Dressed in black from head-to-toe The 1975 entered centre stage for their first stint of three at the O2 Academy in Brixton. Cue gusts of smoke engulfing the band and crowd alike, enough flashing lights to bring on a headache, and strategically placed spotlights emerging from five rectangles of their signature album cover - for the epic build up of their first song; The City. Wolf Alice and Swim Deep did an incredible job of getting the crowed geared up, but this is what we’ve all been waiting for.
The 1975 have come a long way from The Barfly in Camden to a 5,000 capacity venue in the space of a year. We’re taken for a trip down memory lane with songs from their ‘Sex’ EP- ‘Milk’ and ‘Head.Cars.Bending’ and ‘HNSCC’ from ‘Music For Cars’, which are all welcomed by the enthusiastic audience desperate to hear anything thrown at them. For those hardcore supporters who discovered the band back then, seeing them headline their own show at Brixton was unbelievable. Unbelievable too, for Matt Healy the lead singer, who exclaims his amazement at the size of the crowd throughout the show. Who can blame him? They’ve been playing together for 10 long years and this year they’ve finally struck gold.
Their stage presence is effortless; Healy glides about the stage swishing his Mohawk mane to the beat, losing himself in the 80’s-esque vibes whilst the audience watch on in awe. In ‘You’ Healy has the crowd untied for the obligatory ‘hands clapping in the air, which could seem horrifically ‘cringy’ with other bands; but when Healy tells you to clap - you just do it. During ‘Menswear’, he even run’s off stage to serenade fans on the balcony, something that made it a wonderfully personal experience for the audience, before remarkably making it back in one piece to perform ‘Girls’.
Healy cited his admiration for the crowd whilst performing a delightfully humbling rendition of the last song on their album, ‘Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You’ under a spotlight. An over-excited member of the crowd screams ‘I Love You!’ halfway through the song, to which Matt mummers ‘I love you too’. He then proceeds to hush them with his index finger, and the crowd fall silent for their new idol once more.
The rest of the show is nothing short of electric, and the energy coming from the audience is admiration filled. Their last song, ‘Sex’ was a celebration of how far they’ve come, with the dedicated crowd singing along down to the last syllable. Healy holds both his hands up to the ceiling like an American gospel preacher; as if to inhale the praise.
So who cares if all you see for the train journey home is recurring flashing lights, and all you can hear is that awful post-show ear ringing - it’s for a worthy cause. I’d challenge you not to feel shamelessly tempted to pay triple and see them again the following night for another inspirational experience.
