They’re ‘fresh’. They’re ‘hip’. They’re ‘now’. It’s the stark prevail surrounding The 1975 that causes you to forget they’ve been together for over a decade. The band shot to fame in 2013, with the release of their eponymous debut LP, featuring their breakthrough hit single ‘The City’, wooing both girls and boys in equal measures with their off-kilter, 80s influenced indie rock.
Since rising to the forefront of modern music, they’ve played arenas across the globe supporting high-profile acts such as The Rolling Stones and Muse, as well as embarking on a sold out headline tour travelling up and down the country – and it’s not until you see the band live that you appreciate how musically in synch with each other they are. Charmed with a finely tuned aesthetic and old school flair for rock and roll, their recent performance at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth proved that practice makes perfect – especially a decade of it.
Throughout the night the audience’s screams were shrill, with all eyes resting on rebellious frontman Matthew Healy. The son of Loose Women presenter Denise Welch, Healy portrayed a disobedient charisma, dressed in an oversized white t-shirt and ripped jeans. Swigging rosé wine from the bottle throughout the course of their 90 minute set, Healy made it apparent he and his stylised band mates were happily living out the decadent rock star dream their recent success has afforded them, and the audience revelled in their happiness at seeing the years of hard work finally paying off.
Style aside, the band’s real talent rests in a natural ability to churn out a catchy tune – or three – and they didn’t waste any time getting down to business, keeping on stage banter to a minimum and focusing instead on the music, which blends the twee indie pop of Vampire Weekend with the reckless ambience of Foals to wondrous effects.
The four piece kicked off the set with dance worthy fan favourite ‘The City’, with Healy roaming the length of the stage and encouraging fans to move along with him to the song’s atrabilious sound. Topped with sublime guitar motifs, the anthem’s quirky yet simple structure was perfectly in line with his rousing interactions with the crowd.
In midst of the chaos, the serene ballad ‘You’ allowed Healy to slow the set down and deliver and a harrowing vocal performance. Chillingly beautiful, the deliberate track made the audience sharply aware of the turmoil of love. Rounded melodies and secluded undertones enhanced the painful lyrics, with the vocalist ultimately choking up over the line: “You must try harder than kissing all my friends.”
For the encore, thankfully, optimism returned and lashed with a bewildered backbone. The band closed their set with two more of those catchy tunes mentioned earlier, namely ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex, which were rather aptly titled tracks to end on considering the date. A band that are loved as much as they are loathed, the crowd erupted into a whirlwind of lust with both sexes passionately chanting the sex-infused choruses, and why not? It was Valentine’s Day after all.
9/10
Reviewer: Emma Matthews
