As we entered a new decade with the return of the NME Awards, what better way to close out the most rock’n’roll night of the year than with an incredible performance The 1975? After all, they’d been crowned Band Of The Decade not an hour before. Predictably, stepped forth and showed exactly why they deserved that accolade. Here’s what went down…
1NME’s Band Of The Decade close things out
Ahead of their new album ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’, The 1975 gave the NME Awards 2020 a blinding closing performance.
2Matty gets in amongst it
The frontman got acquainted with the front row of Brixton Academy almost immediately.
3People like people
The band launched straight into blistering recent single ‘People’.
4They were spokespeople for their young fans
Upon the release of ‘People’, NME called the track “a bone-rattling rallying cry for humankind to sort their shit out”.
5Your turn…
Fans who had been camping out since the previous night did a fair amount of the singing for Matty.
6Strike a pose
Matty here, giving his best for the camera.
7True innovators
As well as being crowned as NME’s Band Of The Decade, the band also picked up the Innovation award. During their acceptance speech for the latter, Healy urged the audience to “just be a cowboy” after reciting some advice he picked up from Brian Eno. Sure!
8Surf’s up
Healy spent basically as much time in the crowd as he did on stage across the five song set.
9Top of the pile
Before the performance, NME Awards 2020 co-host Julie Adenuga crowned the 1975 as Band Of The Decade, saying they “relentlessly push the boundaries of what a band can be”.
10American dream
Maybe the most intense part of the set came from a stunning performance of 2018 track ‘I Like America & America Likes Me’.
11Sellin’ petroooool
The band smashed through cuts from 2018’s world-beating ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’, including ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’.
12On your marks…
The band were joined by touring dancers The Jaiy Twins for ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’.
13It is time to rebel
Half way through the set, the band’s Greta Thunberg-featuring call to arms on climate change came bursting out of the speakers as a much-needed wake up call.
14Thank you Matty, very cool!
The band ended the set with a thunderous rendition of ‘Love It If We Made It’, capping off a wonderful night of chaos.
Head to NME.com for all the latest action from NME Awards 2020