Soon after The 1975 scored a number one album in the first week of release, I had the opportunity to see them live in action. As a relatively new fan, I was unsure what to expect from their show. So, with patient curiosity I waited through the support, feeling the crowd warm in anticipation of the headliner.
It was not until The 1975 came on-stage that the buzzing atmosphere inside the intimate and cozy venue of Newcastle’s Student Union really exploded. Their opening song, ‘The City’ immediately revealed why they’ve sold out their entire tour, flawlessly depicting the amazing stage presence of front man and vocalist, Matthew Healy, who was constantly moving around the small atmospheric stage, drawing in the crowd and enticing them to jump with him. Their set was always going to be quite short, a set list filled with the songs from their debut album. The crowd, packed with people of all ages, seemed to know every word to every song despite the album having been out for less than two weeks.
The band ended their set on their undeniably catchy song ‘Chocolate’, their first successful single which hit the top 20 within a few weeks of its March release, and so obviously the most appropriate song to end their show on. However, the crowd was not satisfied. Two fan favourites, ‘Sex’ and ‘You’ did not feature in their initial set, compelling the crowd to chant “we want sex” continuously until the band reappeared to finish their set off perfectly. This was perhaps the best moment of their show. It showed how genuinely surprised and enthralled The 1975 were at the response of their loyal fans, with Healy even telling the audience how “humbling an experience” it was to be playing to them.