Sydney Olympic Park
Saturday July 23, 2016 :
When The 1975 come to town, you know you are in for a good time and Saturday night’s Splendour sideshow at Sydney Olympic Park was no exception. With an artistic and visually stunning backdrop, the bright fluro lights and the band’s signature rectangle became everyone’s Instagram dream.
Taking to the stage to warm up the crowd was Brisbane band, Cub Sport, and there was no denying their incredible vocal and instrumental abilities. This band may be small but they had no trouble filling the massive arena with their rhythmic melodies and powerful voices. Cub Sport ended on a win with their track ‘I’m on Fire’, which helped grow the anticipation and excitement for the main act.
As soon as the 1975 appeared, the crowd erupted in screams and squeals which didn’t just derive from the younger girls. The 1975 have built such a strong, dynamic fan base, ranging from the many tween girls to the burly 20-something year old men, with even a few parents being spotted in the crowd. When the 1975 play, the event instantly becomes everyone’s happy place. For the 90min set, there was not one person who was not high from the positive, eclectic energy and love that encapsulated the room. There is no way you could be sad when surrounded by pink lights and lead singer, Matt Healy’s, flirtatious stage presence.
As expected, the set was predominately filled with songs from their recent album, I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, which seems to be much more influenced by ’80s pop than their self titled debut album from 2013. The songs are filled with slightly strange and depreciating lyrics that are covered over with synth-pop instrumentals, resulting in every song sounding like it could be a hit single. Opening with their bouncy ‘Love Me’, a sea of phones filled the air and they rarely left until the end of the night. The only exception was with Healy’s usual request for everyone to put their phones away when playing a song about himself, titled ‘Me’.
As their new album contains a few songs with lengthy instrumental solos, this gave the crowd a break to chill out for a minute. But of course, this didn’t last for long as Healy hit straight back with songs like ‘Heart Out’, ‘She’s American’ and their very popular track, ‘Chocolate’. Healy didn’t converse with the crowd as much as he has done previously at shows which I felt was a bit of a shame but this may be due to the possibility of a very big previous night at Splendour.
Ending their set with ‘Sex’, which is undoubtedly one of their most popular songs, the crowd hung onto every word and just like the rest of the night, this song helped make their show one gigantic dance party. I’ve seen this band play each time they have toured Australia and have watched them grow both in musical ability and popularity. Their is no denying that the 1975 will continue to leap from strength to strength and I absolutely can’t wait to see what they bring for us when they return again next year.
Reviewer : Jessica Ward
Photographer : Kevin Bull (images from BDO 2014)