The 1975 Tells PH Crowd: “We Were Bigger in Manila Before We Were Big in the UK”
Dibs with approval.
(SPOT.ph) The 1975 finally returned to our shores for a two-night concert on May 3 and 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena following a pandemic hiatus.
As usual, The 1975 concerts were nothing short of memorable. While Day 1 attendees were lectured by lead vocalist Matty Healy for non-stop video recording ("Nothing has changed. I can still see you’re on your phones"), Day 2 attendees were treated with flattery.
He mentioned The 1975’s rise to fame started with thanks to strong support from Filipino fans.
“The thing is with Manila, you guys kind of have dibs on The 1975 cause you were the first ones to like us,” Healy said in a moment captured by lucky fans. “We were bigger in Manila before we were bigger in the UK.”
The moment is making rounds online, with many riding the feels of having the favorite band back in the city. Watch the scene below:
@gelamunoz ♬ original sound - thegelabeef on IG
The 1975’s solid relationship with Manila is almost a decade in the making, with the 2023 shows marking the ninth and tenth concert they’ve had in the country.
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The first time The 1975 set foot in the Philippines was in 2014. At the time, it had only been six months since they released their self-titled debut album that included “Chocolate,” “Girls,” and “Robbers.” Save for the Tumblr girlies, not very many people knew who this emerging pop-rock band from the UK was.
They performed in five Ayala Malls around Metro Manila, namely in Glorietta, Market! Market!, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, and Alabang Town Center. The concert was free for everyone to watch, but those who wanted to get a closer look at the band had to meet the mall's purchase requirements. Some fans were also lucky enough to interact with the band in a meet-and-greet session.
They would return less than a year later for the band’s first arena concert in the Philippines (this was back when VIP tickets cost less than P7,000) at the Mall of Asia Arena on January 24, 2015.
The 1975 went back to become a headliner in 2016, this time joining the likes of Panic! At The Disco, James Bay, and Third Eye Blind for the indoor music festival In The Mix. This was the I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it era of pink and purple aesthetic.
It took some time before The 1975 returned to the Philippines following In The Mix. The highly anticipated visit finally came in 2019 for another Mall of Asia Arena show in support of their third studio album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships.
All that brings us to here: the fifth visit for the fifth studio album called Being Funny in a Foreign Language. Although the band's music has evolved in so many ways, they haven't really changed one bit.
Also read: UPDATED: Don't Miss These International Acts Coming to the PH in 2023