(photo by Eftychia Lianeri https://www.instagram.com/efleean/)
Touring with their new album “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” The 1975, at the peak of their career, visited Brighton on the 16th of January. Unfortunately, due to our press tickets being delayed we didn’t have the time to enjoy the first opening act but Pale Waves, the second act, hyped the show with their synth pop, sprinkled with darker goth elements, tunes. Heather, the vocalist, stormed into the stage and until the end of the set performed in full power warming up the already excited audience.
After a, to be honest, longer than expected, interval The 1975 graced the stage, from the first beat the crowd was arguably thrilled to see their favourite act. From their reactions, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a lot of die-hard fans attended the show. A sea of, mainly gen Z, kids singing along to the lyrics and dancing animatedly.
The band from Manchester popped up in the UK music scene back in 2013 and they instantly rose to nationwide popularity. Having stolen the hearts of UK audiences, there was only one thing to do, conquer America, which they successfully achieved with the release of their second album.
Natural charisma and songs that speak to a generation was, and is, the secret of their success. Visually, musically and lyrically the band, despite its name, feels very modern and has a great understanding of what music at the age of the internet and social media should be like.
Musically their songs are a mix of rock pop, but they are not limiting themselves to traditional sounds as they draw influence from jazz, funk, electronic music and R&B. Their music is an amalgamation of styles with the goal to tell a cohesive story that would resonate with the audience. The gig from times to times did feel a little disjointed with so many different styles and so much variety in their music but it works to their advantage with the way music is consumed these days.
The lyrics of the songs are a mixture of personal, relatable, experiences highly influenced by technology, unapologetic and honest commentaries on social and political issues.
The music was complemented with a very visually stimulating stage. Huge screens with bright and colourful Tumblr aesthetic scenes, intense and impressive lighting and, as a cherry on top, a treadmill at the very front of the stage that was utilised by Matty very creatively. A feast for the eyes as well as for the ears.
The show started with the first few songs playing back to back, including the personal favourite “She’s American”, after a small break to welcome the audience the show run smoothly for a 18 full set. Notable moments of the show were the No Rome’s cameo on the song “Narcissist”, John Waugh’s saxophone solo during the song “Me”, the fan favourites “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”, “I Like America & America Likes Me” and “Girls”. Their 5-track encore ended with the very popular “Sex” from their debut album.
The 1975 seem to be unstoppable, musically acclaimed with a strong fanbase and a new album on the way. We will keep an eye on The 1975 as we feel we still have a lot to see from them.
Their fourth album “Notes on a Conditional Form” is scheduled to be released on the 31st of May.