The 1975 | |
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 The 1975 as headliners ofGlastonbury Festival 2025. From left to right:George Daniel,Matty Healy, Ross McDonald, and Adam Hann. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Drive Like I Do |
| Origin | Wilmslow,Cheshire, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Website | the1975 |
The 1975 are an Englishpop rock band formed inWilmslow, Cheshire in 2002.[1][2] The band consists ofMatty Healy (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, primary songwriter), Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (bass) andGeorge Daniel (drums, primary producer).[3][4] The band's name was inspired by a page of scribblings found in Healy's preowned copy ofOn the Road byJack Kerouac which was dated "1 June, The 1975".
The band members met in secondary school and first performed together as teenagers in 2002, before professionally releasing music in 2012 under the independent labelDirty Hit.[5] From 2012 to 2013, they opened for several major acts and released a series of extended plays—Facedown,Sex,Music for Cars andIV—before releasing their UK chart-toppingself-titled debut album (2013), which included the popular singles "Sex", "Chocolate" and "Robbers".
All of the band's albums hitNo. 1 in the United Kingdom and charted in theBillboard 200, garnering critical praise and appearing in numerous publications' year-end and decade-end lists. Their second album,I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016), also reached No. 1 in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and its box set received a nomination forBest Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package at the59th Grammy Awards.[6] The band's third album,A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018), received widespread acclaim and wonBritish Album of the Year at the2019 Brit Awards with its single "Give Yourself a Try" earning a nomination forBest Rock Song at the62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[7] It was followed byNotes on a Conditional Form (2020) andBeing Funny in a Foreign Language (2022) with the latter receiving a nomination for British Album of the Year at the2023 Brit Awards.
Rolling Stone stated that the band has been at "the forefront of modernpop rock" since their debut, withBillboard declaring them "the most ambitious pop-rock band of their generation".Pitchfork has described them as a "band of friends" who "ascended from scrappyemo rockers to global superstars".Entertainment Weekly has characterised them as "British Phenoms",NME has proclaimed them as "Art Pop Heroes", and theBBC has called them “Modern Pop Icons”. They have receivedseveral awards and nominations including fourBrit Awards, twoIvor Novello Awards, as well as two nominations for theMercury Prize and two nominations forGrammy Awards. In addition, they have been awarded "Band of the Decade" at the2020NME Awards.
In 2002, atWilmslow High School, guitarist Adam Hann recruitedMatty Healy to be the drummer in a band he was forming with bassist Ross MacDonald.[8][9] Hann wanted to start a band because a local council worker had begun organising gigs for teenagers and he wanted to play at one.[10] When the band's prospective singer, Elliott Williams (now ofEditors), dropped out after one rehearsal, Healy took over vocal duties, playing double duty as lead vocalist and drummer.[11] He eventually gave up drumming toGeorge Daniel, later recalling that meeting Daniel "changed his life".[12] Daniel describes his first impression of Healy as "the most outwardly passionate person in school—endearing, and intimidating."[11] The quartet began as a band playing covers of punk and emo songs at school and at Healy's house before eventually writing their own material.[10]
To keep the band together, Hann, MacDonald and Daniel all went to university inManchester while Healy briefly attended music school.[13][14] They played gigs and recorded their own music while working as delivery boys at a localChinese restaurant.[4] By 2010, the band was being managed byJamie Oborne but remained unsigned due to their genre-hopping approach, so he set up his own independent record label,Dirty Hit, and signed the band for £20.[15] Before settling on the nameThe 1975, the band performed under several names, including Me and You Versus Them, Those 1975s, Forever Drawing Six,[16] Talkhouse,[17] the Slowdown[18] and Bigsleep.[19] They were also known as Drive Like I Do[20] before adopting their current name in 2012.[21][22] Healy recounted that the final name was inspired by scribblings found on the back page of the bookOn the Road byJack Kerouac.[3][23][24]
I found a page of scribblings [on Jack Kerouac'sOn the Road]. It wasn't really disturbing or dark or anything...the important thing that stuck with me was that the page was dated '1st June, The 1975'. At the time I just thought that the word 'The' preceding a date was a strong use of language. I never thought it would be something that would later come to be so important. When it came to naming the band, it was perfect.[3][24]
The band's self-titled debut album was recorded withMike Crossey.[25] Between autumn 2012 and spring 2013, during which time the album was recorded, the band released fourEPs. They toured to support and build momentum for the album, including numerous gigs and special appearances with other artists.
