The 1975 at The Olympia Theatre, Dublin on February 21st 2014-16-banner

 The 1975 at The Olympia Theatre Dublin on Friday, 21st February 2014

Playing to a Dublin crowd for the third time in a year, the increasingly popular The 1975 are yet again the subject of a hysterical welcome –  before the show, the sold-out Olympia’s Twitter page endured a humorous barrage of prepubescent fans pleading with staff to afford a favour and leave the back door ajar.

For those smart enough, bearing tickets attained the right to see a band full of confidence, and a beautifully effective lighting show. The four-piece grace the stage, awash with smoke and holy white light, in what will be the last time on this tour. The Manchester foursome begin their last evening’s work with their second single The City, perhaps one of the best openers on the circuit and not the only hit they’d display for tonight’s crowd. Front man Matthew Healy nonchalantly mans the stage’s epicentre while drinking wine from the bottle. It’s distasteful, yet somehow charming and mirrors his association with adolescence. Either way, he’s got the crowd under a divine spell within minutes.

Following Milk, they remain infectious with hooky feel-good songs like So Far, She Way Out, and Pressure. Having a versatile sound, The 1975 are clever to blend pop with R’n’B and heavily distorted guitars, allowing them to master the mood during live shows; yet for reasons soon stated, it wasn’t entirely going their way tonight. A technical mishap in Menswear went relatively unnoticed and when Healy reveals the wine was wet; “I’m sorry I’m a bit pissed, but it is Dublin,” it all just feels a little slack for a moment.

Having reached a level whereby perfection is no longer required to recruit an audience, The 1975 can afford nights like tonight. Continued radio hits and a rising fanbase are unfortunately the more valued approach in the music industry of late. Creating bespoke moments night after night is becoming an even rarer art form, especially when fatigue is a factor. The set is put to bed with blockbuster Chocolate, and the fantastically scuzzy riff that is, Sex. The 1975 previously revealed to Goldenplec; “we never thought about being on the radio, it didn’t seem like a realistic prospect….”  About as realistic as the ID’s in pockets tonight.

 

The 1975 Photo Gallery

Photos: Shaun Neary