Mancunian pop-rock band The 1975 performed the second show of their new tour, Modernity Has Failed Us (a line aptly taken from the song Love It If We Made It) at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday night. The band consists of Adam Hann on guitar, Ross MacDonald on bass, George Daniel on drums and frontman Matty Healy.
Joining them on stage was the Jaiy twins who have been announced as their new backing dancers, and also featured in the music video for It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You). They were also joined by saxophone player John Waugh. They performed songs from their new album A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships whilst making nods to their previous albums; I like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It and The 1975, in what proved to be an enigmatic and provocative performance.
There is a buzz in the air as the lights finally go down and the crowd starts screaming – the show begins with a bang as the band appears on stage with one of their more recent singles, Give Yourself a Try. Healy becomes the obvious centre of everyone’s rapt attention as he appears in a blue boiler suit and shocking red trainers. A stark contrast to older performances when he was generally found shirtless. The boiler could be making a reference to 70’s rock band Devo who were famously known for wearing matching boiler suits, performing up beat songs but with particularly interesting lyrics. Devo was a band that stood for the devolution of society and The 1975’s new album seems to represent that idea too.
The show moves on to their 2018 hit single TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME and the Jaiy twins appear on stage in casual tank tops and trousers – the dancers are not over sexualised as can be seen in other artists shows, and it comes as a welcome change.
Healy proclaims very early on into the show he will not be talking with the audience too much, that he wants to focus on the music which is probably for the best – the singer has been in hot water before based on comments made on stage.
Another one of the hit singles off of their new album begins playing with a gorgeous saxophone number from Waugh. Healy dawns a floppy eared bunny hat and oversized headphones as he begins singing Sincerity is Scary however before the audience can stop screaming, Healy steps onto a treadmill running the length of the front of the stage and what appears to be a quaint neighbourhood appears on the backdrop. The audience cannot get enough and Healy looks like he’s enjoying himself despite concentrating on not falling over. It is a fantastic reference to their music video for the song as Healy dazzles the audience.
This seems to be the biggest reveal of the night and the audience begins to relax as the band perform It’s Not living (If It’s Not With You) and Loving Someone. Before the next song can begin Healy is raised on a platform and the screens behind him turn to static. The singer reaches out to touch the screen and it appears as though he has been swallowed by the static – but suddenly he appears again on a shelf within the screen, which shows the word ‘hello’ across it.
The show begins to slow down a bit as the band moves on to A Change Of Heart and Narcissist which is performed alongside Fillipino artist No Rome, who Matt Healy has dubbed his protégé. The Jaiy twins now appear on the shelf in the screen in place of Healy but the audience still love it.
Visuals throughout the show are absolutely stunning with different backdrops and colours and concepts used. The artistry of the visual effects matches the ferocity and unexpectedness of the album and the band perfectly. How To Draw/Petrichor is a perfect example of this. Matt Healy sits down in front of a piano and the audience turn to watch the pictures that appear on screen. Beautiful images of what seem to be made up of blurry pixels appear, showing what looks like a rainy day through the window and bright beautiful city lights as a car drives down a road.
The show continues with the slower pace it has now established and soon Robbers comes on, a classic from their very first self-titled album. Healy declares this a song for the crowd, a song which has always been for them. This song encapsulates the first album perfectly and it reminds everyone in the audience why they fell in love with the band in the first place. Healy’s singing seems almost personal as it reaches out to every single member of the audience, he appreciates them and what they have helped him achieve and they can feel that appreciation through this song. It is hard to miss the emotional sincerity in his voice as he moves almost everyone in the arena to tears.
Performances of The Sound and Sex, two of their most famous songs, end the night and complete the encore. Throughout the concert Healy effortlessly guided the crowd through a fantastic mash up of A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships and their older music helping to cement The 1975 as one of the best artists of this generation.
Header image: Jordan Curtis Hughes
