The 1975
18th September 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Chontalle Musson.
British pop-rock group The 1975 returned to kiwi shores last night, playing a one-off sold-out show at Spark Arena as part of their third album tour, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. We last saw the quartet in 2016 when they had newly released their now much-loved second album ‘I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It.’
I first saw The 1975 way back when I was a teenager, so being at Spark surrounded by the screaming youth certainly took me back to them playing an intimate gig in London, where this small band that nobody knew delivered something seriously special. I’m not sure if that’s why I was left a little disappointed about last night’s performance, perhaps I had pre-empted the show, forgetting that the alt-popstars had since taken on the world.
A lively performance from support act London-based Filipino musician No Rome prepared the audience for a dynamic night, unfortunately that wasn’t quite what was delivered. Don’t get me wrong, The 1975 made a grand entrance, blasting out new track ‘People’ from their upcoming fourth album ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’, which certainly showcased their inner rockers while simultaneously highlighting the band’s diversity. However, there was something missing and I couldn’t quite pinpoint it at first, but as the night wore on it hit me… the energy, was lacking.
‘Give yourself a try’ was an early highlight and somewhat lifted the mood as it got everyone on their feet bouncing along to the poppy beat. Front-man Matt Healy then demonstrated his dance abilities during ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’, swinging all parts of his body in different directions like a puppet. He certainly looked like he was enjoying himself as much as the crowd.
Five songs in and Healy finally stops to address the fans before playing ‘She’s American’ from their second album. “I know you know this bit,” he shouts and of course thousands of teens screamed back “If she likes it cause we just don’t eat / And we’re so intelligent, she’s American”. The crowd’s vigour along with the sax really bringing the track to life.
‘Sincerity is Scary’ displayed yet again another side to the band, this time a much softer one. The graphics for this track were clever as they portrayed an American street, that whilst moving slowly, created the illusion that Healy himself was strolling along it. It was almost like a live music video being re-enacted on stage. At the end of the song, Healy finally introduced the band while declaring “We come bearing fat tunes!” before breaking into ‘It’s Not Living (If it’s Not With You).
The band’s sound transports us back to the 80s, yet still keeps it modern with their electric alt-rock pop feel. The lighting was certainly a highlight for me, each track encompassing a variable range of intriguing graphics and illumination, that told their own story. A key narrative that was shared towards the end of the night, being that of Greta Thunberg’s ‘Time to Rebel’ speech, which was played alongside images of climate change. It was all deeply moving, but also rather ironic when we along with thousands of others were drinking from plastic cups that would soon be littering the floor; Healy himself sitting on the edge of the stage smoking a fag, intently watching this crucial video about the destruction of our very own planet…
Some of The 1975’s oldest tracks like ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’ received the loudest reactions from the crowd; it’s like their 12-year-old selves had been waiting in their 18-year-old bodies for these two tracks all night. There was an explosion of vitality that we, unfortunately, hadn’t got to see carried throughout the entire evening.
It’s lucky that the crowd were so loud, as at times the music itself often drowned out Healy’s vocals; I’m not sure whether there was a sound issue, but I believe there would have been more of an impact if his voice were louder.
Along with the lack of liveliness, conversation and interaction was also lacking between the band; it was all very robotic, everyone having their place and only Healy moving around the stage. Now, there is nothing wrong with a lack of dialogue, a showman like Healy lets his music do the talking; but in saying that it would have been great to have seen a little more personality shine through.
Closing off the night with ‘The Sound’ and a short but sweet “Goodbye Babe” from Healy to Auckland, we bid The 1975 farewell. But not for too long as the alt-pop group will return in January 2020 to play Laneway Festival, Healy declaring “We are coming back with a new album, and if you come see us you’ll see a whole new set.”
Well let’s hope the boys bring some more energy on their next visit to Auckland…
Were you there at Spark Arena to witness this Indie Pop Rock act? Or have you seen The 1975 perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- People
- Give Yourself a Try
- TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME
- She’s American
- Sincerity Is Scary
- It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)
- Love Me
- I Couldn’t Be More in Love
- Undo
- A Change of Heart
- Narcissist [No Rome cover] [with No Rome]
- Depth
- Robbers
- fallingforyou
- I Like America & America Likes Me
- Somebody Else
- If I Believe You
- You
- I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
- Love It If We Made It
- Chocolate
- Sex
- The Sound
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