The 1975 have revolutionised the British indie music scene over the last decade and their latest arena tour proves why they are one of the biggest bands in the country.
The four-piece from Wilmslow in Cheshire never forget their roots and stunned a sell-out crowd at Manchester Arena on Friday, bringing their most daring yet incredible show to a home audience.
Each member entered the door of a 1970’s style living room set, one by one turning on the lights, settling down and inviting an awaiting crowd to two hours of pure madness.
Split into two halves, the first is a showcase of their latest album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ in a way like never before.
It’s an artistic performance as much as a stage play, with frontman Matty Healy starting the show swigging from a hip flash and lighting a fag before beginning with their album opener ‘The 1975’.
They continued with the album hits ‘Part of the Band’ and ‘I’m in Love With You’ before Healy began talking about “the show about the show” questioning whether everything was real or they were playing a role.
The set was intertwined with several cultural references as the band were not afraid to highlight political and societal issues.
70’s style TV’s on stage depicted images of Rishi Sunak, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew between songs.
As the rest of the band briefly left the stage, Matty who’s as extravagant as usual goes from doing shirtless press-ups to eating raw meat and crawling through one of the TV screens.
If chaos was a work of art then this would be it. It has everything and it never failed to leave you laughing, dancing and in awe of just how much effort has been put into it.
A brief interlude saw Manchester treated to a guest appearance from Charlie XCX who is coincidentally dating the band’s drummer George Daniel.
She perfectly set up the second half of the show which brings some of the group’s biggest hits to life in an epic masterclass of how an indie rock arena show should be done.
This is where they do what they do best, with the frontman explaining how they’re just “a band from Wilmslow and don’t need to say how special it is to be here.”
Throughout this part, you could tell even without dialogue just how much this night meant to the group.
Healy collapsed to the floor during many of the hit songs looking very emotional throughout, and it felt like a full-circle moment for a band that started out playing some of the smallest venues in the city.
He continued to thank fans for their support during their rendition of the debut album hit ‘Chocolate’, saying: “10 years ago we put out this album and you’re still here.”
The nod to their past carried on with ‘I Always Wanna Die Sometimes’ which is based on a train journey from Wilmslow to Manchester Picadilly via Handforth and was greeted by cheers from the locals.
There were even more laughs when one fan threw a Greggs sausage roll onto the stage with Healy making no mistake in retrieving it and having a bite.
They ended on ‘Give Yourself A Try’ which focuses on many of Healy’s struggles and the difficulties that affect his generation.
It felt right to finish on such a personal note in a city that has been so influential in the life and career of all of the members.
It’s an extraordinary masterpiece and so unique that if you get the opportunity to, then you have to go and see it for yourself.
The 1975 are not just ‘At Their Very Best’ but they’re at the very top right now.
Main picture credit: Jordan Curtis Hughes
