Live Review: The 1975, Circa Waves

The evening began with a tough half-hour wait, as crowds queued the length of Gregory Terrace on a hot, humid night. But despite the sweltering and sweating, anticipation built upon the sidewalks, as fans inched together to feel one step nearer to their teen dreams.

Upon entering the Showgrounds, it’s clear that The 1975, one of those “alternative British rock bands like One Direction”, one fan comments, has a significant Australian following. Teen girls in their crop tops and nothing shorts, closely followed by doting boyfriends, canvassed the area for prime viewing pleasure (the die-hard fans sprinted towards centre stage as soon as the gates opened).

The ‘Special Guests’ revealed themselves to be Circa Waves about four songs into their set, and while it was obvious that they didn’t maintain the same cult following as their headliner, they definitely knew how to sway the audience into a casual singalong. With their charming British accents, it wasn’t hard to fall hard and fast for Circa Waves, as they won over The Marquee, and even the laidback, lay-in-the-grass folk who were clearly waiting for the main act, as girls flocked eagerly towards the indie outfit. A particularly strong hit was Fossils, an undeniably energetic tune to which anyone could dance. To finish off, Circa Waves delighted new fans with their first 2013 single Get Away, seemingly apt for a closing number in both title and character, as they said goodbye to Brisbane with one last dance.

Intermission saw drum and guitar techs take the stage in preparation for The 1975, the sounds of which spruiked hordes of fans to run (literally) into The Marquee in hopes that the indie heart-throbs had already kicked off their last Australian performance. Soon enough, all four Manchester boys were out and wooing their way into teenage hearts. Slight self-indulgence preceded The 1975, what with the drummer shirtless, their floppy hair head-banging, and strobing lights brighter than the sun. Although, going shirtless on a night as steamy as this couldn’t be too harshly judged. Despite this initially questionable attitude, lead singer Matthew Healy is yet a charmer. After first asking to see “those beautiful Australian arms”, to which the crowd screamed, Healy continued to entice the girls with simple, suave lines: “I can see each of you as individuals”, and “this song is about a girl”. In fact, it probably didn’t matter what Healy said, every girl was left pleading, “It’s me! It’s me that he’s talking about!”

Bolstering a steamy set-list, with Chocolate, Sex and Girls remaining favourites, it’s easy to see why The 1975 maintain legions of love-craving teenage girls. Combine suggestive lyrics, playful guitar hooks and killer British accents, and you have yourselves a panty-dropping boy band.