The 1975 perform in Auckland. Photo: Supplied
The 1975 perform in Auckland.
Review - As a self-proclaimed veteran fan of The 1975, I felt as though it was my moral obligation to attend this concert with the sole purpose of writing this very review.
I've been through hell and high water with this band since the release of their debut album in 2013; their music soundtracked my early teens up until my early 20s. Finding their fame on platforms such as Tumblr and Twitter, they're a band that a lot of late-millennials and early gen-z'ers grew up with.
Fans were lined up outside Spark Arena from as early as 8am the day before the show - some of them had come directly from the show in Wellington the night prior, and a small handful had also travelled from as far as the US, and as close as Newmarket to get as close to the band as they possibly could.
Closer to doors, they were all dressed head to toe in outfits that resembled that of front man Matty Healy's new era; collared shirts with a loose tie, black pants, and black boots. As a band that has cycled through many "eras," it's interesting to see how the aesthetics change every album cycle. This one feels less serious, more playful, somewhat mature, with a large hint of ignorance and an even bigger splash of narcissism.
Whether or not that's a good thing is to be determined.
Styled in NZ designers Baobei and Caitlin Snell, US powerhouse Wallice hit the stage just after 8pm. With a sound influenced by the likes of Weezer, extremely reminiscent of early Paramore, she felt like the perfect fit for the slot. When I talked to her prior to the show, she expressed that opening for a band where the front few rows are tired from camping overnight can be difficult. Across the board, winning a crowd over before the main act is a task in itself. However, she does it with ease, and in the cutest way possible.
In my notes, all I wrote down was: "Cute, j'adore, I'm even more obsessed with her." Sums up the set pretty well.
Photo: Supplied
As 9pm hits, the big screen feeds a live video of Matty backstage as Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley plays over the speakers. The acronym ATPOAIM - A Theatrical Performance of an Intimate Moment - flashes on screen as the live feed watched Matty pace back and forth, before coming on stage to perform an acoustic medley of Oh Caroline, I Couldn't Be More In Love, and Sincerity is Scary. The stage, formerly a house on the bigger US and UK tours, has been condensed down into a homely apartment, with furnishings that could have been picked out from a Kmart or an IKEA. Homebrand candle kinda vibe.
With a wine bottle and a cigarette in hand, it's almost like the old Matty I first encountered in 2013, a decade ago, was on stage.
This is the first tour the band has done since the rise of TikTok. Videos of Healy on stage went viral on the platform, namely ones where he was speaking into an autotuned mic in between songs. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that this newfound virality has attributed to garnering a newer, younger, chronically online fanbase, eager to catch any and every moment that could recreate the viral moments that attracted them to the four-piece in the first place. For every one person, there were about two to three iPhones in the air at any given moment. The band didn't seem to mind.
With a show split into two halves, with a less time-coded stage and visual design, it gave the band free reign to switch up the setlist at every show. As a punter, going in not knowing what to expect can be scary. Sometimes, before shows, I'll have a look at the setlist of the artist I'm seeing so I know what I'm in for; but this band has never been one to let me rest and be calm before a show. The 1975 keep you on your toes at every given point of the show.
Deep cuts like UGH! and She's American, and more recent songs such as If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know), I'm In Love With You, and About You kept the fans on their A-game, jumping around and singing at the top of their lungs. At points, it almost felt like I was transported back to the first time I heard their music and the experiences I had with it as a teen.
There were many mobile phones in the air at any given moment. Photo: Supplied / Jordan Curtis Hughes
It was hard to tell, at points, whether or not Healy's drunken stumbling on stage and occasional murmuring was all a part of a bit he's just super committed to, or if he's just a really good actor. The show builds this world within a world that's a bit hard to grasp. After breaking character (allegedly) in the middle of the show, he sits down and essentially starts a group therapy session with all 12,000 people at Spark Arena.
"The whole thing is getting a bit weird because it's self-referential. The character in the show is me. And the show is about someone who makes mistakes and does the wrong thing."
Healy has been the subject of controversy for a number of months now. He doesn't take himself seriously and is extremely scared of sincerity. He admitted to it all in an extremely strange attempt to apologise for racist comments he made on the Adam Friedland Show podcast in February, where he made a myriad of racist and misogynistic comments, all under the guise of "satire."
Without directly speaking about the podcast itself, he commented on how his jokes got "misconstrued" on the show. He later explained himself, saying "I'm making jokes about shit because if I don't, then I have to be really sincere, and I don't like doing that. And I know that this is a paradox, but this is really freaking me out, and I feel like I need to do this. If this is part of the story, I'm a little bit sorry about shit that I've said, sometimes. I never meant to hurt anybody."
The episode of the podcast has since been removed from streaming.
There's a point in every show that this band does where the flood gates open and you completely give in to the moment. At this show, there were two of these; performing Fallingforyou, An Encounter, and Robbers in a row, and The Sound, Sex, and Give Yourself a Try. I watched every single person around me experience every emotion under the sun. On one side of me, people were crying and holding each other, and on the other side, fans were letting out all their pent-up energy before the lights came back up.
There are many types of fans of this band, but two stand out: ones that are there because they thought the TikToks were crack up, and ones that were there to relive the moments they built with The 1975 as teenagers. The four-piece have slowly but surely become an act driven on nothing more than nostalgia and virality - where that'll take them over the next few years is to be determined.
At the end of the day, all I want to know is what kind of wine he was drinking.
