The 1975 @ HBF Stadium
w/ No Rome
Friday, September 27, 2019
After announcing the tour a little less than a year before it began, The 1975 finally hit Perth shores for a huge show at HBF Stadium. All the anticipation had led to this moment, and the band did not disappoint. They delivered a night of dancing, jumping, crying and love.
Waiting in line for hours meant getting inside the venue was a relief, and this feeling was only made better when support act No Rome came on stage with bright green hair. Excitement built throughout his set as the punters enjoyed the short but sweet performance, playing Do It Again, Saint Laurent, Stoned in the Valley, 5 Ways to Bleach Your Hair and Seventeen among others. We sang Happy Birthday to his drummer, and celebrated the end of his support run with The 1975 in style. Things are only looking up for the Filipino singer.
Anticipation was well and truly in the air as the stage was changed over to accommodate what was to come, and the fun started as soon as the lights went down. The 1975 walked on stage after the sound of The 1975 (A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships) rang throughout the stadium and its lyrics flashed up on the screen. The excitement and love felt throughout the stadium from that first line, “Go down,” was incredible. The fans absolutely adore this band, and this night only highlighted that.
Their latest single, People, was up first and its punk vibes immediately got everybody dancing and screaming along, and set the pace for singer Matty Healy’s performance for the rest of the show – he came out full of energy and dance moves and never let that fade. Give Yourself A Try was next, followed by TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME, which ensured everyone stayed dancing. At this point, it was the band’s back up dancers, The Jaiy Twins’, time to shine. They really added something extra to the whole show, as did the box and backdrop changing colours to match the songs.
Next Healy and co went back to popular second album i like it when you sleep… for She’s American before jumping back into new songs Sincerity is Scary (which saw the hat made famous in the music video appear before being thrown into the crowd at the end of the track), and It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) which incited a big chorus singalong. The band then gave the crowd a calm and somber moment with I Couldn’t Be More In Love.
A Change of Heart was a welcome setlist addition before the band got support act No Rome back on stage to perform the song that they wrote together, Narcissist. Fans were delighted with old track You before an instrumental followed by one of the ultimate fan favourites, Robbers. “Oh yes, nostalgia,” Matty exclaimed before the defining riff rang out across the stadium. The old tracks didn’t stop there, the four piece launched into fallingforyou which had everybody screaming the line made famous on tumblr, “I don’t wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your neck!”
The vibe was taken back up for I Like America & America Likes Me before the box started glowing pink and multiplying, signalling that it was time for Somebody Else. Healy roused the crowd, although he didn’t have to try that hard, into shouting “f*ck that, get money” with him in different sections. The sad songs didn’t stop there, Me, a rare setlist addition, was played next, followed by I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes), but although the songs being played were sad, everyone was just so happy to hear them live.
While the previous tracks may have gotten tears flowing, even more eyes got watery throughout The 1975 ft. Greta Thunburg (Notes on a Conditional Form). Greta’s voice rang clear throughout the stadium, telling us that we are in a climate emergency, and it is time to rebel. This message brought a lot of cheers, especially after the previous weeks’ climate rally and Greta’s speech to the UN. To drive these points home, the band played Love It If We Made It, their political anthem made up of news headlines and frustration. This was one of the most visually pleasing songs of the whole set, although the whole show had incredible lights and production.
The 1975 finished on a trio of hits, Chocolate, Sex and The Sound. You could feel the love for the band and each other in the room during these songs, and it was a great high to finish on. The band did an excellent job of mixing elements of their music videos into their live show, and the lights were incredible, especially with the big box hanging in the middle of the stage. One of the only negatives was that Healy’s microphone was a touch too quiet; the rest of the sound, however, was great.
I used to hate The 1975, but damn, it is pretty hard to hate them when they put on a show like that.
KIERRA POLLOCK
Photos by Jordan Munns (from Sydney show)
