Sunday night marked the 5th time I have seen the 1975 live as the band embarked on their Winter UK and Ireland tour, the Glasgow show being the 2nd last after a tiresome 13 dates across the country. The anticipation began with the lingering sounds of "Love Theme" which is played through the PA for roughly 10 minutes before appearing as the audience waited patiently. As the band walked on stage the intense energy from the crowd was a familiar sensation as they opened with their punk-infused anthem "People", while accompanying this alongside their well-known striking black and yellow visuals as lead singer Matty Healy delivered his ecstatic movements to a crowd of 14,000 adoring fans. As the show started to progress they were soon joined by their 2 backing dancers, known as the Jaiy twins, while the crowd reflected the lively spirit coming from the stage as "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME" and "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)" animated the audience. Fan favourite "Menswear" was also a surprise addition to the setlist as the band revisited the track from their 2013 debut to a positive reception.
The band also squeezed in 2 unreleased tracks from their forthcoming album "Notes On a Conditional Form" as the crowd (including myself) knew the lyrics word for word as "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" transported us back to the eighties as the shimmering guitar melodies formed the perfect pop song. "Guys" was the second of the unreleased tracks the band performed, this one struck a chord with many fans due to the sentiment and nostalgic visuals being projected behind the band during this reminiscent ballad of footage spanning their whole career, with Healy often getting tearful during this song each night.
As the night transitioned from screaming, head-banging, dreamy, indie-pop chorus' the mood shifted over a sequence of tracks including the compassionate love-songs "Robbers" and "fallingforyou" the audience were lost in these moments as each lyric and melodic piece resonated with so many people for many diverse reasons. At this point its evident why this band is so popular and have grown to the level that they have over the years as their homegrown attitude towards creativity and identity shone through the busy arena with Matty repeating how humbled they all felt to be able to play to so many different people every night.
The band then continued the nearly 2 hour set with songs from the new LP, the alt-country track "The Birthday Party", released only 2 weeks ago radiated throughout the arena with the bizarre visuals replicating the music video which addresses addiction as Healy is admitted to a digital detox retreat where the theme of internet culture is highly prevalent throughout, and is introduced to the set.
As the show neared towards its end there was still so much ground for the band to cover. The soppy emo-balled "I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)" lit up the crowd, it was no surprise the song received such a passionate response as I looked around to witness the emotional reactions of everyone around me. Next up was the big moment; where Healy politely asked the audience to stay silent for 5 minutes while their 4th track named "The 1975", featuring a powerful speech from climate activist Greta Thunberg played over images of environmental issues as he stood on the stage alone, glaring into the audience. As I watched what was going on in front of me I was overcome with a sense of consideration and engagement from the band about this relevant matter as their projection forced the crowd to reflect on their own actions, in a place where this is not often addressed.
As Greta's compelling words, "It's time to rebel" rings out we see a transition into the political soundscape of "Love It If We Made It", performed in front of an empowering visual arrangement featuring images of war, the Grenfell disaster and Donald Trump, while fitting in a choreographed dance number featuring the Jaiy twins that similarly illustrated Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" music video.
As the chants of the audience echoed as the song finished, the band were ready to end their poignant set with 3 of their most recognisable hits, "Chocolate", "Give Yourself a Try" and concluding with "The Sound", where Matty engaged with the crowd for the last time. He encouraged the crowd to move as much as possible, while exhausting himself, when days before he was using crutches on stage due to an unknown injury. As he counted down to the leading moment of the song he actioned the crowd to create a pit and in obvious response, the whole arena went wild to guitarist Adam Hann's prominent riff.
The band then walked off stage to droning, chaotic electronic sounds accompanied with the huge screen behind them glitching and eventually going black. As i left the arena I couldn't help but feel gratified by this band once again, never feeling disappointed. Like me, many others felt a sense of fulfilment as they proved once again why the live experience of this band is one you don't want to miss out on.
Rating: 9/10
You can catch the 1975 again at Edinburgh Summer Sessions at Princes Street Gardens on August 12th. Tickets available here: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/the-1975-edinburgh-12-08-2020/event/3600583DBFC37CBE
Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mIj9lX2MWuHmhNCA7LSCW?si=IcK2xZGmT2-UJBdh1bfwEQ
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