The album received positive reviews from critics, and topped theUK Albums Chart on 8 September.[26] As of March 2016, it had sold 410,981 copies in the UK,[27] and 390,000 copies in the US.[28] Critics atPitchfork have favourably compared them tothe Big Pink.[17]Sex EP was described byPaste as "equal parts ethereal andsynth pop", with "haunting" and "smooth" vocals. Their "mellow", stripped down style was praised for its lack of "attention-grabbing production theatrics".[29][30]
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The release of the band's first EP, titledFacedown, in August 2012 saw the band's first UK airplay on national radio with lead track "The City", which was also featured as part of aBBC Introducing show withHuw Stephens onBBC Radio 1.[31] The 1975 once again garnered national radio attention in late 2012, with BBC Radio 1 DJZane Lowe championing their single "Sex" from theeponymous EP, which was released on 19 November.[32] They embarked on a United Kingdom and Ireland tour extended into early 2013, before beginning a US tour in Spring 2014.[32] Upon the release ofMusic for Cars on 4 March 2013, the 1975 found mainstream chart success with "Chocolate", reaching number 19 in theUK Singles Chart. On 20 May 2013 the band releasedIV, which included a new version of "The City". The track charted in the UK and received airplay in several other countries.
The 1975 toured extensively to support releases and to build hype before releasing their debut. The band supportedMuse on the second leg ofThe 2nd Law World Tour at theEmirates Stadium inLondon on 26 May 2013.[33] They also toured withthe Neighbourhood in the United States in June 2013,[34] and supportedthe Rolling Stones inHyde Park on 13 July.[35] In August, the band performed on the Festival Republic Stage at2013 Reading and Leeds Festivals.[36]
In a feature article, Elliot Mitchell ofWhen the Gramophone Rings wrote that releasing a string of 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." 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."[36]
Their self-titled debut,The 1975, was released on 2 September 2013, co-produced byMike Crossey, known for his work withArctic Monkeys andFoals.[32] The 1975 were selling out shows even before the debut of their full-length album as Healy recalled in an interview withLarry Heath ofThe AU Review.[37] The lead single was a re-worked "Sex", which was released on 26 August 2013.[38] The song premiered onZane Lowe'sBBC Radio 1 show on 8 July 2013,[39] and a music video premiered onYouTube on 26 July.The 1975 debuted at number one on theUK Albums Chart.
Public reaction to the band's music has been mixed, particularly on social media platforms likeTwitter, "perhaps the last public space for unfettered music criticism in an increasingly anti-critical landscape", according toVice magazine's Larry Fitzmaurice in 2016. In an essay on the critical response, he said they have been "the Most Hated and Loved Band in the World" and described "as underratedand overhyped, although the needle has far more often swung towards the former direction".[40] Veteran rock criticRobert Christgau said he thinks "they suck" and should not be called a "rock band" as they do not "rock".[41] In Fitzmaurice's opinion, the band's debut album was mainly a straightforward rock album recorded "with a soft-focus and especially British sensibility", whileI Like It When You Sleep was only rock music in the loosest sense of the word. Overall, he said their music is pop "in the realm of Alternative", most comparable toINXS.[40]
The 1975 toured in the UK in September 2013, among others performing inKingston upon Hull as headliners atFreedom Festival, a celebration of the city's shortlisting for 2017UK City of Culture designation,[42] and atiTunes Festival on 8 September as an opening act for indie electronic quartetBastille.
The band undertook a North American tour in October 2013, a European tour for November, and in January 2014 the band performed in New Zealand and Australia.[43] In September 2013, the band performed three sold-out shows at London'sShepherd's Bush Empire.[44] In April 2014, the band performed for the first time in a major American music and arts festival:Coachella.[45] The band played atRoyal Albert Hall the same month.[46] In May, the band's recorded output was distributed digitally while they were touring North America. Healy noted that the band had recording scheduled in Q2 2015.[47]
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On 1 June 2015, the band's social accounts were terminated, which caused intense speculation.[48] A comic strip was posted on Healy'sTwitter a day prior but was later posted on their manager's (Jamie Oborne) account, which suggested the band's break-up.[49] The next day, the accounts were reinstated, but the cover images and profile photos were white and light pink, instead of the usualblack and white, revealing it to be a publicity stunt.[50]
On 8 October, the band announced their second album,I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It.[51][52] They premiered the lead single, "Love Me", simultaneously scheduling a support tour in Europe, North America, and Asia.[53] They premiered the second single, "UGH!", on 10 December on Beats 1.[54] The album's third single, "The Sound" debuted onBBC Radio 1 on 14 January 2016.[55] The 1975 released the fourth single "Somebody Else" on 15 February on Beats 1[56] before the album's release. "A Change of Heart" premiered on Radio 1 on 22 February, four days prior to the album's release.
