NEWS
EVENTS
Rise of 'The 1975'
Indie | Friday 13th September 2013 | Samia
Having exploded onto the indie scene only this year, The 1975 have managed to make an impression very quickly. Following the release of the mainstream feel-good track, ‘Chocolate’, in January, their eponymous debut album was hugely anticipated and proved to claim its much expected success, managing to reach No.1 on the charts during its first week of release. With appearances at Glastonbury and the iTunes festival, it seems that there is no stopping the appeal of The 1975’s fresh and exciting sound. The band have received much critical acclaim, with Dave Reynolds of Bearded Magazine likening their sound to that of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, indicating a massive influence from ’80’s pop culture. This blend of alternative pop-funk, along with their quirky edge, makes for an entirely new and refreshing genre which proves to not only draw in listeners, but capture their attention.
The band, originally formed in Manchester in 2002, consists of Adam Hann, George Daniels, Ross Macdonald and son of Loose Woman’s Denise Welch, Matthew Healey, who takes on the distinctive lead vocals. Though the band started out doing occasional shows and gigs at only fifteen years old, their musical intuition and creativity quickly took hold and they penned their first song while at high school. Over the years, the quartet have only grown from success to success and have also released numerous EPs, including Facedown, Music for Cars and their most recent, IV.
With a No.1 album under their belt, it seems as if The 1975 have already made their mark. It is clear that one of the many things that make the band’s appeal so enthralling is their diverse, dynamic sound. Lead vocalist Healey cites the band’s inspiration as being from Prince to Icelandic rock band Sigur Ros, proving that The 1975 have not only claimed their own niche, but found a way to bridge the worlds of alternative rock and pop. The next few months for The 1975 already holds sold out shows at venues all over the UK. No matter where this band goes from here, their infectious hooks and gritty lyrics have already won our hearts.
‘The City’, from the album The 1975:
By Samia Gundkalli
