizzy concoction of success and excitement for The 1975. They performed on American TV, on both Saturday Night Live and The Jimmy Fallon Show, released their new highly-anticipated album ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it‘* to critical acclaim and have seen the album rocket to the top of the charts in five countries, including the UK and the US. The atmosphere in Brixton’s O2 Academy mirrored these successes on Wednesday evening as the buzz of almost five thousand fans filled the venue.

The evening commenced with a half hour set by The Japanese House, the project of shy but endearing Londoner Amber Bain. She shares a record label with The 1975 (the doing of The 1975’s Matt Healy and George Daniel who introduced the label to her in addition to producing some of her work) and musically draws upon similar influences. Her melancholic electronica is soaked in vocal effects and scatty sound samples which makes it a compelling listen, although it cries out for slightly more variation. Nevertheless, she was met with a warm reaction from the audience, particularly for the up-tempo ‘Cool Blue‘, one of her strongest tracks. She is certainly in possession of something special and is one to watch.**

Over the next half an hour, Brixton academy filled to the brim, the house lights dimmed gradually and an eerie, repetitive synthesiser sound became progressively louder. Finally, at nine o’clock, the venue was plunged into darkness, the synthesiser halted and multicoloured static filled the on-stage screens before the quirky riffs of ‘Love Me‘ began. It was the perfect opener, its buoyant tone perfect for generating energy from the audience. The band proceeded to rocket through a comprehensive set-list which catered for all, ranging from material from their early EPs to their current album. Hidden treasures from old EPs such as the 90’s R&B jam-inspired ‘So Far (It’s Alright)‘, slushy ‘fallingforyou‘ and the never-before-performed ‘Anobrain‘ served as a reminder of the band’s unfaltering ability to create enthralling music whilst tracks from the band’s début album such as ‘Heart Out‘, ‘Girls‘ and ‘Menswear‘ which were met with rapturous response from fans who chanted the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Their new material worked just as well; it was impossible not to dance to the INXS-influenced ‘She’s American‘ and the Prince-esque ‘UGH!‘ whilst the vulnerable ‘Somebody Else‘ and jittery ‘Change of Heart‘ captivated the audience.

“Brixton, I think I’m going mad”, Healy declared before the choral ‘ooh’s’ intro to ‘The Ballad of me and my Brain‘ began. The song appeared to baffle many of those unfamiliar with the new album but was brilliantly executed by the band and Healy who raised his performance game in this song, stumbling around the stage and falling to his knees in reference to the breakdown the song documents. Likewise, the cleverly worded, half-rapped ‘Loving Someone‘ and syrupy sweet ‘Paris‘ translated well into a live setting as Healy strutted across the stage and encouraged the crowd to sing.

Throughout the show, Healy – renowned for being a charismatic front-man – bounded around the stage, often with a glass of wine in his hand, buzzing with energy and enthusiasm and feeding off the crowd. He flexed, pouted, pranced and glided across the stage, interacting brilliantly with the crowd and often resulting in ear-piercing squeals reminiscent of Beatle-mania. He held the audience in the palm of his hand and was unafraid of being completely at ease on-stage, frequently wandering off to light a cigarette or to change into a shirt before declaring he’d made a mistake and changing back into his black t-shirt. During the poignant ‘Me‘, he instructed a fan to put their phone away after telling the audience to experience the song in the moment without technology present.

The show was also visually spectacular; the stage was permanently illuminated in various lighting combinations, providing a cinematic experience which was a perfect reflection of the band’s eclectic range of material. At times, this was utterly breathtaking and emphasised that sometimes simplicity achieves the best results.

The evening culminated in an intoxicating finale; an encore of four of the band’s best works. The first, ‘If I Believe You‘, an accomplished track which questions religion over D’Angelo slow-jam instrumentation was hauntingly beautiful. A choir of six accompanied the band and their gospel harmonies were spine-tingling. The choir remained on-stage for the ever-brilliant ‘Chocolate‘ and new classic ‘The Sound‘ which engendered an electric euphoria. During the latter, Healy instructed the crowd to jump, informing them their aim was ‘to break Brixton academy’. Grand finale ‘Sex‘, another of the band’s best-known songs closed the evening perfectly and remains one of the band’s best songs.

In all three times of seeing the band in the past two years, their performance at Brixton on Wednesday evening emphasised that they are the band of the moment. Healy’s vocals had never been better whilst fellow bandmates Adam Hann, Ross Macdonald and George Daniel were perfectly tight and synchronised musically. The only thing missing was two of the band’s best songs – ‘Settle Down‘ and ‘This Must Be My Dream‘ but one can hardly complain when the band delivered such a captivating show with an extensive range of material.

The 1975 were on top of their game at Brixton and long may it continue.

