The 1975 The 1975… Annus mirabilis

Interview: The 1975

Published on October 16th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

The 1975 are currently in America as part of a seemingly endless worldwide tour, one which returns to the UK in January for three dates apiece in Manchester and London.

This wave of activity shall also encompass the release of “Girls”, the latest single to be taken from their eponymous number 1 debut album, on November 11th.

Suffice it to say, it seemed an opportune time to catch up with front man Matt Healy

How’s the tour going? That’s quite an intimidating schedule you’ve got there…

We’ll have done 320 gigs by the end of the year, so it’s all we do now. It’s an inherent part of our vocabulary now so we’re used to it and it’s got to the stage where we’re really enjoying it, enjoying being in a new city every day.

It’s a bit daunting when you look at it, but if you look at it from the point of view that you get around two years of seeing a different city every day, it’s pretty remarkable. By the end of next year there won’t be a popular western city that we wouldn’t have been to.

Do you get to see much of the cities?

Well, you get to see pockets of it, but that’s what’s quite nice. The boys do, but I’m often busy getting up at 6am to be at a radio station, so I get to see bits from cars. You get a feel for the people, though.

How did you celebrate getting to number 1?

We were with Artful Dodger, my favourite DJ of all time. He played some records for us at a bar in Camden when we played the iTunes Festival. We got the number 1 just before we went onstage, then Artful Dodger span some records in an attic while we were getting pissed with our mates.

Do you have any personal highlights from the summer’s festivals?

There have been so many; Reading and Leeds was remarkable, it really was, and Glastonbury was our first proper big festival so it was daunting but it was amazing.

Reading and Leeds was at the end of the festival season, by which time we’d come so far, so it was like a culmination of everything that had happened.

Supporting the Rolling Stones was weird but pretty good too!

Have you given any thought yet to your next album?

Very much so, we’re well into it. We’re always into other records so we’ve got loads of stuff.

What can you tell us at this stage about the direction it might take?

It’s definitely going to push what we’re about naturally, maybe be quite R&B. It’s starting to sound a little bit like Alexander O’Neal, Bobby Brown or New Edition to a certain extent.

Finally, do you have any favourite albums from 2013?

I thought Marika Hackman put out an amazing EP. I’ve just heard her next one; it’s not out yet and it’s absolutely phenomenal, a truly original record.

I love The Weeknd’s record, and Drake’s new album. There have been some really good records this year.

Matt Healy, thank you.

Following on from their number 1 debut album, The 1975 will release their new single “Girls” on November 11th 2013.

For a list of tour dates, please visit The 1975’s official website.

The 1975

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About the Author

Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.


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