Live Review: The 1975 at Malahide Castle

The sun came out for The 1975’s visit to Malahide, but before the Manchester boys took to the stage, Irish rockers The Blizzards showed them how it’s done in Ireland. Their Malahide set included favourites like “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor,” and even a standout rock-and-roll cover of Neiked’s “Sexual”- yeah, just when you thought you never wanted to hear that song again for as long as you live, Bressie and the Blizzards made it cool again.
It’s been over a year now since The 1975 released their latest album I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. While their self-titled debut three years earlier was more boy band fun, actually becoming a boy band with a massive following (only a fraction of whom were lucky enough to attend the sold-out gig at Malahide) seemed to make them shy away from pop-candy bangers in favour of disorienting ambient techno 80s fare in the latest album, which was probably why it clocked in at seventeen tracks. They hadn’t released any new material before the Malahide gig, but it didn’t seem to matter- the gig sold out anyway.
Most of the band keeps it casual on the fashion front- bassist Ross McDonald’s biggest fashion statement is his classic Red Sox cap- but Matty Healy’s reputation demands a little more than that. He steps out onstage at Malahide in a disheveled dress shirt and jacket that-were it not for the adorned sleeves- wouldn’t be much of a fashion statement on anyone else- but it’s all about style. With stumbling dances across the stage, he’s so cool he doesn’t even have to really have moves- the crowd loves him anyway. From the press pit where I’m remembering that I’ve tragically forgotten my earplugs, the sound of screaming teenage girls is enough to shatter some eardrums.
As evidenced by the wide array of fashion on display at Malahide this Saturday, today’s kids are bringing back their parents’ 80s looks- with a twist. It's not dissimilar to the kind of things that The 1975 themselves are doing musically. A track like “Love Me,” when presented by Healy, eyeliner and all, to a massive crowd is a surefire 80s Bowie-inspired jam, but lyrically, it tackles internet fame and the narcissism inherent to today’s selfie culture: “You've got a beautiful face but got nothing to say/You look famous, let's be friends and portray we possess something important”. “Love Me,” “She’s American” and “The Sound” are all jam worthy, and all made an appearance at Malahide, to the crowd’s delight. A less-expected track to hear live was “If I Believe You”, a meditation on religion and identity which combines soulful jazz grooves with gospel vocals. As for the throwbacks, “Sex” is a classic favourite with the crowd yell-singing the chorus of “we might as well just fuck/she’s got a boyfriend anyway”. With the sun steadily going down, “Chocolate”, arguably the band’s hit that’s got the most airtime, brought the most energy to the fields as the night began to draw to a close.