NME, who had previously been highly critical of the band, praised the album for its scope and ambition, writing that "Any record that burrows as deep into your psyche as ‘I Like It…' should be considered essential. It's hugely clever and wryly funny, too." They later named it their Album of the Year for 2016.[57] Although music journalistAlexis Petridis noted that parts of the album were over-ambitious, he went on to claim that "incredibly, though, most of the time Healy gets away with it. That's sometimes because his observations are sharp — as a skewering of celebrity squad culture, 'you look famous, let's be friends / And portray we possess something important / And do the things we like' is pretty acute — but more usually because they come loaded with witty self-awareness and deprecation: the endless depictions of vacuous, coke-numbed girls he has met would get wearying were it not for the fact that he keeps turning the lyrical crosshair on himself." In a more mixed review,Rolling Stone criticised tracks like "Lostmyhead" and "Please Be Naked" for being "boring-melty" but praised songs such as "Somebody Else", "Loving Someone" and "Love Me".[58]
The album was released on 26 February and topped the UK Albums Chart and the USBillboard 200.[6] The band released a free download for "How to Draw" on Twitter and through Target Exclusive.[59] It was shortlisted for the 2016Mercury Music Prize[60] and nominated for Album of the Year at the 2017Brit Awards.[61]
On 13 November 2016, memberGeorge Daniel teased the band's third album by releasing a video on hisInstagram account captioned "2018", containing snippets of audio along with Healy playing the keyboards.[62]
On 3 April 2017, Healy tweeted "I like it when you sleep is coming to an end" before following up with "Music for Cars", which shares the name of their third extended play.[63] In March 2017, the band confirmed that two songs for the new album have already been written.[64] In June, Healy also confirmed that Drive Like I Do, one of the 1975's prior incarnations, will release a debut album as a side project 'in a few years'.[65]
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In November, Healy teased the release of an EP within 2017.[66] Besides being confirmed, the EP was delayed to 2018, with manager Jamie Oborne stating that "something" would be released instead; this was the band's debut live album,DH00278.[67] He also confirmed that no singles fromMusic for Cars will be released in 2017, with the band confirming that something will be released on 1 June 2018.[68][69]In March 2018, the band deleted many media posts across their accounts going back to July 2017, during their final show atLatitude Festival forI Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It.[70] On 22 April 2018, in response to a fan comment on Twitter, Oborne stated that their second album's campaign would remain for "a few more days".[71] At the end of April, cryptic posters titled "Music for Cars" appeared in London and Manchester, containing taglines and a Dirty Hit catalogue number, DH00327, amongst a black background.[72] Variousbillboards were also spotted in the United Kingdom, having useddétournement to apply themselves over existing advertisements.[73]The band updated their website to display a timer counting down towards 1 June at the beginning of May 2018, becoming active again on social media.[74] Within its first hours, it was revealed to contain a hiddenzip file with four individual posters, each of the names leading to a hidden page on the website that displayed a conversation between a 'human' and a 'machine'.[75] Over social media, the band frequently released different posters, all titled "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships".[76][77] On 31 May 2018, the band released the single "Give Yourself a Try", after premiering asAnnie Mac's "Hottest Record in the World" onBBC Radio 1 that same day.[78]
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The album garnered almost universal praise from critics. According to review aggregatorMetacritic, the album has received a weighted score of 83 based on 29 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[7] Ryan Dombal ofPitchfork gave the album a score of 8.5, earning it the Best New Music tag, and called it "outrageous and eclectic", as well as "similar to its predecessor in its boundless sense of style, swerving fromAfrobeats to brushed-snare jazz balladry to one track that sounds like atrap remix of aBon Iverayahuasca trip", but "more purposeful" thanI Like It When You Sleep.[17]Time considered it one of the Best Albums of 2018, placing it at number nine on their list.[79]
However, Conrad Duncan writing for the same site gave the album a positive review, calling it "full of genuine heart, intelligence and wit".[80]Popmatters criticised the album as bloated and inconsistent, stating "The band's reach exceeds their grasp here, and vocalist/band leader Matt Healy's indulgences are often more tiresome than charming", while still praising it as "fascinating".[81] Healy, in an interview forBeats 1, said that "Music for Cars" is more of an era to release music, after renamingMusic for Cars toA Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. It was released on 30 November 2018. The band headlined bothRadio 1's Big Weekend inStewart Park, Middlesbrough on 26 May 2019[82] andReading and Leeds Festival in August 2019.[83]
The album was shortlisted for the 2019Mercury Music Prize[84] and won the award for British Album of the Year at the2019 Brit Awards.[85]
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On 24 July 2019, the opening song ofNotes on a Conditional Form, titled "The 1975", was released, featuring climate activistGreta Thunberg, the proceeds of the song going toExtinction Rebellion.[86] The lead single, entitled "People", was released on 22 August 2019. This was announced by a countdown on the band's social media accounts, including small snippets of lyrics from the song that fans could piece together. A second single, titled "Frail State of Mind", was released on 24 October. The music video for the song was released on 30 November 2019. The next single, "Me & You Together Song", was released on 16 January 2020.
