Review: The 1975 at BIC

One of the biggest bands in the world came down South to give Bournemouth a visit last week, and it was certainly something to remember.

The 1975 are a rather divisive subject for us at The Edge, with some of us loving them, whilst others not so much. However, their show at the BIC was hotly-anticipated by many, especially after their headliner performance at Reading last year. The BIC were especially lucky to host their talents, when considering the great sizes of venues they now play (eg. London’s O2 Arena).

Entering before 9pm (something I greatly appreciate), the band opened the show with ‘People’, and the foundations of the night’s atmosphere were laid. Alongside the die-hard fans shouting along every lyric, there were some awkward reactions from those who were perhaps not aware of this single. The energy from Matty and the band, however, was impeccable during this song. Their stage presence in the performance of this first song was exhilarating, and I could genuinely feel the excitement and happiness radiating from the crowd.

The stage presence of the band for the remainder of the gig varied. Some songs, the band seemed entirely energised and greatly pleased to be there, however others lacked this enthusiasm. This is not necessarily a huge criticism of mine, especially since Matty at one point confessed briefly how tired he was. I imagine after touring across the country and being a couple nights before playing the O2, the band probably required some respite. It was clear, however, that their heart just wasn’t fully in it this performance.

The most memorable song of the night was definitely ‘Somebody Else’. Utilising gorgeous blue and pink tones across the stage, coupled with the band’s signature rectangles, this light-show flawlessly complemented the gorgeous timbres of the song, and made the entire hall fall into a sort of trance.

Another worthy mention goes to ‘Love It If We Made It’, possibly The 1975’s most powerful song yet. With incredibly powerful vocals which parallel the powerful images and messages depicted, hearing this song live was goose-bump worthy and had seemingly everyone in the audience feeling pumped up. Matty’s vocals were especially prominent here, and were undoubtedly impeccable. Even greater vocal qualities were demonstrated in ‘I Couldn’t Be More in Love’, where again the lights, with their gorgeous, peachy tones, perfectly depicted the gorgeousness of the song. In these two songs, the extremes of Matty’s vocals were showcased, with the latter remaining one of their best heartbreak songs. I just wish these powerful vocals were heard throughout the entire night, as it became apparent that in quieter songs like ‘The Birthday Party’ (released on the same day as this gig) it was more difficult to hear Matty’s vocals. Whether it be the effects they use in their songs, or just the noisy excitement of the crowd, it was a disappointment to not be able to hear the song clearly.

These sound difficulties are easy to ignore, however, when considering the fun atmosphere radiating throughout the crowd the entire night. Possibly the most feel-good moment was their performance of ‘The Sound’, that had everyone jumping, even those in the balcony. It was a beautifully unifying moment of the night.

For being such a charismatic performer and seemingly interesting person in interviews, the lack of interaction with the audience was something which struck me as unusual. However, I have concluded that with the amount of die-hard fans they have amassed, the band, and Matty in particular, could put on a show with no interaction whatsoever, and still be loved by many. They’re either putting on a mysterious front purposefully, or just cannot be bothered to maintain any meaningful audience interaction anymore.

What made this show so memorable overall was their light show. From gorgeous colour schemes, to music videos generated entirely from memes, they had a bit of everything to generate some amazing images perfectly coupled to the sounds they were generating on stage.

The 1975 are a band to catch at some point in your life. Although it definitely was not perfect, with the band’s energies seeming elsewhere for most of the night, it was nonetheless a fun night filled with feel-good tunes and lots of dancing.

Tickets for the remainder of The 1975’s tour can be bought here.