The 1975 (and support; Wolf Alice and The Neighbourhood)

Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing The 1975 in Sheffield, at the O2 Academy. Let me tell you, with a mixture of the lively support, tears on stage and the undoing and amelioration of my heart, it wasn't a gig to be missed.

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD- I was a fan of this band way before I'd even discovered The 1975. So I was thrilled to finally have the chance to see these beautiful,talented, monochrome-clad Californians live! I may have been one of their few fans when I walked in, but when I walked out I was definitely amongst a vast number more.
The vocal quality of frontman Jesse Rutherford was flawless as he entertained the crowd.
Particular crowd pleasers included Sweater Weather, W.D.Y.W.F.M? and Let it Go. 

WOLF ALICE- accompanying The 1975 on the label Dirty Hit, Wolf Alice were known amongst most of the fans as they entered the venue. I'd not really listened to much of Wolf Alice before this gig. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Although the female vocals seemed to sometimes be lost within the music, the band seemed to be very comfortable on stage and engaged with the audience. Definitely ones to watch.

THE 1975- 
Standing in the crowd, after queing for nearly 9 hours (in the lovely, Yorkshire rain) ,pinned against the barrier I eagerly waited for the four boys to enter on to the stage. The room seemed to almost suddenly be flooded with dry ice. 'The 1975' began to play. Lights flashed and fluttered on the stage and then with the clash of a gutair and the beat of a drum the stage burst into life. 

The setlist of this gig was exquistantly put together- each song seemed to flow into the next without too much of a juxtaposition. Yet, all the corners of The 1975's music was explored- from Sex to fallingforyou to Robbers. The band opened with Matty Healy standing on a speaker, embracing the crowd and exceuting the poppy vocals with 'The City'. Tracks such as Milk, Head.Cars.Bending and So Far it's Alright really got the crowd going, even though these songs are some of their lesser known tracks. 
The track 'Menswear' gave musical genius, Adam Hann, the chance to show off his skills for two minutes before the vocals allowed the song burst into life. 
With track, such as, 'Girls', 'M.O.N.E.Y' and 'Talk!', Matty Healy seemed to fill the room with his enthusiasm. You felt as though his vocals were a catalyst for movement and excitement in the crowd, with every word he uttered and note he belted you could almost literally feelthe atmosphere in the room lifting everybodies spirits. As a frontman, he is a good as you can get. Cooly drinking from a bottle of red wine, spinning around the stage and iconically head banging to the genius being projected by his friends and fellow band members- George Daniel, Ross Macdonald and Adam Hann, aswell as now the newly added saxophone player, John Waugh. On the other hand, he managed to quickly quieten the crowd to almost silence in moving songs, such as Me and Fallingforyou. It was in these songs where you could see the raw emotion being emitted by Healy. He broke down crying at one point and the entire crowd seemed to respect him a musician, some people crying themselves and others closing their eyes and embracing the music.

Jokes were also shared amongst the crowd as Matty shouted, 'Seriously, this place is brimming with girls tonight. If you're a guy and you can't pull here tonight, somethings wrong!'.

My personal favourite song performed was also one of their oldest songs. Robbers. As the vocals, 'NOW EVERYBODY IS DEAD!' were screamed down the microphone I relieved a moment of happiness from the first time I saw them at Winter Wonderland 2013- which just goes to show that although a band may get more successful, they're always fueled by the same passion and driven by the same force. Which means, they will never really change.

Which brings me onto the next part of the review.
Before the gig, I had the honour of meeting The 1975 and I shared a special moment with Matty outside the venue.
Where I also got to hear The 1975 in soundcheck covering Jackson 5's I Want You Back! You can read about that, if you like, here!
(Here's a sample picture, hehehe!)

Track by Track Album Review: The 1975

Album Review: 
The 1975 // The 1975

Well, well, well look who's here again! I just cannot get enough of the Manchester foursome, The 1975!
One thing admirable about The 1975 is the fact that they are so honest with the music that they create. They don't avoid 'touchy subjects' and they create music about real issues/adventures that life involves. Drugs. Love. Sex. So these topics are discussed on the album- which is so refreshing and charming that you can't help but love them! Then at the same time they can pair these lyrics with upbeat tunes of a high quality.
This album ticks ALL the boxes. So, here is my track by track view of the self-titled album!

