It isn't just in jest when people refer to The 1975 as an "indie boy band".
The 1975 in Bangkok on Sunday.
The group's first Bangkok gig on Sunday saw adoring, teenage fangirls queued up, clamouring for the a spot closest to the stage, six hours before the doors to the venue actually opened. The end of the night witnessed a group of exasperated and exhausted girls, sitting on the curb, a sign reading "F*** me please" strewn lifeless on the ground, as The 1975 jumped in a van and sped away. You'd think you were at a K-pop concert, although one pockmarked with profanity. But that's what The 1975 did to Bangkok. Every little move vocalist/guitarist Matt Healy made elicited screams. It was very much in the K-pop/J-pop vein, and it was quite interesting to see the hysteria translated in a new genre.
We can debate whether or not The 1975 is a collective sex bomb. All I can say is that boys in bands — or boys who play instruments — always come with a certain attached charm. Throw in flat abs, sweet faces and innate sexual energy, and something is set to explode. The band's accessible, mid-tempo music has also helped elevate The 1975 beyond its initial underground status, and that accessibility has allowed young girls to more easily dream about them. Even if you don't find The 1975 physically attractive, you should be able to understand what draws young girls to its respective members.
Another problem can occur once a members of a particular group have been branded as idols or poster boys, as that band can then easily be written off. The 1975, however, has dodged that bullet, proving that it consists of functioning musicians and catchy songwriters.
On Sunday, CenterPoint Studio was packed nearly to full capacity. Right on time, The 1975 took the stage, opening with The City, and following it up with Milk and Money. With The 1975 having only released one album and a handful of EPs, I didn't expect the show to be extremely long, and time flew by quite quickly. Once the band played Robbers, Chocolate and Sex, possibly its best known tracks, the crowd was panting for more — but it wasn't to be.
Healy had the crowd, who sang along loudly with each song, eating out of his hands. Swigging wine from the bottle and smoking, he was a visage of classic rock 'n' roll stage shenanigans.
Most people seemed to agree that he was off his face, but I wasn't quite convinced that it wasn't, at least partially, some sort of act — he hardly missed a note, even if he was aided by a heavy backing track. And underneath his supposedly drunken stupor was an apparent sense of purpose. I was full of glee when Healy kindly asked the crowd to put down their phones, as electronic devices were really getting in the way of actually seeing the band. It's one thing to take a couple of pictures, but not for the entire show. It's a basic act of consideration that many concertgoers should relearn.
Besides drummer George Daniel, whose amazing delivery kept the show in rhythm, the rest was simply OK. There wasn't really anything to write home about. The lighting was clearly designed to please the band, which probably doesn't enjoy too many bright lights shining directly on them. It got a bit annoying at some points as they kept shining directly into the audience while the sound system only got better at the last half of the show.
It was an entertaining night overall, with a high level of excitement and even more excitable fangirls, but I wouldn't say it was too memorable. As Healy declared onstage, the group's second album is about to be unleashed, and Thailand was the second-to-last show that it would play in support of its debut. Let's hope The 1975 will keep this momentum going.
The 1975's frontman Matt Healy performs on stage.
