Media Diary- Week 3: The 1975 Concert

The 1975 are a Manchester based indie-rock band consisting of band members Matty Healy (vocals, guitar), George Daniel (drums, backing vocals), Adam Hann (guitar) and Ross Macdonald (bass); their self titled debut album was released in September 2013 and went to No.1 in the UK Albums Chart. They've toured internationally as well as performing at the annual Coachella festival in California this year. On Friday (26th September) I travelled to Manchester with a couple of friends to see them perform in the O2 Academy, it was honestly one of the best concert experiences ever!

In the days leading up I began to get nervous about going and became sceptical, not because I didn't want to see the band but because of the venue itself. We have an O2 Academy in Liverpool (which I've been to various times for gigs) but from the pictures I'd been shown this one was much bigger and being my height surrounded by literally hundreds of people made me think I was going to get crushed. I've witnessed a mosh pit...yeah, not for me. However, I was wrong! I'll admit at points during the concert I was on edge but overall I shouldn't of worried at all. Getting into the venue did take a while; we queued for 45 minutes possibly an hour but it was all worth it, we definitely got a surprise when we got in as we were so close to the stage- as you can see from this photo taken by my friend at the concert!                                            

Lead vocalist Matty Healy

The 1975 were absolutely unbelievable! Their live performance was exactly like you'd expect to hear; it was like listening to the album and I love that because it makes me admire the band more knowing that what you hear through your headphones or speakers is genuine, knowing they're not one of those acts who are a let down when you go and see them is a relief. Stage setting for the tour was what you'd expect from the band; I'm actually shocked they only had two smoke machines considering how much smoke there was! At one point you couldn't see the stage at all...you could of easily thought you were surrounded by clouds! As the smoke cleared they brought down three white strobe lights to create an image of their album cover....

...then they appeared, each member in all black-definitely embracing the theme they'd created with their album style! The whole stage setting created such an amazing atmosphere and to be in the crown with so many fellow fans I always think is like being with people you know in a sense, your all gathered for one reason, a bunch of strangers with one definite thing in common. My favourite part (besides seeing the band in front of me and hearing my favourite songs) was when the whole crowd sang along to the songs; it always is my highlight of a concert! The vocals, guitar and drums where a success, I couldn't fault a single moment of their performance but you could call me a biased fan I suppose. Matty, the lead vocalist, was so humble too by thanking each and every fan for supporting the band to get them where they are right now (being honest every act does that when you see them these days though), it felt genuine when you heard him speak in his Northern accent a familiar sound! 

The band did have supporting acts but honestly the crowds roar was so loud I didn't hear their names but I did hear the music and they were exactly what you'd expect from the band. Both brilliant with an immense talent! I wish I had gotten their names because I'd be so interested to look them up on YouTube and see other performances!

I think the only thing I'd change was possibly where we stood; we were so close to the speakers that when we left my ears constantly felt like they needed to pop. I'd also change the amount of people around me (as stupid as it sounds) yes, I loved being around fellow fans but I had no room to move- I was hit in the nose at least twice and had people stand on my feet, push past and through me so many times I couldn't even count.

We entered the venue at about half 7 only to leave at around half 11, after 4 hours of standing all our legs had no strength at all; I mean we all felt like the muscles in our legs had just gone to jelly. You'd think we'd head home...oh no not us! We're those group of girls you see at the side door waiting for the band to appear- we waited for at least an hour and then finally they came out: Matty, George, Hanns, Ross...we were so happy it topped off the night! After seeing them we got in the car and began the journey home! It was the best night ever! I'd definitely go and see them again.