Review: The 1975 at Utilita Arena, Newcastle with Surprise Celebrity Guests
Looking past the chaos, this show was a real masterpiece
As we made our way closer to the stage while support act Bonnie Kemplay performed, the crowd started to grow. And there was only a short wait before The 1975’s exquisite set was revealed. We were invited inside Matty’s house and introduced to his band members one by one as they made their way onto the stage.
With Matty back on home turf, the arena was always bound to be packed out, and we were keeping our eyes peeled for his dad Tim and mum Denise Welch who’ve appeared at previous gigs on his tour, often stealing the limelight. The easily over two hour set was packed full of Geordie touches, new and old songs and not-so-great dad jokes, but Matty was the showman we know and love throughout.
Living up to the recent headlines, he dug into a slab of raw meat – with a bottle of Newcy Brown to wash it down, of course, followed by push-ups. You had to be there to understand. (We’re lying: we were there and we still don’t understand?).
After a dramatic black-out following a monologue from Matty about method acting, Tim Healy miraculously appeared on stage with a rendition of the band’s song All I Need to Hear – and he wasn’t half bad!
We were placing our guesses on who the special guest may be (with Taylor Swift having graced crowds in London earlier in their tour). Sam Fender was at the top of our list, but we got Harry Styles! Oh, sorry… we were told it was Harry Styles but the person who actually arrived on stage was Lewis Capaldi, and he sang a Taylor Swift classic. We certainly didn’t see that coming!
The legendary John Waugh, the band’s sax player, received well-deserved applause for his solo and Matty, on numerous occasions, shared what he loved about being Northern – something the crowd loved. But the last 15 minutes of this show were our highlight. Things got a little less weird as they performed the classics (The Sound, Sex and Chocolate) for the cheering crowd.
As true Northerners, we’ve seen The 1975 a few times, but we can happily say this was by far their best, longest and most artistically creative show yet.
