The atmosphere in Newtown¡¯s Enmore Theatre was abuzz with chatter and squeals on Wednesday (July 30). The room was filled to capacity with a plethora of various ¡®90s get-ups, mostly of the young female variety ¨C who waved their arms and squawked collectively every time someone from the sound crew walked on stage. Everyone in the sold-out crowd appeared three Red Bulls deep as they anxiously waited, straining their necks to get a glimpse of Manchester pop rockers, The 1975.
Sydney¡¯s Mammals bring their fusion of electronica and indie rock to the fast-filling space, which seems to be the perfect complement to The 1975¡¯s tastes. The band really deliver on the energy front; it¡¯s all slashing strings and thrashing hair as they pump up the crowd with tracks such as Carried and Circles. Kurt Cobain meets Bon Iver frontman, Guy Brown, takes the opportunity to announce that the band¡¯s forthcoming EP, Animalia, is set to drop on August 15, before wrapping up.
Shrouded in black-and-white flashing lights, lead singer Matt Healy spins onto the stage. Dressed in a white button-down shirt, trademark bottle of red wine in hand, he sings the opening line to The 1975¡¯s eponymous track, The City, ¡°Don¡¯t call it a fight when you know it¡¯s a war.¡± The booming drums engulf the space, and the infectious song bounces and swings seamlessly into Milk, which gets the crowd moving and shaking with its catchy riffs and upbeat quality. The trendy quartet slow things down with synth heavy track, M.O.N.E.Y, and Healy lights a cigarette, switching between drags and swigs of red wine while he croons.
As the song fades out, a wild-haired Matt Healy takes a moment to ask the crowd to settle down, saying: ¡°We¡¯re at a 1975 show, not a Mastodon show. It¡¯s for dancing, not pushing.¡± Before urging the crowd of hyperactive youths to take a step back. The black-and-white clad quartet slides into So Far (It¡¯s Alright) and Talk!, which showcase Ross McDonald¡¯s swagger on the bass, as he chugs along to the slick, slower-paced grooves of the songs.
The excited mob is taken back to the ¡®80s with the playful guitars and pulsating drums of She Way Out and Settle Down, during which, Matt Healy commands the stage ¨C he is all hair flicks and sideways pouts as he dances flamboyantly across the stage. The energy in the room begins to flat line, but the band quickly redeem themselves, giving fans a musical shock to the system with the delicious cocktail of synth, sax and ¡®80s electro-pop on Heart Out.
As the son of British actors, it¡¯s no wonder Matt Healy has no problem being in the spotlight, and it shows in his charmingly awkward banter with the audience. Following what is arguably the band¡¯s most emotive track, Me ¨C where Healy warbles lyrics like, ¡°Oh I was thinking about killing myself, don¡¯t you mind/I love you, don¡¯t you mind, don¡¯t you mind¡± over a soothing blend of easing synth and a steady drum kicks ¨C Healy points out an audience member and says: ¡°I just poured my heart out, and you got your tits out.¡± He also declares, ¡°Stop throwing sh*t. I feel like I¡¯m in the 1800s¡± after dodging several rogue plastic bottles.
The venue was alight with the glow of iPhones as lead guitarist Adam Hann plays the opening riff to uplifting power ballad, You. The atmosphere is electric as the song builds, eventually exploding in the song¡¯s final moments, with Healy screaming: ¡°It takes a bit more, yeah it takes a bit more!¡± Despite the chain smoking and swigs of red wine, Healy¡¯s vocals soars flawlessly on tracks Menswear and Fallforyou. During these songs, Healy¡¯s vocal versatility shines through, knowing when to project and when to pull back, he allows his soft falsetto to convey the emotive lyrics. The atmosphere in the red-faced crowd simmers as fans sway with the ebb-and-flow of the enchanting soundscape.
After a short interval, Matt Healy re-emerges with his flowing shirt open, exposing his bare, tattooed chest. This is enough to get fangirls squealing, as the four-piece launch into their infectiously poppy track, Girls. The Prince-esque song gets fans buzzing and shoulders chaffing, with the crowd providing the backing vocals to the hyper-catchy tune. Excitement is at an all-time high, when the pop rockers play the opening to their smash-hit Robbers, which immediately glides into Chocolate with its catchy hooks and subject matter of drug-addled youth. The set ends with a bang (pun intended) as the rockers roll into their biggest hit to date, Sex. As the song¡¯s subject is pretty evident in the title, there is lust on Healy¡¯s lips, and in fan¡¯s eyes, as they thrash and flail among the sea of sweaty bodies. As the song draws to a close, the Brit boys are met with thunderous applause. Having announced that they will be returning to Australia in January next year, the band graciously thank Sydney fans for their support, before becoming mysterious silhouettes against the dark, smoky backdrop and eventually disappearing off stage.
The 1975 delivered an impressive live set, both in terms of quality of the music and performance value. Despite the excessive squeals of tweens, it was an energetic set full of dancing, cheeky banter and fabulous hair (yes, the band¡¯s). With the promise of a new album and another visit Down Under in 2015, the popularity of the band will undoubtedly grow ¨C possibly to the size of Matt Healy¡¯s ego, but only time will tell.
The 1975 @ The Enmore Theatre 30/07/2014 Setlist
1. The City
2. Milk
3. M.O.N.E.Y
4. So Far (It¡¯s Alright)
5. Talk!
6. She Way Out
7. Settle Down
8. Heart Out
9. Pressure
10. Me
11. Fallingforyou
12. You
13. HSNCC
14. Menswear
15. Girls
Encore
16. Robbers
17. Chocolate
18. Sex
