The 1975 plays Manila malls this weekend; reveals One Direction connection
“You don’t really need to be signed to a major label to make things happen,” says The 1975 vocalist/guitarist Matthew Healey.
His bandmate drummer George Daniel interjects, “Universaaal…We’re signed to Universal…”
“Well, that’s contradictory to what I just said but…” Healey shoots back, drawing laughter from the press in the Fairmont Ballroom 1. “Never take advice from bands, artists… stay in school!”
Experimental but pop accessible
Rejection from major labels from the past seven years (the band has been together for 10 when the members were still in their mid-teens) probably still stings for Healy, but his actual advice is simple: just do your best to have a really good band.
And that is exactly what Manchester-based quartet The 1975 is: experimental yet pop-accessible, 80s-sounding but very 2014, and, as evidenced in the press con, highly articulate.
They know exactly what they are doing: influenced by diverse artists from Michael Jackson to Talking Heads to My Bloody Valentine to BoyzIIMen, and unapologetic about it.
Boy band pretty
In Manila for a series of shows at Ayala Malls (details at the end of this story), the band is meeting the press in the ballroom of the swank Fairmont Hotel in Makati.
They mention Ashanti, and the press seems bewildered. Healy, looking like a goth Shia LaBeouf, gives a puzzled “and what’s wrong with that?” face.
“You probably can’t tell by the way we look,” he adds because yes, they are both boy-band pretty and hipster chic. “But we listen to a lot of heavy music as well. We love (post-hardcore cult favorites) Glassjaw. Listen to Glassjaw!”
Guitarist Adam Hann and bassist Ross McDonald concur with nods.
Love for ‘big 80s pop’
The 1975’s self-titled debut album generally features clean guitar pop and new wavy synth flourishes as a jump-off point, notably on “Heart Out,”
“Girls,” and “Settle Down” topped with Healy’s Patrick Stump-ish vocals… that is if Patrick Stump had a heavy Mancunian accent (curiously, Healy speaks clearly).
And the lyrics… are they all based on actual events? The band insists, yes.
The hooks are there, their love for “big 80s pop” ringing true, and their knack for melodies has the attention of, well, One Direction.
Writing for One Direction
“We were asked to write a song for One Direction, and we said yes.”
The room exhales a collective “ooohhh!” more disappointed than admiring but Healy remains unapologetic.
“Look, they’re the biggest band in the world aren’t they? They’re very nice boys, you know, and they’re like….” He raises his arms and does jazz hands, drawing laughter from the ballroom.
Opportunity knocks
The 1975’s image (black and white visually, major key sonically) would not be out of place alongside fellow Mancunians The Smiths, but at the same time, they are not quite as precious about it as to dismiss one of the world’s most beloved/despised boy bands.
They see an opportunity, grab it, and it’s that simple.
At the end of the press con, the band poses with top Ayala Malls representatives. Healy herds them in on the narrow stage enthusiastically… the host to his band’s hosts.
Long haul
On the band’s Wikipedia entry, Healy is quoted thus: “This band is who I am. It’s not just something I’m doing. It’s not some frivolous activity. It is the definition of my personality.”
They are in it for the long haul.
The 1975 will be performing on March 28 in Market! Market! Central Plaza (4pm), and the Glorietta Activity Center (7pm), and March 29 in the Ayala Fairview Terraces Activity Center (4pm) and Trinoma Activity Center (7pm). For details, visit Facebook.
