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‘Still… At Their Very Best’: What might the new The 1975 tour mean for fans?

Annabel Benton
The 1975 announce UK and Europe Tour.

Featured image courtesy of Annabel Benton.

Annabel Benton

After the recent announcement of a 2024 UK and European Tour, we ask how the latest The 1975’s live shows could differ from their previous tours.

The 1975 have just announced their latest ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour dates for the UK and Europe in February and March of 2024. This comes after the release of their fifth studio album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, in October 2022, an incredibly popular ‘At Their Very Best’ World Tour, and a string of festival appearances. As the Wilmslow-born band heads for the road yet again, we ask what fans might expect from their upcoming gigs.

The 1975’s ‘At Their Very Best’ Tour, complete with onstage house and method acting from frontman Matty Healy, pushed the boundaries of live music and delighted their loyal fanbase. So, what comes next for the band who recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of their debut album? The 1975 have spent the last decade innovating, evolving, and keeping fans on their toes. But how do you ensure being ‘still’ at your ‘very best’ the second time around?

 

The setlist

The upcoming UK tour, although much shorter, plays the same stadiums as their prior ‘At Their Very Best’ 2023 run. As such, making changes to the setlist might be a good way to mix things up. The 1975 can’t be said to just wheel out the same set every night, and they often surprise fans with a selection of hits and more niche tracks. However, there are some songs that could do with a more permanent place on the setlist.

“Performing a couple of acoustic songs each night could add some extra depth”

Having recently released a recording of their decade-old self-titled debut album at Gorilla in Manchester, and played it again in full during headline performances at Reading and Leeds Festival, many fans would surely enjoy getting to hear some of the band’s earliest tracks such as ‘Menswear’, ‘Girls’, and ‘The City’.

The 1975‘s sets are an upbeat affair, with the full band keeping up the energy for shows that last for around two hours. Despite their brilliantly loud live sound, performing a couple of acoustic songs each night could add some extra depth to the evening. Think of songs like ‘Paris’, ‘All I Need To Hear’, or ‘Guys’.

The stage

Is it time to go back to basics? Many European fans will want to get the ‘At Their Very Best’ experience which they missed out on during the 2022/23 World Tour. However, for those who have seen the band at various festivals this summer or on tour last winter, stripping away the theatrics and returning to the iconic box may be a welcome change.

On the contrary, arena shows have to capture larger audiences and offer more of an experience to justify the price increase from smaller venues. Artists must keep evolving to stay relevant. And fans are certainly in safe hands with the experience of The 1975. Whatever Matty, George, Ross, and Adam decide to play, and with how much added theatre, it’s sure to be a great gig.

However, the band, with their five full-length albums, also has the option of following the example of Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’. Giving balanced time in the set to each album and switching it up with ‘surprise songs’ each night would make each show individual. Also, their admittedly divisive fourth studio album, Notes On A Conditional Form, never got toured due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yet tracks such as ‘Me & You Together Song’ and ‘Roadkill’ would be nice to hear live more regularly.

Recent tours

If fans booking UK or European tickets want a preview of the ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ concept, the upcoming American tour will be something to go by. The last US shows had lots of viral moments, a premise ready for the worldwide tour, and cemented The 1975 as a band at the peak of touring artists post-pandemic. They kick off a three-month American tour on the 16th of September, and it will certainly be one to watch.

“The band are clearly happy to change up the entire show”

We might also look back to this summer’s stand-out shows for some clues. The band finally headlined Finsbury Park after cancellation in 2020, and the setlist was incredible. From an acoustic version of ‘Paris’ and a Matty Healy solo for ‘Be My Mistake’, to fan favourites ‘People’, ‘Fallingforyou’, and ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Brain’, the performance stands out from the last year due to its variation.

The band are clearly happy to change up the entire show, as their recent Reading and Leeds headline performances have demonstrated. The 1975 have headlined the festival for the last two years, yet the two setlists were certainly different enough to keep fans excited, with 2022 an early ‘At Their Very Best’ offering, and 2023 a self-titled play-through.

Raising questions

The prospect of a ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ Tour raises wider questions about how artists can keep their live shows entertaining, fresh, and worth the money for fans. Post-pandemic and a period where no live shows could be enjoyed, many musicians are currently in the midst of long tours to make up for lost time. However, if like The 1975 they are touring non-stop, it is important to consider how live shows remain exciting – especially in an age of social media and setlist.fm, which really take the surprises out of going to most gigs.

Are Matty’s onstage quips enough variation? Or is it time to bring out back catalogue tracks like ‘Bagsy Not In Net’? Of course, seeing The 1975 is sure to be a brilliant night of live music, but it will certainly be interesting to see where they go next.

Tickets for The 1975’s ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ Tour can be purchased here.

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Featured image courtesy of Annabel Benton. No changes were made to this image.

Annabel (she/her) is a BA English Literature student at the University of Manchester. She enjoys writing about student life, culture, and music.

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