Live Review: The 1975, Cub Sport

People love The 1975, and by people we mean those primarily aged 21 and under, but that didn't stop them from filling up the spacious venue early to provide good vibes for Cub Sport.

The band sounded a little harsh and tingy in what was essentially a giant shed of a venue (Exhibition Hall), but Tim Nelson's falsetto sounded as heavenly as ever in Talking Heads cover This Must Be The Place. Old favourites were dusted off in between new tracks, including favourites Only Friend and Come On Mess Me Up. Singalongs ensued.

The 1975 sound like a boy band, look like a boy band, but just don't quite fit the mould, and that's probably why so many people like them — they still have an edge.

Admittedly they seem to be embracing the boy band aesthetic more these days, changing up their classic black and white lighting to an array of colours, backdrops and patterns this time round, to match with their latest album. However, what sets them apart is the substance their music still possesses — you won't see many other boy bands bring a live saxophone player on stage (and who actually sing and play every element of their songs).

From the get-go, this crowd were ready to scream, dance and had memorised the words to basically every song. The band's music traverses from bubblegum pop to smooth jazz grooves as their set jumped from album to album, but they never miss a beat. A clear set highlight was Somebody Else, but everyone was hanging out for Girls, which they saved to end their set — and it went down triumphantly.

Their encore could of started off on a better song, but thankfully they revived it and finished the dance marathon on a high with a golden trio of Chocolate, The Sound and Sex.