The 1975 w/ Bad Suns, Sir Sly at First Avenue, Minneapolis (02 May 2014) concert review

Matt Healy, lead singer for Manchester UK band, The 1975, is a marked man. And this past weekend, he returned to the city where it all happened.



Healy and his bandmates (Adam Hann- guitar ; George Daniel – drums; Ross MacDonald- bass) are currently riding on top of a popularity wave in support of their debut self-titled album (on Interscope Records), playing sold-out shows everywhere to loud and screaming fans.



When the band was last here in October, Healy’s grandmother had recently passed away, which affected him so much, that he visited a tattoo parlor across the street before their Varsity Theater show, and had them ink the hands-on-heart tribute to her, that he now wears in the middle of his chest. Something, he mentioned, that would always put Minneapolis in his memories, as the band played a strong 75 min. set in the Mainroom at First Avenue earlier this week.

1975 at Mall of America

Before their sold-out show, Healy and guitarist Hann stopped by the Mall of America, for a brief acoustic performance and autograph session. With the mall’s main rotunda already in use for another event, the two were relegated back to a southeast corner, with a makeshift stage set up in front of a now-closed Bloomingdale’s store. Overflowing fans lined the aisles and balconies for a glimpse, as sightlines and acoustics were relatively poor, and the mall had clearly underestimated the band’s current popularity.



The duo emerged to a screaming throng for a gentle, barely heard from the balconies, three-song set that took less than 15 minutes. There was something odd and more than funny about the pair singing a song called ‘Sex’, or the lyrics of ‘Chocolate’ (which is about drugs), in the biggest mall in the country, …and maybe that’s part of why they didn’t play the Rotunda.



Opening at First Avenue was Sir Sly, a Los Angeles based trio (expanded to a five-piece live), currently in support of their debut EP, Gold (Interscope Records), with a Killers- like synth pop sound of their own on tracks like the title song, ‘Ghost’, and non-LP cut, ‘Miracle’. It will be a minor “miracle” if W♥M ever gets to see them, as we’ve been overbooked the last couple times they’ve played locally and a communication mix-up at the venue door, kept us back so we could only hear their brief set and not enter the venue to try and actually see them, until after…. next time, we hope.

Bad Sun

Another Southern California band, Bad Suns, played next, in support of their Vagrant Records EP, Transpose, with full-length, Language & Perspective, due out in late June. The quartet’s anthemic sound on songs like ‘Cardiac Arrest’ and EP closer, ’20 Years’ seemed to connect with the younger audience, who will have another chance to see these up-and-comers, as they return to headline the 7th Street Entry on July 9th, as part of a larger showcasing tour.



For their First Avenue headlining set, The 1975 kept a setlist similar to their Fall version, but expanded it a bit with some new music they have been working on. Their sound is eminently likable- synth undertones against a rolling, jangly rhythm guitar riff and indie-pop retro fuzz, with singer Healy’s scat lyrics sung in a pronounced Manchester accent; all somewhere between “GuitaR&B and ArtPop”, the band has previously said.

The 1975 Setlist

The set began like the album does; a brief self-titled instrumental segued into ‘The City’ and ‘M.O.N.E.Y.’, with non-LP, split 7” song, ‘Milk’ and its vocoder vocals, thrown in for good measure. The stage itself was plain and dark, except for a glowing vertical rectangle at the back, and band was all dressed in black, except for guitarist Hann in a white t-shirt. The band also brought along their own lighting rig and tech, to great effect- from subtle flashing on speaker pedestals, to all-out strobes and Vari*Lites bathing the audience in white and primary color glows.



The UK band has been around in some form since 2002, first meeting in high school and going through four other name changes before their current incarnation, but has finally seemed to find the right combination of preparation and opportunity, to enter the musical mainstream.

Matt Healy’s Tattoo

“This place is very special to me”, Healy mentioned referring to his grandmother’s passing and subsequent tattoo before starting up ‘So Far’, with Healy slinking around the stage with red wine bottle in hand, much like a young Michael Hutchence of INXS.



Mid-tempo numbers like ‘She Way Out’ and ‘Settle Down’ chugged energy and riffs that would make them good driving songs, Healy’s lyrics about hanging out with friends being perfect on a summer highway at night.

Matt Healy and George Daniel

Beginning with ‘Pressure’, the band brought out its newest member, tenor sax player John Waugh, who also plays in two other UK jazz/funk bands, for an added dimension to their sound. Healy sat to let Waugh cut loose on ‘Me’ and the slower, ‘Falling for You’ and had his grandmother in mind again for new song, ‘HNSCC’, a medical reference to head and neck cancer.



Spirits quickly turned joyous for main set closer, ‘Girls’, and the three song encore of new single, ‘Robbers’ and radio hits ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’, with the full crowd swaying and singing along with each lyric.



Healy promised the band would return again in November, to what will no doubt be another sold-out appearance and after an “overnight success” that took some twelve years, The 1975 is now a very lucky number indeed.

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