REVIEW: The 1975 at the Bournemouth International Centre

The first half of the show was surreal, with a set constructed as a living room and consisting mainly of songs from their latest album, ‘Being Funny in a Foreign Language;’ frontman Matty Healy appeared draped over a couch, cigarette in hand and hip flask at the ready.

Even on the big screen the show was cinematic. Every time a member of the band entered the stage, their names were written across the screen like a classic movie sequence. This even extended down to the finer details like the creases in Healy’s gold shirt.

The more I watched, the more my confusion grew, yet it was equalled by a level of intrigue. At one point Healy disappeared and came back moments later on top of the roof of the prop house, flailing around as he sang. It was at this point that I heard a member of the audience ask ‘Is he okay?’ She was met with the response, ‘Of course not, he’s Matty Healy – that’s why he’s so brilliant.’

In the second half the ambience changed as the tempo of the concert was increased and the full 1975 experience kicked in.

Healy performed the famous scene which has taken TikTok by a storm. He stumbled across the stage with the audience questioning whether this was for dramatic effect with the troubled rockstar persona he took on, or a consequence of the bottle of red wine he’d been sipping at throughout the show - he then proceeded to light up yet another cigarette and perform his ‘antics.’

Adding to the eccentricity of the show, audience participation was measured in decibels.

The 33-year-old star asked the crowd if they would prefer a performance of ‘Change of Heart,’ or ‘Paris’ both from their album ‘I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It.’

The winner was measured by how loud the audience screamed for both, with ‘Change of Heart’ winning by 1 decibel. A member of the audience later threw an orange at Healy to which he responded (in an autotuned voice) ‘Don’t throw oranges, it’s not the 1950’s,’ and was met with a wave of laughter.

Matty Healy (Image: Jordan Curtis Hughes.)

The star has recently hit headlines for kissing fans during gigs and one hopeful audience member tried her luck by asking for one – but instead was met with the response ‘I can’t kiss you, but here’s a number for a good therapist.’

The room erupted into delight when the band performed ‘The Sound,’ arguably one of their most famous songs. Healy encouraged the audience to jump – and he didn’t have to ask twice. Everyone from the floor to the balconies was on their feet jumping and singing along to the popular track.

So how could you sum up the 1975’s Bournemouth gig? A chaotic series of events consisting of equal parts theatrics and concert.