Manila is The 1975’s ‘second home’

The 1975 rocking the SM Mall Of Asia Arena stage. Image by Janine Villagracia/INQUIRER.net.

MANILA, Philippines—It was rather surprising to see a multitude of teenagers attend The 1975’s concert at the SM Mall Of Asia (MOA) Arena last January 24, given the band’s “brutally honest” song lyrics and explicit artistry. But the youthful excitement of the crowd was, perhaps, what also made the experience overwhelming and unforgettable for both ends.

Even before The 1975 members Matt Healy (vocalist), Adam Hann (guitarist), Ross MacDonald (bassist), and George Daniel (drummer) appeared before the crowd; fans already screamed their hearts out for the musicians hailing from Manchester, United Kingdom.

But when The 1975 finally took the stage, the screams went from loud to endless, and the seats at the VIP area were emptied as fans instantly yet unintentionally turned the section into one big mosh pit.

The 1975 kicked off the show with “The City,” and the rest was history.

Honest lyrics, explicit artistry

‘Honest’ is exactly how The 1975’s concert went. Healy, who casually held a bottle of wine and puffed cigarettes while turning the stage into his own dance floor, said it was the band’s first time to perform in an arena and that they’ve “never had anything like this before.” And for this reason, he dubbed Manila as The 1975’s “second home.”

But much to The 1975’s surprise, the treat did not simply end with the great view of a huge crowd. Their Manila audience made the night even more memorable when they sang along almost with every song. The youngsters even repeatedly chanted ‘We want Sex! We want Sex!’ while requesting for the band’s hit 2013 track, ‘Sex.’

The 1975 performed ‘Milk,’ ‘M.O.N.E.Y.,’ ‘She Way Out,’ ‘Heart Out,’ ‘Girls,’ ‘Chocolate,’ and ‘Medicine,’ among others.

Connection

Fans of the The 1975 turned their smartphones into glow sticks during ‘Me.’ Image by Janine Villagracia/INQUIRER.net.

Before performing ‘Me,’ Healy asked the crowd to put down their phones and tablets because he said he wanted to see their faces and not their gadgets. The crowd cooperated by turning their phones into ‘glow sticks’ instead.

Second album and a promise

And even before their ongoing tour, or concert at that, ended, Healy already promised Manila that the band will surely come back to share more of its music. But for next time, they will be performing songs which will come from their second album which is set to hit market shelves soon.

The 1975’s concert in Manila was organized by MMI Live and Ovation Productions.