Having developed a clever mix of R&B, electro and pop; it’s no wonder The 1975 are causing raw excitement across Ireland and the UK. Much thanks is due to renowned BBC DJ, Zane Lowe, having recently aired the band’s first official release, ‘Sex.’ There is prominent themes of love, sex and drugs in the music, which has the power to encapsulate an impressionable generation, yearning for a band to share their unheard voice. With merely hours to go before the unleashing of their electronic-rock show, we at GoldenPlec aim to discover the essence of Manchester’s The 1975.
GP: Your first EP, ‘Facedown,’ received many great responses. Explain how you as a band reacted to this? Has it enhanced your ability and artistry?
The1975: “We’ve been making music together for many years so i suppose our journey creatively and as mates has been quite long and complex. But we have only been The 1975 since January of this year. Six months ago we were planning on putting out these records etc with absolutely no intention of them being accepted in the way they have. We kind of got used to being in really underground bands -where the world of mainstream radio and media just seems so genuinely far away. The fact that our ep’s even charted, let alone at like no. 2, is a really humbling thing for us. We never thought about being on the radio, it didn’t seem like a realistic prospect. It’s hard to explain how strange it feels to know that we are a band selling records and selling out venues. It’s so new and unexpected that we’re just kind of going with it. We’re just happy that people seem to be connecting with what we do. The fact the records have been accepted positively has catalysed a real progression in the understanding of our identity.”
GP: There is a mixture of melody and space in your music. Who are your musical influences?
The1975: “There are far to many to list. Talking heads, MBV and Michael Jackson. John Hughes movies are possibly my biggest influence.”
GP: Having grown up together throughout school, did you ever break-up or swap members?
The1975: “Ye ye a couple of times. We went to uni for a bit and our old guitarist left. We’ve been together for 10 years so we’ve always been constantly evolving in the search of getting it 100% right. I think we know what we’re doing now.”
GP: Is this your first time performing in Ireland?
The1975: “Yes it is. We are very excited.”
GP: Being from Manchester, do you feel it is important to avoid the ‘Madchester’ badge?
The1975: “We don’t really care to be honest. I wouldn’t like to promote the assumption that all music born out of Manchester is just a tribalist yearning for past bands. It’s really not, there’s some really relevant music coming out of Manchester. We don’t wear the ‘Manc band’ badge of honour. Our Geographical location has never seemed very relevant or inspiring to us. We don’t really like the idea of being judged on the city we’re from – or the idea anyone being judged for that reason to be honest.
I think if you are at the forefront of a cultural revolution – like Oasis and The Stone Roses were – then your identity as people is as important to the whole package as the songs are, and that’s really cool. But we’re not those bands. We’re The 1975. And we’d much prefer to create our own world as apposed to being harboured by a localised ideal. Manchester has got enough heroes.”
GP: Your imagery is quite distinct. Where does the inspiration come from?
The1975: “Well we are big fans of fashion and film. I think most people are aren’t they? But we wanted to reflect our love for those things through what we were doing. We haven’t actively searched for a visual identity really. We just know what’s right for us, what looks good, and agree upon it.
The black and white was really a mood thing. Our music is layden [Sic] with classic pop sensibilities and major melodies – we try and make our sound quite life affirming and grand I suppose. So it’s nice to counteract that with an aesthetic that is more melancholic perhaps – also more removed from reality.”
GP: What can listeners expect from the ‘Sex’ EP which was released last month?
The1975: “An eclectic affair. A very sexually invalid record.”
GP: Why the title, ‘Sex’?
The 1975: “It was just the name of the song. We didn’t even name it we just started calling it that. It’s perfect really.”
GP: Whats bands are The 1975 currently listening to?
The1975: “A$AP Rocky, Deap Vally, Kindness, Cyril Hahn. Loads of shit.”
GP: What can we expect from The 1975 in 2013?
The 1975: “Two EP’s, about three hundred shows and a very ambitious début album.”
With two further EP’s and a début album due for release in 2013, it’s predictably a busy year ahead for The 1975. How warming though, to see a group of school mates on the brink of success after years of sharing a dream. Catch The 1975 at their début Irish performance in The Academy 2 on December 11th.