The 1975 NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert Reviewed

I see The 1975 getting so much hate on the internet.  People say they’re just a boy band, that they’re awful and commercial.  I disagree and jam out to them pretty often, but after seeing the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, my love for the band has grown exponentially.  Watching it proved to me that there’s literally no way someone can say that Matt Healy, the frontman, is not talented.  From beginning to end, he’s impressive and spot-on with everything he does.

The first song he plays is “Sex”.  His guitar skills immediately shocked me, and I didn’t expect him to be that good.  He must’ve been a bit under the weather because his voice is more raspy than usual, but that’s by no means a negative thing.  The way he slows down the tune, and really adjusts it to a more mellow feel is unique and gives the song an entirely different meaning.  It’s beautiful and takes an upbeat pop tune and changes it into a gorgeous soft ballad.

When he played “Chocolate”, I pretty much just melted.  It’s one of their singles, and probably one of my favorite songs of theirs.  I love the little smile he has while playing it.  It is sort of obvious that it’s taking self control for him to not just jam out and start playing it like normal, considering it’s so fun and catchy and dancey.  It has the same vibe as a friend pulling out a guitar while you’re all hanging around a campfire in the middle of a summer night.  It feels so nostalgic and I can’t stop listening to it.

The last song in the session is “Woman”, a lesser known song.  It’s still gorgeous and totally noteworthy.  I love how he uses an electric guitar but it is still so tame and quiet.  It forces you to pay attention to his vocals, which are really chilling.  It’s heartbreaking, how he approaches the song so carefully and it feels like he’s holding back.  Something about it just feels so sad, but I can’t help but notice a hint of hopefulness in his voice as well.  It’s so well done.

He’s so grateful and humble, and I didn’t really expect that behavior from him.  He even looked a bit nervous.  It was cool to see this ‘pop star’ kind of humanized, and I loved seeing that other side of Matt.

It’s absolutely worth watching.  You won’t think The 1975 are just another dumb britpop band after this.|