It’s the tour that fans have been waiting for since they performed across America in November last year. The 1975’s “At Their Very Best” tours have arrived in the UK, with Matty Healy and co. performing in Manchester on Friday night (January 20).
Their homecoming show at the AO Arena comes after a string of dates in the UK, including Brighton, Cardiff, Exeter, and two massive shows at London’s O2 Arena, where they were joined on stage by global superstar Taylor Swift on the first night. The hitmaker’s acoustic renditions of her own “Anti-Hero” and The 1975’s “The City” have since gone viral, making us even more excited for the Cheshire band’s appearance in Manchester.
The 1975 also announced an intimate gig supporting charity War Child ahead of the Brit Awards at Manchester’s Gorilla on February 1. Unsurprisingly, tickets flew out within seconds, with thousands of fans crashing the charity’s website days before the tickets even went on sale.
Who is the support act?
Support for The 1975 ‘At Their Very Best’ tour comes from Scottish singer-songwriter Bonnie Kemplay.
The support slot marks a full-circle moment for the musician from Edinburgh, who covered The 1975’s hit ‘The City’ in BBC Radio 1’s Introducing Live Lounge in April 2021.
Stage times
We’ve no doubt that loyal 1975 fans will be queuing outside of the AO Arena ahead of the gig to get the best possible spot to see their favourite band, but doors will officially open at 6.30pm.
This leaves plenty of time to grab a drink from one of the Arena’s many bars or browse the merchandise desk before checking out warm-up act Bonnie Kemplay.
Setlist
The 1975 have already played shows in America on this tour as well as dates in the UK at Brighton, Exeter, Cardiff and two huge gigs at London’s O2 Arena – where they were joined by Taylor Swift.
Here is the set list from Tuesday night in Cardiff – so it’s fair to expect to hear most of these tunes on Friday night in Manchester, however, as it’s a homecoming show – we think there might be a few surprises!
Unfortunately, tickets for The 1975’s homecoming gig at the AO Arena were snapped up pretty quickly by the army of the band’s loyal fans, selling out the 21,000 capacity venue.
However, if you’re lucky, you may come across tickets on resale, but be careful when buying tickets and make sure they are from a trusted, reputable site.