The 1975 gave Nottingham a show to remember, ‘At Their Very Best’ tour on Sunday, January 22.
Louise Walt:
As the curtains dropped animated fans saw the impressively designed stage, each bandmate was welcomed onto the open house on stage with fans yelling in anticipation for lead vocalist Matty Healy to be introduced.
The stage presence was unmatched with Matty moving from room to room dancing across the stage, chugging wine and somehow singing effortlessly whilst smoking half a pack of cigarettes.
Their latest album to date, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, has provided fans their fix of The 1975 having waited two years for the new album.
The album shows off a calmer and contemplative array of music delving into their relationships and sense of longing with popular tunes like ‘Oh Caroline’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Looking For Somebody (To Love)’.
‘I’m In Love With You’ demonstrated the sheer talent of Matty with his soft vocals accompanied by his bandmates uplifting instrumentals, The 1975’s music truly has the power to bring a room full of strangers together.
‘About You’ mesmerised fans with the songs charming chorus and thoughtful instrumentals, warming the hearts of the eager crowd who recited the lyrics at the top of their voices from start to finish.
The confusing yet amusing breaks in-between songs showed Matty observing current affairs and considering the concept that nothing is truly real.
The singer questionably ate raw meat on stage and did press ups for the packed arena which left everyone asking themselves what was happening.
Dance track ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’ had everyone on their feet with its upbeat sound and soft vocals, displaying the bands ability to create a beloved pop tune.
‘Chocolate’ is one of the bands most recognised songs showcasing the bands youthful and cheerful sound, taking fans on a journey across their discography starting all the way back in 2012.
“Somebody Else’ was a moody, wholehearted song which evoked a sense of pain and dread through the simple yet reflective lyrics.
The song of the night for me was ‘Love It If We Made It’ which unleashed Matty’s inner punk with heavier and more passionate vocals displayed, Matty was the driving force behind the ecstatic energy of the arena.
Every indie music fan has a place in their heart for ‘The Sound’, it elevated spirits and had everyone up on their feet within seconds taking us back to 2016 with the release of their treasured third album.
The 1975 lived up to my expectations and delivered a knock out performance proving themselves a worthwhile band worth the hype.
Will Hugall:
The 1975 are a band who have had huge, all-encompassing tags attached to them in recent years.
Much to the enjoyment of lead singer Matty Healy, it would seem, the foursome are a hugely divisive presence at the forefront of British indie-pop.
With new album, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, the clock has been turned back somewhat to the emergence of Healy and co back in 2013, with their self-titled debut album.
Of course, anniversaries naturally give rise to nostalgia, and the ten years that have passed since that album’s release have provided a perfect timeframe for reflection.
In the latest of what have become regular arena tours, the band are squeezing all that history into a well-oiled, statement-packed piece that delivers on everything audiences have come to expect.
The structure of the first half of the show, mostly comprising of ‘Being Funny…’’s track list, was rewarding for the diehard fans who hoovered up the album as soon as it came out last November.
It did have its moments on a personal level, with ‘Oh Caroline’, ‘I’m In Love With You’ and ‘Part Of The Band’ all favourites of mine, and in this respect I was highly entertained.
The slower cuts from the album – ‘When We Are Together’ aside – don’t really do it for me, but they were presented superbly with Healy’s self-obsessed schtick and the sprawling band’s dedication to his artistic direction setting a great scene.
Reaching the halfway stage of the gig, fans are treated to the moments that have made the biggest splashes on social media during this tour.
Healy indulges in a half-drunk – and to his credit quite witty – monologue about his struggles for purpose outside of music, now he’s a little older than when the band’s journey began.
He eats a raw steak, touches himself whilst reclined on a sofa, does some press-ups, and then crawls through an old-school television set to follow his bandmates off-stage, setting up the second half of the gig in surreal fashion.
The band returned with the shackles off and produced a stunning spell that reeled off hits from throughout their decade together.
This played to all sections of the audience, with a relaxed, approachable bantering amidst the ‘don’t throw menthols’ routine and when Healy offers the crowd a chance to select a song on the set list.
In this instance, we were treated to the top two from four choices; ‘Menswear’ and ‘Paris’.
Reflections on the journey the band has been on were welcome, and the inclusion of fan favourites such as ‘The Sound’, ‘Robbers’ and ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’ – to name just a few – were timely reminders of the band’s ability to bring pure joy to crowds as big as the Motorpoint Arena’s 10,000.
My only complaint at the end of the two-and-a-half hour run, as ‘Sex’ and ‘Give Yourself A Try’ rounded things off, was that I was left wanting more.
A rocking Nottingham audience were thrilled by the night, though, judging by the endless stream of fans leaving the arena.
The 1975 haven’t taken the easy road, but they’ve completed a decade in the industry stronger than ever.
This is a significant rarity, and for their continued ability to grab headlines, make statements and be themselves, they should be roundly applauded.
It will be fascinating to see where they go next.
Rating: 4/5
Scarlett Acres:
I saw The 1975 at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham and it was ‘weirdly perfect’
If you’d have told me that witnessing Matty Healy eat raw meat and kiss fans was on my bingo card for 2023, I’d have thought you were lying.
Having many sold out performances across America with supporting acts like Phoebe Bridgers in Los Angeles, the UK knew this was going to be an experience to remember.
I couldn’t wait to see how they would fair at the Nottingham gig and it truly lived up to the TikTok hype.
Dominating the music scene in 2022 with the success of The 1975’s most recent album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, the band continue to be thriving this year.
Consisting of lead vocalist Matty Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald and drummer George Daniel along with their entourage helping them tie the night together.
The motto of the tour being ‘At Their Very Best’ – it is sure to say that is the case.
Their UK tour kicked off at Brighton on January, 8 and even consisted of a surprise performance from Taylor Swift at their London night one gig, Taylor performed ‘Anti-Hero’ for the very first time.
Sadly Nottingham had no special guest, although no surprise.
It had a stage like no other, recreating a house with many lamps, televisions and old furniture.
Entering the house one by one switching the lamps on created the perfect build up for the show.
Starting off with a performance of ‘The 1975’, Matty Healy began the show by playing the piano with a cigarette in his hand and a bottle of wine.
He went on to sing songs such as ‘I’m In Love With You’ and ‘About You’.
Finishing off the first half of the show performing the songs from their recent album, we went into the second half of their iconic songs with Matty Healy’s telling the crowd “I’m confused and I’m horny and that’s all I know.”
In the space of the next couple of minutes, he touched himself, ate raw meat and climbed into a TV.
Something only he could get away with – it was weirdly perfect.
With their concerts going viral all across ‘for you pages’ on TikTok with hilarious remarks from Healy during the song ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’ – it was exciting to see what Nottingham would get during the song:
“Don’t throw lozenges on this stage.”
Healy told Nottingham, although it turned out to be a plan B pill.
Using the noise from fans, they decided what song to add to the night’s setlist – however they decided to treat the crowd to both ‘Menswear’ and ‘Paris’.
There was an electric atmosphere of fans of all ages with them being over 10 years old – fans even took to recreating outfits worn by members of the band.
A range of trousers, white shirts, ties and waistcoats were seen across the arena.
Ending the gig with their song ‘Sex’ which was released in 2012, it was a particularly lively finale with them jumping around the stage along with the crowd.
By the end of the night, I was definitely ‘At My Very Best’.
Image Credits: Jordan Curtis Hughes