LIVE: The 1975

Take an up and coming Bristol venue, fill it with an up and coming indie band; and just watch the sweat of teenage NME readers drip off the walls inside. Considering this is The 1975′s debut gig in Bristol, it is impressive that they have drawn such a massive non-local crowd without putting in any prior gigging legwork. But such is the case for the band who suddenly explode – The 1975′s single ‘Sex’ was announced to be ‘The Most Viral Track of The Week’ on Spotify and also received an approving nod from Radio One when it was selected for their ‘In New Music We Trust’ segment. The sense of anticipation within The Exchange tonight, testifies to this general inkling concerning The 1975 – that they are a band who are going to be huge.

Opening with their ethereal, electro-tinged single ‘The City’, The 1975 remind the crowd of why it’s possible to fall in love with this band almost instantly. This particular slice of dream-like pop is so catchy; and the delivery of its repetitive pseudo-poetic refrain “if you want to find love then you know where the city is” positively soars in the form of reverb-drenched wails from front man Matt Healy. His distinctive voice sounds emotionally charged, whilst still maintaining a perfected element of bubblegum pop  - it’s this well-executed quality, which lifts The 1975 above the drab herds of current indie bands sporting Morrissey-wannabe singers.

However, any notion of musical-seduction that The 1975 proudly display on recording, predominantly fails to be conjured in their 45 minute set. The main issue is that the band just don’t look like they want to be there; each member carries an air of arrogance through out their performance – as if they believe they can get away with not putting in no effort whatsoever. This collective aloofness and lack of visible enthusiasm grows tedious; and sits awkwardly with the bands’ summery, intimate sound. Hammed up interaction with the crowd exposes pretty-boy singer Matt Healys desperate desire to be some sort of indie sex symbol. He tells girls in the crowd he loves them, flirting unashamedly in between songs as if he’s in Guns n Roses; it’s admittedly a relief when he stops talking and starts singing. Yet, the music itself does not contain enough changes of dynamic to engage on a level beyond ‘pleasantly ignorable.’

Their overly synthetic drum sound is the first musical thing to become irritating this evening, its retro samples coming across as tacky, rather than complementary, to the bands glaringly obvious homage to the alternative 80′s sound. A tiresome formula becomes evident too quickly, as The 1975 churn out one slow burning, glossy indie tune after another; the signature hooks become less and less remarkable. Recent single ‘Chocolate’ is a sickly-sweet affair placed mid-way through their set; whilst the crowd clearly delight in hearing a song they recognize - the dead-eyed delivery of its’ sunny riffs prevents any sort of heart-warming atmosphere from being created.

Predictably, they finish with their most popular single ‘Sex’, and it’s yet another shimmering nugget of indie-synth-pop with yet another repetitive vocal refrain. Whilst it’s clear to see how this brooding, infectious tune triggered the hype; it’s also clear from their dire set that this fantastic song is not a standard the band are capable of consistently reaching.