Photo Credit: Samuel Brady
The 1975 coming to Glasgow was a special event and if proof is needed of this then the Scottish TV news reports of dozens of 1975 fans camping outside The Hydro from Wednesday morning in sub zero temperatures proves that this is a committed bunch of fans! The band were in Glasgow for two nights and we were very lucky to attend Friday’s show. Matt Healy has said previously in interviews that he didn’t want to follow his parents into acting but on tonight’s performance he certainly showed great potential as an actor, with his statement halfway through the show “Sorry if you came along to see a music show tonight” proving that this was also a theatre show as well as a musical experience. More on that later…
The Japanese House were personally chosen by Healy as the tour support and he had offered to produce the band’s music under the Dirty Hit label in 2012. Buckinghamshire indie/pop artist Amber Mary Bain is the singer/songwriter of the band and played a seven track set tonight. The Hydro was filling up nicely by the time they took to the stage as the set began with Sad To Breathe followed by Touching Yourself; both tracks from the June 2023 album In The End It Always Does. The five-piece band provided a lively half hour set which perhaps could have been longer given the back catalogue of their music but it’s a great excuse to see The Japanese House during their short UK tour in May. 8/10
Just about every phone in the arena was out to capture the first moments of The 1975 taking to the stage which was preluded by the sound of a car pulling up and a car alarm before the band took to the stage. They appeared one by one with Healy by his piano acknowledging every band member as they took to the stage as the first piano notes of the opening track from their 2022 album Being Funny In A Foreign Language; (The 1975) were played to loud screams from the predominantly teenage audience. As would happen in a play the show was split into three parts with this part being the aforementioned album, we then find Healy sitting on a couch enjoying a pint of Guinness and a cigarette during Looking For Somebody (To Love) before the track bursts into life prompting the first large singalong of the night as the band worked through eight tracks from Being Funny In A Foreign Language. Healy commented that Glasgow is so familiar and is a special place to play ever since that first gig at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut all those years ago, going from three hundred fans back then to over twelve thousand tonight. Oh Caroline and Robbers were highlights of this first part of the set with Healy interacting with the fans whilst guitarist Adam Hann, bass player Ross McDonald and drummer George Daniel looking relaxed going about their business.
After a short interlude Healy then appears on the B Stage at the back of the arena and plays I Like America & America Likes Me acoustically followed by Polly Money turning the heads back to the main stage as she sang Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America. Special mention has to be given to Money as her backing vocals and guitar work were an outstanding part of the night and always with a big smile on her face. The final act of the night was ‘At Their Very Best’ where the band played some older tracks to the delight of the fans, some of whom had travelled from far afield to be at this show. The band were on top form during this part of the show and we had Healy performing a song on top of the stage set roof followed by images portraying the state of the world. Then there was a bizarre moment when he climbed through a TV only to appear on the B-stage moments later beside a naked body, which we can only assume was Healy’s version of a rebirth! The way the full show was choreographed was very clever and is not something you will see very often. It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) and Love It If We Made It were big crowd pleasers during this part of the show. They played an impressive twenty seven songs with the last one being on the B-stage as Matt, Adam and Ross played an acoustic version of People and it really was sad that the show had to end after a full two hours on stage. The 1975 are Still … At Their Very Best as the tour name proclaims! The tour will be heading to Europe for no fewer than seventeen dates after their run of UK shows before a well earned break. This was a very unique tour with some mind blowing moments that will live long in the memory. 10/10
Written By: Alan Brown
