The 1975
The 1975 | |
---|---|
Origin | Wilmslow, Cheshire, United Kingdom |
Genres | Alternative rock, synth pop, nu gaze, electronic rock, indie pop |
Years active | 2002 | –present
Labels | Dirty Hit, Polydor UK, Vagrant, Interscope |
Members | Matthew Healy Ross MacDonald Adam Hann George Daniel |
Past members | Sam Bellamy |
Website | the1975 |
The 1975 are an English alternative/indie rock band based in Manchester.[1] The group consists of Matthew Healy (vocals, guitar), Adam Hann (guitar), George Daniel (drums), and Ross MacDonald (bass).[2]
They have released four EPs: Facedown, Sex, Music for Cars and IV. Their self-titled debut album was released on 2 September 2013 through Dirty Hit/Polydor.[3] The album debuted at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart on 8 September 2013, ahead of Nine Inch Nails' comeback album.
History
Formation and band name
Matthew Healy (son of Denise Welch and Tim Healy), Ross MacDonald, Adam Hann and George Daniel met at Wilmslow High School near Manchester as teenagers and began to play music in 2002.[4] "There was this idealistic hippy council worker who started to put on these gigs for kids, to form bands. I remember the guitarist [Adam Hann] came up to me and said he wanted to play one of these shows. We started playing, doing covers of punk songs and pop songs and just started out doing that. Then once we eventually wrote a song, I decided, well, this is a lot better than going to work – or going to school, for that matter. We started from then and we've been making music together since we were about 15 – George was 14, actually, when we started," said Healy in an interview with Gigwise.[5] After Hann invited the members to form a band, they passed their early days covering punk songs in a local club.[1] Healy was originally the drummer, but took over vocals after the previous singer left to start another band. Daniel was recruited as the new drummer to complete the final line-up. When asked where they found their inspiration, they agreed that there are lots of different things. "We’re very inspired by big eighties pop music. Like Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Scritti Politti, and My Bloody Valentine. We’re also big fans of experimental music."
Having previously performed and released material under various guises including Talkhouse,[6] The Slowdown,[7] Bigsleep,[8] and Drive Like I Do, the band eventually settled on the name The 1975. Healy recounts that the name was inspired by scribblings found in the back page of an old Beat poetry book dated "1 June, The 1975".[2][9] The 1975 are one of the big success stories of 2013, but struggled for nearly seven years to get the attention of the mainstream, and frontman Matt Healy has revealed how the attitude of major labels hurt the rising stars. "The reason it got hard was because we SO knew who we were and what we wanted to do," Healy told Gigwise. "Every major label came and heard our songs, and they all said 'you don't know what you want to be', 'you don't know what kind of band you want to be' and we would say 'no, it's a generational thing, people will like that about us, it represents the mindset of our age-group'. "So every major label said no to us. I eventually realised, the reason we got so upset, is you can judge and you can make fun of things that people do, but when you start judging what people ARE, that really really hurts. 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.
EP releases (2012–2013)
The release of the band's first EP, entitled Facedown, in August 2012 saw the band's first UK airplay on national radio with lead track "The City", which featured as part of a BBC Introducing show with Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1.[4]
The 1975 once again garnered national radio attention in late 2012, with BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe championing their single "Sex" from the Sex EP, which was released on 19 November 2012.[10] They embarked on a tour of the UK and Ireland which extended in to early 2013, before beginning a US tour in the spring.[10]
Upon the release of Music for Cars EP on 4 March 2013, The 1975 found mainstream chart success with single "Chocolate", which reached number 19 in the UK singles chart. On 20 May 2013 the band released IV EP, which included a new version of the song "The City". The track charted in UK and received airplay in several other countries.
The 1975 toured extensively to support the releases and to build hype before releasing the debut album. The band supported Muse on the second leg of The 2nd Law World Tour at the Emirates Stadium in London on 26 May 2013.[11] They also toured with The Neighbourhood in the US in June 2013,[12] and supported The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park on 13 July 2013.[13] In August 2013, the band performed on the Festival Republic Stage at 2013 Reading and Leeds Festivals.[14]
In a feature article about the band, Elliot Mitchell of When the Gramophone Rings wrote that releasing a string EPs before the debut album was "a move that he deemed necessary to provide context to the band’s broad sound, rather than just building up with singles alone." Matthew Healy said, "We wouldn’t have been able to release the album without putting out the EP’s first, as we wanted to make sure we could express ourselves properly before dropping this long, ambitious debut record on people."[14]
The 1975 (2013–present)
The 1975, the band's self-titled debut album, was released on 2 September 2013. It was co-produced by Mike Crossey, who has previously worked with Arctic Monkeys and Foals.[10] The lead single promoting the album is a re-worked version of "Sex", which was released on 26 August 2013.[15] The song premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 8 July 2013,[16] and a music video was released onto YouTube on 26 July 2013. The 1975 debuted at no. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
The 1975 will tour in UK in September 2013, among others performing in Kingston upon Hull as headliners at Freedom Festival, a celebration of the city's shortlisting for 2017 UK City of Culture designation,[17] and at iTunes Festival on 8 September 2013 as an opening act for indie electronic quartet Bastille. A North American tour is planned for October 2013, European for November 2013, and in January 2014 the band will perform in New Zealand and Australia.[18]
Musical style
Critics at Pitchfork Magazine have favourably compared them to The Big Pink.[6] Sex EP was described by Paste as "equal parts ethereal and synth pop", with "haunting" and "smooth" vocals. Their "mellow", stripped down style was praised for its lack of "attention-grabbing production theatrics".[19][20] Though generally acknowledged as an alternative rock group, they have been influenced by diverse genres including electro-pop, electronic music, guitar pop, and R&B. Healy specifically cites Talking Heads, Prince, My Bloody Valentine, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, D'angelo and Sigur Rós as musical influences; he states that his greatest influence is the oeuvre of filmmaker John Hughes.[1][4] Their "melancholic" black and white visual aesthetic is juxtaposed with major keys and what the band calls "classic pop sensibilities".[4] Lyrically, The 1975 explore themes of discovery and novelty in the more specific context of sex, love, drugs, hope, death, and fear, thus the basis of rock music.[1][9]