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On 15 February, the group did their UK tour that lasted until 3 March 2020. The tour began in Nottingham's Motor point arena, which holds a capacity of 10,000, and they ended their tour in Dublin after performing in Places such as London's O2, Manchester, Glasgow and other hit places in the UK. On 17 February 2020, the band put up a "digital detox" website called MindShowerAI which contained a countdown to their next single as well as several odd messages like “I am doing my mind and my life!” and “I feel comfort and respect."[87] A fourth single, ‘The Birthday Party’, was released on 19 February 2020 at the end of the website's countdown. On 3 April, the band released "Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America", featuring guest vocals fromPhoebe Bridgers, which was followed by "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)", featuring guest vocals byFKA Twigs, on 23 April 2020.[88][89]
The band's fourth album,Notes on a Conditional Form, was released on 22 May 2020.[90] It became the band's fourth consecutive album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart as well as reaching number one in Australia and number four in the United States.[91] On 4 December 2020, the album became certified silver in the UK via Brits certified.
Many of the band's 2020 shows which were postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic were ultimately cancelled. During this time, lead singer Matty Healy teased future music under the name "Drive Like I Do", and said that the band was working on their fifth studio album, although there was no indication as to when writing, recording, mixing, etc. would be complete.[92]
In February 2021,No Rome, aDirty Hit labelmate, announced he was working on a track featuring the 1975 along withCharli XCX, which would make it the second No Rome single to feature the band after 2018's "Narcissist".[93][94][95][96][97] The track's title is "Spinning" and was released on 4 March 2021.[98] An EP that Healy and Daniel produced and co-wrote,Beabadoobee'sOur Extended Play, was released in March 2021.[99][100] In October 2021, Healy opened forPhoebe Bridgers at theGreek Theatre inLos Angeles on herReunion Tour. He performed two new songs, one called "New York".[101]
On 14 February 2022, the band deactivated their main social media accounts, hinting at new material.[102] On 1 June, the band's social media accounts were re-activated, and the beginning of a new era was signalled by a series of posts, and updates to the band's official website.
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In late June 2022, the first single "Part of the Band" from their fifth albumBeing Funny in a Foreign Language was teased. Postcards sent to fans revealed an album track listing, while posters of Healy in London promoted the single. The lyrics of "Part of the Band" were posted by Healy on Instagram. The song was released on 7 July. On 14 October, the album was released.[103] On 1 October, the band appeared onBBC Two'sLater... with Jools Holland.[104][105]
On 7 November 2022, the band performed a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden,[106] which was also live-streamed onTwitch.[107] The show—one of the first few in theirAt Their Very Best tour—was highly acclaimed with some critics praising it for its boldness,[108] while others wrote that the band proved they really were "at their very best."[109][110][111] It received five star reviews from theRolling Stone,[112]NME,[113]The Observer,[114]The Telegraph,[115]Evening Standard,[116] andMetro.[117]
The band was banned from performing inMalaysia due to "controversial conduct and remarks" during their performance at theGood Vibes Festival on 21 July 2023. This included a same-sex kiss onstage between Healy and MacDonald, and Healy openly criticising the country's stronganti-LGBT laws.[118][119] The remainder of the festival was then cancelled by local authorities.[119] Malaysian authorities forced the organisers to immediately halt and cancelled the rest of the three-day festival citing that Healy's "controversial conduct and remarks" are "against the traditions and values of the local culture".[120] Reactions to the incident from Malaysians on social media were generally critical of Healy.[121] Some members of theLGBT community in Malaysia were frustrated by the incident and expressed concern it would lead to further reprisals from thereligious right.[122][121][123][124] The band subsequently cancelled shows inTaiwan andIndonesia following the incident.[122] The organisers of the festival sued the band in theHigh Court for breach of contract and sought £1.9 million in damages.[125]
