CONCERT REVIEW : THE 1975
- ELECTRIC Team Member
- Aug 29, 2017
- 4 min read
THE 1975
As the lights dramatically and slowly die out, three quarters of THE 1975 begin to take the stage as dusk prepares to let the night sky take over. Matty Healy, the band’s frontman twirls about as if looking to find his way around the stage while a sea of fans cry and scream with anticipation. In an instant Healy approaches the mic, the lights flash and the music to “Love Me” breaks out sending the crowd into hysteria. The field is taken over by synthetic pop and flashes of bright pink and blue lights and the guy you have been waiting to see is now dancing about and quickly, quick enough to miss, he throws his jacket to the ground while George Daniel (the band’s indisposed drummer) runs to retrieve it from the stage in a hoodie. The band moves into the upbeat “UGH!” track which details the almost romantic relationship between human and drug use. You know what he’s talking about, that it isn’t about you, but the ways in which he moves and gestures makes you feel as though it’s a love song he’s just written about seeing your face for the first time. As the shows rolls on, the band goes through a couple of older tracks (“Heart Out”, “So Far It’s Alright”) to make it’s way to “Change of Heart”, their most current single. The up-tempo ballad plays out as a nod to the band’s infamous song, “Robbers”, the love story of all love stories. Healy, while in subtle fashion recreates choreography from the video, professes his change in affection, his change of heart. He even sneaks in a minor dab, a nod to the subculture of the generation he attracts. The show then progresses through “She’s American” and “Anobrain” until suddenly you make a sudden halt at “Menswear”. The song, which transitions from half instrumental and half incredible vocal ability serves as a slight mid-show transition itself. The first minute and forty seconds makes you feel as though you are back in a small, sweaty venue during the band’s first go around, a musical thank you to those who have been advocates of their’s since the beginning. Adam Hann guides the intro and pushes the instrumentals while Matty and Ross McDonald take a minute to relax. Matty, per usual, re-enters the stage with a lit cigarette and charges into a slew of lyrics you know by heart. Healy’s moves are a bit downgraded from what they used to be during a performance of “Menswear” but still just enough to give you that same old feeling you’ve been feeling from the start. On they go with “Loving Someone”, “Me”, and “Fallingforyou” until it comes to the time for “Somebody Else”, their argued most popular song from their recent album release. It’s the song you have been waiting all night to hear, a song about the too true feelings of an everyday relationship. The set slows down into “The Encounter” interlude which guides the crowd into a subdued version of “Robbers”, the only downfall to the wonderful experience you’re having. You’re waiting for an epic reincarnation of past experiences when it comes to “Robbers” but all you’re given is a displaced and disconnected dance to a song you once thought the band would never lose interest with. The band proceeds into the last songs before the encore which include “You” (an original fan favorite but apparent underrated performed track), “Paris” and finally “Girls”. Then, the encore. As the band exits the stage, the crowd screams “We Want Sex” with a sort of frustration that the band isn’t listening. The empty stage and dim lighting seems to fill what feels like an eternity and then finally the guys take the stage once again. This time they begin with the unexplainable “If I Believe You”, which hails from their current album. The song feels as distant as one could possibly get from THE 1975 but yet seemingly familiar to older tracks such as “Undo”. A complete religious musical experience making you feel as though you’ve entered a synthetic pop gospel church. “Chocolate” is up next, the band’s first commercial hit. You know every single word and are delighted that Matty Healy still, after all these years, begins the song with shouting “This one’s about weed!” to the crowd. The end is near, you feel it coming, but first, “The Sound”. It’s an energized and electric driven performance of the band’s most popular song from their current album. Matty twirls about the stage and tries his best to defocus Ross and Adam (particularly Adam during his guitar solo) and seems to have finally worked up the most involved part of himself you’ve seen all night. Then, the moment you’ve been waiting for and also dreading all day, “Sex”. It’s the song you probably first heard when you “discovered” THE 1975.
- THE 1975 REVIEW / Skyline Stage At The Mann / 15 MAY 2016
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As THE 1975 take the stage, the visual aesthetics slowly begin to transport the audience to a place like no other. A place where you feel illuminated and become alive within seconds. The lights tease you as they slowly dim the venue with the room becoming a dark scene when then in the flash of a moment the room sparks into a florescent party. As the band progresses deeper into the set, the aesthetics turn to a dizzy black and white facade which serves as a nod to the band’s former conceptual story. You become part of the experience rather than just a crowd watching a stage, you connect and bind within the music and lighting. each individual feeling as though you are the only one watching and the lead singer is directing all of his energy just to you. The show takes you through a wonderland of hits and new material, all the while keeping your attention focused exactly where it should be. The show concludes with a heavenly-like bright white setting while you dance to the song that made you first fall in love with them. The crowd leaves in droves wondering how anything could ever top what they saw only just moments ago. You’re on a musical high and a downward spiral all at the same time because half of you knows how lucky you are to have been a part of this night and the other half saddened that it’s over. The perfect relationship between band and fan.
- THE 1975 REVIEW // Fillmore Philadelphia // 5 DECEMBER 2015
