The 1975 review: Pop gets political as Matty Healy preaches to the converted

Silencing 20,000 screaming fans is a tough task but one Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975, managed with ease last Friday thanks to a little help from Greta Thunberg.

Healy insisted on silence, head lowered, as his recent collaboration with the young environmentalist played over the big screens. An eerie hush descended as thousands of fans quietly raised their hands in solidary with Thunberg’s message. The buoyant Love It If We Made It followed and united the audience in a hopeful call for change as striking, slick visuals dazzled.

It was a powerful moment in what felt like an increasingly political set from the Manchester quartet. Riotous opener People saw Healy imploring everyone to “wake up” to the inequalities around them while further new material thoughtfully explored the anxieties of the digital age in an increasingly polarised world.

Frail State of Mind impressed here, as did Nineties throwback Me & You Together Song. The tenderness of the new numbers sometimes felt at odds with the more danceable material in this lengthy, career-spanning set and fans grappled with frequent shifts in pace. Yet Healy’s delivery and charismatic confidence easily won over in a set where powerful pop met the political.