In August 2023, they headlinedReading and Leeds Festivals for the third time with a "10th Anniversary Performance" of theirself-titled debut album.[126] Their fifth concert tour commenced in September 2023, titledStill... At Their Very Best.[127] It is their biggest tour to date in North America performing in arenas across the United States and Canada.[128][129] In the opening show inSacramento, Healy has stated that after the tour, the band will have a hiatus from touring.[130]
In October 2024, two billboards themed aroundCharli XCX's upcoming remix albumBrat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat were displayed in the band's hometown, Manchester, signifying that the band will feature on the remixed version of the song "I might say something stupid" withJon Hopkins.[131] The band released their live recording,Still... At Their Very Best (Live From The AO Arena, Manchester, 17.02.24) in March 2025.[132]
The band headlinedGlastonbury Festival and played on itsPyramid Stage on Friday, 27 June 2025.[133][134] Their performance received praise withThe Guardian'sAlexis Petridis describing the band as "world-class", and their set "hugely impressive".[135]
The band's work has been described broadly aspop-rock,[136][137][138][139][140]art pop,[141][142][143]alt-pop,[144][145][146]synth-pop,[147]new wave,[147] andindie rock.[147]NPR noted that Healy "has long treated writing songs for the 1975 as his diary".[148] PerThe Guardian, his lyrics distinguish the 1975's music from other artists'.[149] He andDaniel are the principal songwriters of the band with Daniel describing himself as the "primaryproducer" and Healy as the "primary songwriter".[150][151] He has described their relationship as "symbiotic": "We've got a shared musical vocabulary. Even if we're both working remotely, we're both working together."[152]
Healy specifically citesTalking Heads,My Bloody Valentine,Ride, andMichael Jackson as musical influences; he states that his greatest influence is the oeuvre of filmmakerJohn Hughes.[31] Healy said that their influence is "heavily rooted" inAfrican-American music in many interviews.[153][154][155][156]
The 1975 is known for their artistic reinventions andmusical eclecticism.[157][158][159]Their debut album has been described aselectropop,[160][161]funk rock,[160]indie pop,[160]indie rock,[160]pop,[162][163][164]pop rock[165] androck.[160] Scott Kerr ofAllMusic wrote that the band combined "the dark and youthful themes of sex, love, and fear with ethereal alt-rock music."[166] Dissentingly, veteran rock criticRobert Christgau argues that they should not be considered a "rock band" as they do not "rock".[167]
For their second album,I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It, Healy citedChristina Aguilera,[168]D'Angelo,Roberta Flack,Boards of Canada, andSigur Rós as inspirations saying that they're "a post-modern pop band that references a million things. I don't even know what my band is half the time."[169]
Healy and the band has been described by several publications as "the voice of a generation".[170][171][172]Rolling Stone stated that the band has been at "the forefront of modernpop rock" since their debut,[136] withBillboard declaring them "the most ambitious pop-rock band of their generation".[137]Pitchfork has described them as a "band of friends" who "ascended from scrappy emo rockers to global superstars".[173]Entertainment Weekly has characterised them as "British Phenoms",[174]NME proclaimed them as "Art Pop Heroes",[141] and theBBC has called them "Modern Pop Icons".[175]The Guardian has called them "Britain's Biggest Band" in 2020,[176]The Daily Telegraph stated that they're "Britain's Hottest Band",[177] and theEvening Standard proclaimed them the "Most Compelling Pop Band in the Planet" in 2023.[178]
In 2022,Justin Hawkins of Britishhard-rock bandThe Darkness heavily praised the band upon hearing their 2022 singlePart of the Band after being previously dismissive of them. Hawkins particularly cited the brutal honesty and self-analysis within the song to be moving, leading him to tears. Hawkins said in regards to the song; "I just love it when something hits me like that”.[179]
In 2025, English singer and songwriterRobbie Williams included the band's 2018 singleLove It If We Made It in a playlist of various songs cited as influences for his 2025 albumBritpop.[180]
The 1975's influence in theindie pop scene has been termed "Healywave" byNME.[181] Described as "deftly plucked, palm-muted guitar line, hop, skip and jumping its way across shimmering pop synth work and third-wave emo lyricism",The Big Issue added that it is a "dreamified take on Eighties pop-rock".[182] "Healywave" acts named by theNME includePale Waves,Fickle Friends, andthe Aces among various others.[183]
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It's true that the band formed at Wilmslow High School, south of Manchester
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)art-pop heroes The 1975
the British art-pop kings
They're an art pop group
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