The 1975 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - September 20 2013 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Written by Katie Territt
Stepping into the iconic Shepherd's Bush Empire prior to the 1975’s highly-anticipated London date was like stepping into a time machine and being whisked back to the ‘80s. In this case, we’re talking Level 42, Talking Heads and bands whose music has stood the test of time.
Fresh off the back of a #1 album with their self-titled debut, the 1975 played to a sold out crowd who had quite clearly spent the last couple of weeks learning every song in the band's back catalogue, ensuring that they weren't the one caught out. Their work paid off, with seemingly the entire venue singing every word back during the hit-heavy set.
When it comes to the band’s lead singer, Matt Healy, it's not just a distinctive voice he had to offer. His charismatic charm was evident, whether he was eyes closed and singing from the soul or wandering around the stage during instrumentals swigging from a bottle of wine.
The minimal talking and crowd interaction between songs didn't matter, because it was impossible to take your eyes off Healy. He's a random combination of cute, odd and sexy and is as captivating as you would want any frontman to be.
The biggest reactions of the night were unsurprisingly for singles The City and Sex. It’s truly rare that a band is out-sung as much as the 1975 were when they launched into set-closer, Chocolate - Healy gushing in a rare moment of calm, "London, you have no idea.”
Despite the clear ‘80s influences found in songs such as Settle Down, Heart Out, M.O.N.E.Y. and Girls, there is still something completely unique about the 1975. No-one sounds quite like them. They’re a talented group of musicians whose songs ooze confidence and ability, as well as a self-belief from what they have already achieved and are bound to continue to achieve in the future. With an audience practically baying for an encore, it's clear that demand for the band is huge - here's hoping they're around for years to come.
Tue September 24th 2013 - OXFORD O2 Academy Oxford
Wed September 25th 2013 - NORWICH Waterfront
Thu September 26th 2013 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Sat September 28th 2013 - BRIGHTON Brighton Concorde 2
Mon September 30th 2013 - DUBLIN Academy
Tue October 1st 2013 - BELFAST Mandela Hall
Tue January 7th 2014 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Wed January 8th 2014 - MANCHESTER Academy
Fri January 10th 2014 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Sat January 11th 2014 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Fri February 7th 2014 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Sat February 8th 2014 - ABERDEEN Aberdeen Music Hall
Mon February 10th 2014 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
Tue February 11th 2014 - SHEFFIELD O2 Academy Sheffield
Wed February 12th 2014 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Thu February 13th 2014 - CARDIFF Cardiff University Students Union
Fri February 14th 2014 - BOURNEMOUTH O2 Academy Bournemouth
Sat February 15th 2014 - NORWICH UEA
Mon February 17th 2014 - BELFAST Ulster Hall Belfast
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