Rating: *****

'The 1975'
The opening track is here to set the tone for the self-titled album- which it achieves perfectly! This track is short but builds to an epic crescendo which quickly cuts...leaving you excited for what's in store!

'The City'

This song perfectly captures the essence of The 1975. It has a catchy tune,  heavy drums and an infectious beat. The lyrics to this song are flawlessly sung by Matthew Healy who you can't help but sing along with. A round of applause to The 1975, we're already in love. 

'M.O.N.E.Y'

What a song! On only the third track The 1975 throw out some of their best work. 'M.O.N.E.Y' again give us their signature sound and robotic-style harmonies. I get the feeling of some Prince influences from this track- and I'm not complaining! 

'Chocolate'

This track is most likely the most well known song by The 1975- as you can't go a day without hearing it on the radio. The boys caress our ear drums with the amazing tune of this song and catchy guitar hooks. The lyrics tell us of the hinted drug-fueled adventures of the youthful band. It's truly exceptional, honest and a delight to hear. With such lyrics as, 'guns hidden under our petticoats', 'run, run away from the boys in the blue'- which show us how this songs has hints towards the police/law enforcement using their power to control youth. A youth which don't necessarily need controlling.

'Sex'

If you couldn't tell already The 1975 love to tell us a good story, and this song is no exception! You can hear the power in Matthew Healy's voice as he delivers perfect vocals and catchy lyrics. You can tell that this song would be great live- having everybody dancing and singing, 'She's got a boyfriend anyway!'. Awesome.

'Talk!'

'Why you talk so loud?'.This song perfectly showcases Ross McDonald's bass skills. This is a very easy song to get along with and changes from a choppy rhythm to a slow groove. 

'An Encounter'
This track is a very short, almost trippy, interlude. There isn't much to say about it except that it's a good pallet cleanser and refreshes you. 

'Heart Out'
I get a 'Prince-feeling' (if you will) from this track. After being refreshed by the previous track, I really like the song. 

'Settle Down'

Probably my favourite song by The 1975- this is much slower than tracks such as, 'Girls'. When Matty sings, 'For crying out loud, settle down', I cannot help but get chills and want sing with him. 

'Robbers'
'Robbers' is a much calmer song where we get to hear more of Healy's romantic vocals. This song, again, tells us a story which implies violence, drugs and trouble. For me, this is one of the best songs on the album. I adore it.

'Girls'

Wow. Wow. WOW. This song is complete pick me up and a definite favourite. I'm not sure if it's the handy work of Adam Hann or the catchy lyrics but this song is truly something else. It's a contrast with the previous calmer track, but this colourful injection is not one that would go without a miss. Whether or not it's intentional I can hear the sound of Cyndi Lauper in here, 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', even though the lyrics hold the antheisis of Cyndi's hit.

'12'

Much like the opening track, '12' is short, but most definitly sweet. 

'Menswear'

Such a cool track. It really grabs your interest and I love the line, 'Why don't you talk to Matty about it?'.It makes you feel involved in the song which bursts into life after a synthesized introduction. Again, we get a mention of drugs in here- a running and refreshingly honest theme that The 1975 involve.

'Pressure'

I believe that this track could quite easily be about the pressure of suddenly being a band that has gone from playing together in Matty's bedroom to having a world tour. However, we are promised, 'There's a change in pressure, we're never gonna le to you'.
This is quite a laid-back song but with the same The 1975 beat. This track is very inspiring. This song is great to listen to when you're studying as it's not too 'dance-around-your-room-happy' but isn't 'sit-and-think-about-the-meaning-of-life-laidback'. A quality track.

'Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You'
This is the big finale for an exceptional album. You can really hear the emotion in Healy's voice and tell that the lyrics come from close to the heart. This song is almost a lullaby, a great send off to a great album.

BUY THE ALBUM HERE!

*********************
102
This is a beautiful song, you can hear the raw emotion in Healy's voice as he executes, 'you yapping on about him'. It is relatable to anyone who has ever been in the chokehold of unrequited love. Possibly my faovurite song of all time.