The 1975

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This article is about the band. For the year, see 1975.
The 1975.
The 1975, band from Manchester, UK.jpg
The 1975 (Ross MacDonald, Matthew Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann).
Background information
Origin Wilmslow, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Genres Indie rock
Years active 2012 (2012)–present
Labels Dirty Hit, Polydor UK, Vagrant, Interscope
Website the1975.com
Members Matthew Healy
Ross MacDonald
Adam Hann
George Daniel

The 1975 is an English indie rock band formed based in Manchester.[1] The group consists of Matt Healy (vocals, guitar), Adam Hann (guitar), George Daniel (drums, backing vocals) and Ross MacDonald (bass).[2]

They have released four EPs, while their self-titled debut album was released on 2 September 2013 through Dirty Hit/Polydor.[3] The album debuted at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart on 8 September 2013. The band has toured internationally and also played the 2014 Coachella festival.[4]

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

Matthew Healy (b. 8 April 1989) is the son of Denise Welch and Tim Healy and grew up in Newcastle and Manchester.[5][6] He met Ross MacDonald, Adam Hann and George Daniel at Wilmslow High School near Manchester as teenagers and began to play music in 2004.[7] The band formed when the local council worker organised a number of gigs for teenagers. Healy found Hann who "came up to [him] and said he wanted to play one of these shows".[8] The band began by playing a number of covers until they "eventually wrote a song," according to Healy. "We started from then and we've been making music together since we were about 15."[8] After Hann invited the members to form a band, they passed their early days covering punk songs in a local club.[1] Healy was originally the drummer, but took over vocals after the previous singer left to start another band. George Daniel was recruited as the new drummer to complete the final line-up.

EP releases (2012–13)[edit]

Main articles: Facedown, Sex, Music for Cars and IV

The release of the band's first EP, titled Facedown, in August 2012 saw the band's first UK airplay on national radio with lead track "The City", which was also featured as part of a BBC Introducing show with Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1.[7]

The 1975 once again garnered national radio attention in late 2012, with BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe championing their single "Sex" from the Sex EP, which was released on 19 November 2012.[9] They embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland which extended into early 2013, before beginning a US tour in the spring.[9]

Upon the release of Music for Cars EP on 4 March 2013, The 1975 found mainstream chart success with their single "Chocolate", which reached the 19th spot in the UK singles chart. On 20 May 2013 the band released IV EP, which included a new version of the song "The City". The track charted in UK and received airplay in several other countries.

The 1975 toured extensively to support the releases and to build hype before releasing the debut album. The band supported Muse on the second leg of The 2nd Law World Tour at the Emirates Stadium in London on 26 May 2013.[10] They also toured with The Neighbourhood in the United States in June 2013,[11] and supported The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park on 13 July 2013.[12] In August 2013, the band performed on the Festival Republic Stage at 2013 Reading and Leeds Festivals.[13]

In a feature article about the band, Elliot Mitchell of When the Gramophone Rings wrote that releasing a string EPs before the debut album was "a move that he deemed necessary to provide context to the band’s broad sound, rather than just building up with singles alone." Matthew Healy said, "We wouldn’t have been able to release the album without putting out the EP’s first, as we wanted to make sure we could express ourselves properly before dropping this long, ambitious debut record on people."[13]

The 1975 (2013–present)[edit]

Main article: The 1975 (album)

The 1975, the band's self-titled debut album, was released on 2 September 2013. It was co-produced by Mike Crossey, who has previously worked with Arctic Monkeys and Foals.[9] The lead single promoting the album is a re-worked version of "Sex", which was released on 26 August 2013.[14] The song premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 8 July 2013,[15] and a music video was released onto YouTube on 26 July 2013. The 1975 debuted at no. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.

Matthew Healy at Southside Festival 2014

The 1975 toured in the UK in September 2013, among others performing in Kingston upon Hull as headliners at Freedom Festival, a celebration of the city's shortlisting for 2017 UK City of Culture designation,[16] and at iTunes Festival on 8 September 2013 as an opening act for indie electronic quartet Bastille. The band undertook a North American tour in October 2013, a European for November 2013, and in January 2014 the band performed in New Zealand and Australia.[17] In September 2013, the band performed three sold out shows at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire.[18] In April 2014, the band performed for the first time in a major American music and arts festival, Coachella.[4] The band played the Royal Albert Hall in April 2014.[19]

Musical style[edit]