* Read our review of The 1975’s new album, ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it‘
** Read our review of The Japanese House live at The Haunt, Brighton

Setlist:

1. Love Me
2. UGH!
3. Heart Out
4. So Far (It’s Alright)
5. A Change of Heart
6. She’s American
7. Anobrain
8. Menswear
9. The Ballad of Me and My Brain
10. Me
11. fallingforyou
12. Somebody Else
13. Robbers
14. You
15. Loving Someone
16. Paris
17. Girls
ENCORE
18. If I Believe You
19. Chocolate
20. The Sound
21. Sex

Catch The 1975 on tour now:

Since their rise to prominence in 2013, The 1975 have established themselves as one of the UK’s biggest bands. Renowned for their eclectic music and diligent outlook, they have secured an ever-increasing fan-base, a number one album and sold out venues all over the world. I found myself crammed into a packed Brighton Centre on Thursday evening to catch a glimpse of the magic.

The evening commenced with support act Ratboy (real name Jordan Cardy). The name is certainly fitting – his image, lyrics and music (an amalgamation of rock and hip-hop) possess a gritty and shabby feel to them. Along with his band, he delivered an energetic but rather immoderate set.

Over the long half-an-hour wait between Ratboy and The 1975, the house lights dimmed gradually, a brilliant touch which only intensified the anticipation in the venue. Finally, at 9pm, scatty lasers swept the room, static occupied the screens and eerie sounds eventually evolved into a pink glow and the distinctive Bowie-esque guitar riffs of latest single ‘Love Me’. It was the perfect opener, generating a buzz of excitement which did not falter throughout the remainder of the show. The band continued to power energetically through hits such as ‘Heart Out’ and ‘Settle Down’ in addition to the material from their early EP’s such as the slushy ‘Falling for You’ and effortlessly catchy ‘So Far (It’s Alright).’
The audience were also teased with four new tracks from the band’s upcoming second album. Whilst this was a daring move, the new material was exceptionally well-received by the crowd. Similarly to the band’s début album, the new songs verified that the ‘80’s are still very much alive. ‘She’s American’ is an amalgamation of previous singles ‘Heart Out’ and ‘Settle Down’, ‘Change of Heart’ is the band’s take on Madonna’s ‘Crazy For You’ whilst the brilliant ‘Somebody Else’ utilises scatty synthesiser clips and funky bass lines. It was ‘The Sound’, however which prompted the most rapturous response from the audience, triggering exuberant jumping to the funky 80’s-esque indie-pop track.

The new songs weren’t the only modification since the band’s previous tour. The band has undergone a significant transformation, seemingly embracing pop music as their primary focus. Their famed monochrome façade has been subsequently replaced by a vivid pink glow. Indeed, the stage was permanently ignited in a sea of effervescent technicolour, primarily supplied by screens and laser lights. For such an intimate venue, the display was spectacular and accompanied their cinematic array of songs perfectly.

The band as a whole also exhibited more confidence and proficiency whilst frontman Matt Healy’s vocals were cleaner and more self-assured than ever before. Healy jauntily covered all areas of the stage, interacting with all parts of the arena. His carefree charisma made him an endearing frontman to watch, particularly when he took a sip from his glass of wine or lit a roll-up during the fidgety instrumental-dominated ‘Menswear’. Every movement was effortlessly cool, well-timed and sent the crowd into meltdown. It’s too easy to neglect the contribution of the rest of the band, however – particularly bass player Ross MacDonald and guitarist Adam Hann. George Daniel’s drumming plays a significant role in the band’s tight, funky sound whilst MacDonald and Hann swapped guitars for synthesisers and vice versa an exhausting amount during the show.

Throughout the show, it was clear that Healy and the crowd fed off each other and it worked beautifully. “We’ve invested in screens so you don’t have to. We don’t want you to spend the show watching us through screens as that would just be ironic, wouldn’t it? Just for this song, I want you to put your phones away” he stated before an emotional performance of ‘Me’. Needless to say, not one phone was visible during the track. It was a moment which reinforced the loss of interaction; much of the crowd unknowingly watched the show through the screens of their phones, valuing capturing the moment on Instagram and Snapchat over memory. It also reinforced Healy’s impeccable ability to engross an audience.

The atmosphere was as animated as my previous experience of seeing The 1975, perhaps slightly intensified. At least ten females were removed from the crowd by security, either the consequence of fainting or drinking too much. One quick glance around at the audience during the emotional ‘Robbers‘ revealed tears sliding down many’s cheeks. It was clear that the band’s music plays a huge role in the lives of many.

The evening culminated with a perfect crowd-rousing trio of songs for the show’s encore. The audience were captivated during the tender ‘Medicine’ before launching into a wild frenzy during the arguably best-known hits ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’.

It was a privilege to be present at one of the most spectacular shows ever held in an intimate venue and I for one believe this is still only the beginning for The 1975.

Rating: 5/5.