So how’s Australia? It’s very nice, we’ve never had time off like we’ve had time off here. It’s part of a festival called the Big Day Out, but it’s more commonly known as the Big Day Off, as you really do fuck all! We’ve had three days off, and we got a boat yesterday and went fishing and found our own little island, so it’s been a pretty idyllic little holiday.
You’ve gone from being fairly small - no offence! - to massive, pretty quickly - - Yes, I’d agree with that!
It’s
been a big couple of years for the 1975, going from performing in small pubs and venues, to selling out some of the
UK’s biggest venues, touring worldwide, and supporting Te Rolling Stones, yet they’ve been playing together for about eight years. Does the success really feel like it happened over night? Or have these past two years just been a continuation of their work? Our interview had to take place at 11pm, as the band was playing the Big Day Out Festival in Melbourne, leaving us with quite a hefty time difference. So while I was tempted to do the interview in my PJs, lead singer Matt Healy had just woken up when we called.
Were nerves a problem before? And are they better or worse at bigger shows? It’s all a learning curve, as generic as that sounds. Te best bands are the bands that are having fun, and I think for us, playing live has always been grounded as a really personal thing. But yeah, it’s interesting how much you grow in the space of a year. In January, our big show was playing to 150 people at the Barfly, and then a year later we did three nights at the Brixton Academy. I find big shows slightly easier as the idea of the individual is less apparent. You can SEE 100 people, and you feel that emotional immediacy; you’re with 100 personalities. In a big conglomeration they react all in the same way, like a jellyfish effect, and it’s a lot more controllable. It’s like, would you rather fight a 6ft duck or 100 tiny ducks? I’d
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