On the 17th of February the 1975 took to the stage at the AO Arena for a celebration of the feel-good music produced by this incredible band.

The night started with support from The Japanese House, the professional name for the English indie pop musician from Buckinghamshire Amber Bain. Bain decided to pursue a career is music as a teenager and contributes vocals and plays the guitar when performing.

At 8:30pm Matty Healy and the band took to the stage to perform an incredible 27 songs with the set lasting 2 hours and 15 mins. They opened with their classic song the 1975 (BFIAFL) and concluded with People at 10:45pm! Hit after hit was played with an electric atmosphere in the arena. Everyone was dancing and taking in this special memory with people in seated tickets also standing to enjoy this experience to its full potential.

The setting and vibe of the show was very relaxed with the stage being set up like a house containing a recording studio where most songs were performed. When entering the stage each band member entered separately and proceeded to walk through different doors of the house constantly keeping the audience on their toes excitedly waiting to see who would enter the stage next. They also turned lights on on entry and off when they exited the stage for Matty’s solo songs and at the conclusion of the performance. This was a brilliant touch as it made the concert have a more intimate feel letting the quality of the music and band’s capabilities be the focus of the concert rather than complex set displays.

My favourite songs of the night were I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes), The Sound and Chocolate. The emotional quality of I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) was just exquisite and hearing this live was so impactful whereas comparatively, The Sound got the crowd going wild with Matty Healy’s performance skills convincing everyone to jump for 50 seconds! This had to be the highlight of the night alongside Chocolate being on the set list as Manchester Night 2 did not get to hear Chocolate which is the biggest 1975 song according to what has reached the highest in the charts.

I would highly recommend the 1975 to any concert lovers if you want a brilliant night, with a lively crowd and an amazing performance from the band and the crew who put together this cohesive show. I really hope its not too long before the 1975 return to the stage in Manchester.