The 1975 performed their debut album in its entirety on Wednesday (Feb. 1) for an intimate crowd in Manchester, England. The hometown appearance was a part of a series of shows across the U.K. in aid of WarChild, an organization that aids children in war-torn countries.
Videos by American Songwriter
While their larger tour – The 1975: At Their Very Best – is a grandiose stage show, chock-full of special guests and theatrics, the charity show at Gorilla was far more stripped back. The band took things back to the very start of their career with their original box logo lit up behind them. Along with bringing back their old aesthetic, the band played the entirety of their 2013 debut self-titled album.
The throwback setlist saw tracks like “The City” and “M.O.N.E.Y” be played for the first time since 2017. “Thank you, Manchester! We are very, very happy to be here. We’re the 1975,” frontman Matty Healy told the crowd.
“Well, we’re from Wilmslow but we’re close enough to say we’re from Manchester,” he added. “This is very full circle for us. That song was about this street, let alone this city, so it’s very cool to be here. Thanks so much for coming. There’s no concept, we’re just…here…. [We’re] warming back up. Nice to see you guys – I recognize a lot of people here so this is really nice.”
Elsewhere in the line-up were “Sex,” “An Encounter,” “Talk,” “Girls” and their breakthrough single “Chocolate.”
“Hardcore fans will know what we’re up to right now,” Healy said of the decision to play older material. “I want to remind you that nostalgia is a sickness. This is not nostalgic. We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t only getting really good. We’re just starting to make our best work, so I don’t mind doing something that’s slightly nostalgic. Because it’s just for us isn’t it?”
Check out clips of the performance below.
(Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
