Live Review: The 1975, City Riots

There's a certain electricity to a gig where the crowd is predominantly younger in age. There's definitely more applause for the support band, in this case City Riots, who played a steady if entirely unremarkable brand of indie rock, featuring plenty of clap-along moments and an Emma Louise cover for good measure.

The enthusiasm for The 1975 was unfathomably loud and adoring. The Mancunian four-piece's style is almost too big for a stage so minimal, a simple set-up enhanced by sporadic blinding strobe lighting, making singer Matthew Healy's asymmetrical haircut seem gravity-defying as he launched straight into The City, roaming the stage singing rapidly and tugging at his hair before it would flop back into his face.

The set traversed their self-titled debut album, easily taking the crowd with them between down-tempo numbers like Robbers or rousing them into a dance frenzy with M.O.N.E.Y. The sing-along contingent was out in full force, impressive all the more given the speed with which Healy sings some verses. Settle Down found new life in having a sold-out room of people shouting back the words. 

The band has honed the live elements of this record to near perfection, samples and all timed perfectly with a unified energy ever present. Even when bassist Ross MacDonald had to run off stage to be sick, Healy jovially spoke with front row fans while their guitarist played a Kendrick Lamar riff. Healy has all the qualities of a great frontman; affable but cheeky, quick with the banter to retort hecklers and oozing charisma that the tittering younger audience lapped up.
The back-to-back finale of Chocolate and Sex upped the atmosphere to frenzy, the catchy refrains audible long after the lights came up.