Band members
- Matthew Healy – vocals, guitar (2002–present)
- Adam Hann – guitar (2002–present)
- George Daniel – drums (2002–present)
- Ross MacDonald – bass guitar (2002–present)
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [21] |
GER [22] |
SCO [23] |
SWI [24] |
US [25] |
US Rock [26] | |||
The 1975 |
|
1 | 57 | 1 | 100 | 28 | 8 |
Extended Plays
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [28] |
US Rock [26] |
US Heat. [28] | |||||
Facedown |
|
— | — | — | |||
Sex |
|
— | — | — | |||
Music for Cars |
|
— | — | 44 | |||
IV | 164 | 42 | 2 | ||||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
Singles
Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [21] |
UK Indie [29] |
IRE [30] |
SCO [31] |
JPN [32] |
BEL (Vl) [33] |
US Alt [28] |
US [28] |
DK [34] | ||||
"Sex" | 2013 | 34 | 23 | — | — | — | — | 35 | — | — | ||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
Promotional singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [21] |
UK Indie [29] |
IRE [30] |
SCO [31] |
JPN [32] |
BEL (Vl) [33] |
US Alt [28] |
US [28] |
DK [34] | |||||
"The City" | 2012 | 30 | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Chocolate" | 2013 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 46 | 15 | 29 | 80 | — | The 1975 | ||
"Girls" | 2013 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | |||
"Settle Down" | 2014 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
Remixes
References
- ^ a b c d "Interview w/ The 1975". blahblahblahscience.com. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013. Cite error: The named reference "Blahblahblahscience" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Brinnand, Emily (3 December 2012). "New Band Up North". The Northerner Blog. The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b "The 1975 Announce Debut Album And New September 2013 UK Tour Dates". Contact Music. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
{{cite web}}
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(help) Cite error: The named reference "contact music" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b c d Faughey, Darragh (11 December 2012). "The 1975 - Interview". GoldenPlec. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Carroll, Grace (20 November 2012). "The 1975: 'Manchester Doesn't Need More Music Heroes'". Gigwise. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ^ a b Cohen, Ian (9 August 2012). "The 1975: Facedown EP". Pitchfork Magazine. Pitchfork Media Inc. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ "Introducing: The 1975". Light Up the Dark. Akira. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Crewe, Michael (21 January 2011). "Ghosts - B I G S L E E P". Can You Hear This. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b Allely, Phil (27 September 2012). "The 1975 Interview: "We are creating alternative popular music"". Fame Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ a b c Stickler, Jon (10 December 2011). "The 1975 Announce Lengthy UK Tour for Early 2013". Stereoboard.com. Eyedigit Limited. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Baggs, Michael (23 April 2013). "The 1975 join Bastille to support Muse at May London gig". Gigwise. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ "The 1975 Will Hit the Road for U.S. Tour With the Neighbourhood in June and Headline Two West Coast Shows in July". Yahoo. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (19 May 2013). "Introducing The 1975, support act to the Rolling Stones". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Elliot (30 August 2013). "Feature: The Rise & Rise of The 1975". When the Gramophone Rings. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ "The 1975 Single 'Sex' To Be Lead For Upcoming Debut Album". daystune.com. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (9 July 2013). "The 1975 confirm new single 'Sex' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ "UK City of Culture 2017 shortlist of four announced". BBC News. BBC.co.uk. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ^ "Tour | The 1975". Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Pearlman, Shaina (20 November 2012). "The 1975: Sex EP". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Stiernberg, Bonnie (4 December 2012). "The 10 Best EPs of 2012". Paste. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b c "Chart Archive > Artists > The 1975". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ "The 1975 – German Charts". charts.de. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ "2013-09-14 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ "The 1975 – Swiss Charts". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "Billboard 200 - 21 September 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ a b "The 1975 - Chart history". Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "British album certifications – The 1975". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 October 2013. Select albums in the Format field. Type The 1975 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ a b c d e f "The 1975: Charts & Awards". Allmusic.
- ^ a b Peak chart position on UK Indie Chart:
- "Sex" (EP version): "Top 40 Independent Singles Archive". The Official Charts Company. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- "Chocolate": "Top 40 Independent Singles Archive". The Official Charts Company. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "Discography The 1975". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
- ^ a b Peak chart positions in Scotland:
- "Chocolate":"2013-04-20 Top 40 Scottish Singles Archive". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- "The City":"2013-06-01 Top 40 Scottish Singles Archive". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ a b Billboard Japan Hot 100 (in Japanese; retrieved 29 September 2013)
- ^ a b "ultratop.be - The 1975 - Chocolate". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Danish Airplay Top 20 - updated weekly". Ifpi.
- ^ "Certified Awards Search" (To access, enter the search term "The 1975".). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
External links
Title | Year | Artist | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Cavalier"[citation needed] | 2013 | James Vincent McMorrow | "Drive"[citation needed] | 2014 | Jamie Scott |
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Studio albums | |
Extended plays | |
Singles |
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Other songs | |
Tours | |
Related articles |