THE 1975, STILL VERY MUCH AT THEIR VERY BEST… | LIVE REVIEW

Last weekend The 1975 brought their stunning ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour home, with two sold out nights at Manchester’s AO Arena.

“Tonight, you are watching, not only Manchester’s, but the world’s greatest band. This is The 1975 … Still, At Their Verrrry Best” bellows Matty Healy in a mock American commentator accent, inviting a wave of cheers and applause from the crowd assembled before him. A bold claim for sure, but anyone who’s been to see The 1975 on this tour would find it hard to disagree with him.

An ‘era’s band

The 1975 have always known the importance of tying their live shows in aesthetically with their records, approaching tours as an extension of their art, and a way for fans to fully immerse themselves in the world of the band’s current ‘era’.

The ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour is The 1975’s most ambitious yet. A Show within a show, and as much of a theatrical performance as it is a pop concert – which lead singer Healy has alluded is partially for artistic merit and partially just a cunning way to avoid smoking fines.

Just in case you’ve managed to miss the tour which has taken over most of our TikTok feeds – and international news headlines-over the past two years, I’ll give you the SparksNotes.

The 1975’s ‘At Their Very Best’ era actually began back in 2022, when the band set out on tour in support of their album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’. Due to phenomenal worldwide demand (and I suspect a slight addiction to the buzz of touring), the band are back with an updated, extended and exceptional new iteration. ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ sees the band take the show’s original concept and fine tune it, with more dates, more props and more Matty Healy monologues, much to the delight of The 1975’s dedicated army of fans.

The tour’s staging is a work of art within itself. ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ sees the band perform within their very own TV set – a fully furnished house, complete with working lights, windows, doors and even a telegraph pole. A set so excruciatingly detailed and interactive that it has become its own character within the show’s abstract narrative.

A show within a show

On Saturday I got to experience the show that’s been taking the world by storm firsthand, as the four piece from Wilmslow made their long awaited a return to Manchester’s AO Arena.

As I took to my seat, the stage was obscured by a giant theatre style curtain, with the band’s logo projected onto it, building the anticipation from the crowd. As the curtain dropped and screams erupted around the arena, it was clear that tonight’s show was going to be a real spectacle.

The show begins with band entering the stage one by one, their names appearing on the big screens in a 90’s sit com esque fashion, ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’s version of The 1975 – acting as the nights opening credits. Despite hardly actually being home themselves in recent years, the band look more than at home on their stage, with front man Healy especially treating it like his very own living room, even stopping at one point to pour a toast for himself and touring band member Polly Money.

When he isn’t theatrically lounging around, climbing onto things or into things (there’s a bizarre Avant Garde moment involving a tv screen and an angry clip of Noel Gallagher that will live in my head rent free for a while), Matty assumes the role of the perfect front man. He is sassy sensitive and sarcastic, and has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand (and I think they literally would if he would let them).

It’s hard to see where the line between the real Matty and his on stage ‘character’ begins, but the truth is it doesn’t matter, and that’s what has made him one of the most talked about front men in recent years.

A career spanning set list

Now you’d be forgiven for thinking that after two years on tour, a set list could become a bit stale. But not with the 1975. Every single date of the tour has had a different set list, allowing the band to showcase songs from their entire discography and creating the special one-off moments that make The 1975’s live shows special.

After The 1975 the band launch straight into the 1950s rock inspired Looking For Somebody To Love, dancing enthusiastically around the stage despite the song’s dark undertones. 2022’s Being Funny In A Foreign Language takes over most of the first half of the set, Happiness, Oh Caroline and Part of the Band as permanent features in the ‘Still… at Their Very Best’ track listing.

A Change Of Heart acts as a precursor for a change of tempo and a change of era. An Encounter, an instrumental from their 2013 debut album provides a reflective moment, building the anticipation as the band prepare to play Robbers, a song which lead singer Matty has always proposed is “for the fans”. “If we are remembered for anything, let it be this” he earnestly states, before holding his arms out wide as Adam Hann’s instantly recognisable guitar riff pierces through, above the audibly excited screams of the audience.

It feels like this section of the show is really “for the fans” with the band choosing to play rarely performed live EP tracks. Matty clambering up to the roof of the ‘house’ for a poignant performance of Me accompanied by film noir meets Jack Skellington style visuals, before returning to his bandmates for fan favourites You and Fallingforyou.

The next ‘act’ of night’s theatrical performance takes place on the B stage – essentially a black box topped with AstroTurf, where the singer appears alone serenading a life size wax replica of himself with I Like America And America Likes Me and Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America.

Joining Ross, Adam and George on the main stage, Matty whips the crowd up into a frenzy, for a section which could essentially be titled “the greatest hits”. If You’re Too Shy (Let me Know) and TWOTIMETWOTIMETWOTIME bringing an almost carnival like atmosphere to the arena.

Pausing before playing breakthrough hit Chocolate, Matty takes a moment to thank the fans and the city which they call home, reflecting: “These songs were written about Manchester, about us doing stupid things on nights out in 42’s, Fifth Ave and Night and Day”.

The Sound is always a highlight in a 1975 set, and tonight is no different, with the crowd poised and ready for the now iconic “One, two, fucking Jump” section which has the entire arena bouncing to the chorus.

The final song of the night is reserved for the band’s most daring, People, which sees Matty, Adam and Ross thrashing around on the B stage in an epic heavy metal style crescendo, bringing the two-hour epic to a close.

In short, The 1975 ‘Still… at Their Very Best’ is a masterpiece; a tour sure to be remembered as a defining moment the band’s career. Even for casuals, the show is so impressive, so entertaining, and musically diverse it’s impossible not to walk away in awe of the band who, just over 10 years ago, struggled to even get signed in the first place.

For now, it’s unclear what’s next for The 1975. This week the band will play their final ‘Still… at Their Very Best’ dates in Europe, with a gaping hole in their public engagements calendar afterwards. But with hints of a new album on the horizon, one thing’s for sure the next era of The 1975 is just around the corner.

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