Critics at Pitchfork Magazine have favourably compared them to The Big Pink.[20] Sex EP was described by Paste as "equal parts ethereal and synth pop", with "haunting" and "smooth" vocals. Their "mellow", stripped down style was praised for its lack of "attention-grabbing production theatrics".[21][22] Though generally acknowledged as an alternative rock group, they have been influenced by diverse genres including electro-pop, electronic music, guitar pop, and R&B. Healy specifically cites Talking Heads, Prince, My Bloody Valentine, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, D'angelo and Sigur Rós as musical influences; he states that his greatest influence is the oeuvre of filmmaker John Hughes.[1][7] Their "melancholic" black and white visual aesthetic is juxtaposed with major keys and what the band calls "classic pop sensibilities".[7] Lyrically, The 1975 explore themes of discovery and novelty in the context of sex, love, drugs, hope, death, and fear.

Band name[edit]

Having previously performed and released material under various guises including Talkhouse,[20] The Slowdown,[23] Bigsleep,[24] and Drive Like I Do, the band eventually settled on the name The 1975. Healy recounts that the name was inspired by scribblings found in the back page of an old Beat poetry book dated "1 June, The 1975".[2][25]

Band members[edit]

Discography[edit]

Main article: The 1975 discography
Studio albums

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Interview w/ The 1975". blahblahblahscience.com. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013. 
  2. ^ a b Brinnand, Emily (3 December 2012). "New Band Up North". The Northerner Blog. The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  3. ^ "The 1975 Announce Debut Album And New September 2013 UK Tour Dates". Contact Music. Retrieved 24 June 2013. 
  4. ^ a b "Stereogum review" Chris DeVille, 'Coachella 2014: The 7 Best Things From Sunday', Stereogum.com, 14 April 2014
  5. ^ "Clash13 Healy interview" Simon Butcher, 'The 1975: Bound To Win, Bound To Be True', Clash Music, (issue 88), 25 September 2013
  6. ^ "2013 interview" Entertainment Newsdesk, 'Q&A: Matthew Healy', Belfast Telegraph, 10 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d Faughey, Darragh (11 December 2012). "The 1975 - Interview". GoldenPlec. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  8. ^ a b Carroll, Grace (20 November 2012). "The 1975: 'Manchester Doesn't Need More Music Heroes'". Gigwise. Retrieved 23 August 2013. 
  9. ^ a b c Stickler, Jon (10 December 2011). "The 1975 Announce Lengthy UK Tour for Early 2013". Stereoboard.com. Eyedigit Limited. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  10. ^ Baggs, Michael (23 April 2013). "The 1975 join Bastille to support Muse at May London gig". Gigwise. Retrieved 7 August 2013. 
  11. ^ "The 1975 Will Hit the Road for U.S. Tour With the Neighbourhood in June and Headline Two West Coast Shows in July". Yahoo. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013. 
  12. ^ McCormick, Neil (19 May 2013). "Introducing The 1975, support act to the Rolling Stones". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2013. 
  13. ^ a b Mitchell, Elliot (30 August 2013). "Feature: The Rise & Rise of The 1975". When the Gramophone Rings. Retrieved 30 August 2013. 
  14. ^ "The 1975 Single ‘Sex’ To Be Lead For Upcoming Debut Album". daystune.com. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013. 
  15. ^ Corner, Lewis (9 July 2013). "The 1975 confirm new single 'Sex' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 August 2013. 
  16. ^ "UK City of Culture 2017 shortlist of four announced". BBC News (BBC.co.uk). 2013-06-19. Retrieved 19 June 2013. 
  17. ^ "Tour | The 1975". Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013. 
  18. ^ Boddy, Tim (2013-09-23). "Behind The Scenes: The 1975 - Shepherd's Bush Empire". Thefourohfive.com. Retrieved 2014-05-25. 
  19. ^ "Albert Sessions: The 1975". Royalalberthall.com. 2014-04-06. Retrieved 2014-05-25. 
  20. ^ a b Cohen, Ian (9 August 2012). "The 1975: Facedown EP". Pitchfork Magazine. Pitchfork Media Inc. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  21. ^ Pearlman, Shaina (20 November 2012). "The 1975: Sex EP". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  22. ^ Stiernberg, Bonnie (4 December 2012). "The 10 Best EPs of 2012". Paste. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  23. ^ "Introducing: The 1975". Light Up the Dark. Akira. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  24. ^ Crewe, Michael (21 January 2011). "Ghosts - B I G S L E E P". Can You Hear This. Retrieved 23 December 2012. 
  25. ^ Allely, Phil (27 September 2012). "The 1975 Interview: "We are creating alternative popular music"". Fame Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2013. 

External links[edit]

The 1975
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Related articles
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