Let’s talk about one of my favorite bands: The 1975.

The group from Manchester, UK established a very unique and alternative image from the start. With their experimental songs, clever and well-written lyrics, and black and white aesthetic, they’ve attracted a loyal and passionate fanbase. Their first album, The 1975, did well with contemporary music critics and fans alike. I personally loved the album and their concert that I attended at the LC Pavilion in Columbus, OH, was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.

Their second album, I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, debuts tomorrow and I’m not sure how to feel about it. Obviously, I’m super curious and excited to hear their new material, but the release of some of their recent singles has made me nervous.

First off, the band has completely changed their aesthetic. They have abandoned the monochrome look and adopted a pink and white theme as of late. Over the summer, they posted a cryptic cartoon detailing the demise of “the old 1975” just before their Internet presence disappeared altogether. They came back exactly 24 hours later with a whole new look. This was the beginning of the change.

A few months later, they released the first single, “Love Me,” from their upcoming album. This catchy but very poppy tune had people writing comments like “The 1975? More like the 1985” on YouTube. I personally was slightly disappointed with this single. Their next single, “UGH!,” was better than “Love Me” but still not great. Then they released “The Sound,” which was the first single from the new album that I could say I enjoyed. “Somebody Else” was after that and it gives me a shred of hope for their new album. Reminiscent of the sound they had seemingly abandoned based on the first few singles they released, it came as a relief to me. They released the last teaser single, “Change of Heart,” earlier this week and it isn’t quite on par with “Somebody Else” but it’s not bad. Based on these songs, their new album will most likely be experimental, just in a different way than their first album.

Either way, The 1975 is currently on tour with The Japanese House, a new obsession of mine, so if you can catch the tour I would definitely recommend it.

I may be the only one with mixed feelings towards this new album, as the singles I mentioned above have gotten an overwhelmingly positive response from other fans around the world. If you have anything to say regarding this change and the anticipation of their new music, feel free to comment below!

 

 

Hey friends!

The Hawthorne Heights show last week was awesome! The crowd wasn’t very big, which I was surprised about, but the show was still so much fun. The band MEST has the most engaging stage presence I’ve ever seen. Also, I had never heard of the band Handguns before going to this show but they were one of the openers and they were awesome. If you’re into pop punk you should definitely check them out.

The tour is called the Three Headed Monstour because there were three headlining bands and two smaller openers. It was an interesting setup because the lead singer of MEST, Tony Lovato, started another band called London Falling. London Falling was the first opener, and they were pretty good, but it was literally all of the same people as MEST.

After London Falling, Handguns came on and absolutely killed it. I was not expecting a pop punk band to be there so it was a pleasant surprise. I came straight home to buy their music.

After that, Hawthorne Heights came on. This was who I was here to see. They were very good live. They didn’t have the strongest stage presence and their connection with the audience was lacking, but the music was good. Of course, everyone went crazy when they played “Ohio Is For Lovers” because that song is probably their most recognizable tune.

Then, MEST came on. Tony Lovato literally told the crowd that it was the same people as London Falling and that they just had different t-shirts on. A few songs into the set, he changed out of his t-shirt and into a bright yellow crop top that said “Beware of the tits” and told us all that he was just trying to prove he could wear a crop top better than Beyonce. When they took a pause and everything was quiet, one crazed fan screamed a song request at the top of his lungs. Lovato heard him and stopped the show and called him out. “Whoa man, relax,” he said, “if you can sit quietly on the stage, I will sing a song to you.” And he was completely serious. The fan (quite literally) clumsily threw himself over the barricade and climbed onto the stage. He proceeded to sit down criss-cross applesauce style and stare up at Lovato. Lovato then turned the mic to face the fan instead of the crowd, and serenaded him with one of the band’s famous ballads. From the way he acted, I’m fairly certain that was the best moment of that guy’s life.

After MEST, The Ataris came on. They were pretty good as well, but I ended up leaving the show early because it ran really late and I had a longer drive home than normal.

If you’re interested in checking out the photo gallery, it just went up on the Pop Deflators website here. Enjoy!

 

 

 

I’m really excited because tonight I’m going to the Hawthorne Heights concert in Winston-Salem! I’m going for the music website I work for to shoot official photography of the show. This will be my first time in the photo pit since November so it should be fun.

To be completely honest, I haven’t listened to too much Hawthorne Heights music, but I’m a fan of the few songs I have heard. I really only know of them because I’m from Ohio and “Ohio is For Lovers” is one of their most famous songs. Hardly anyone writes songs about Ohio so this is exciting.

I just got a new lens that’s supposed to be really good in low lighting so I’m pumped to try it out for the first time tonight. It’s a 35mm f1.8 which means I should walk out with some great photos.

When I talk about music photography, people always ask me how it works so I’ll put it in a nutshell here: my boss sends a request to both the tour manager/publicist and the venue asking for a ticket and a photo pass for me. Once my name is on the guest list, I show up on the day of the concert and obtain my credentials from will call. After that, I’m allowed to shoot the first 3 songs for each band from the photo pit (if the venue has a photo pit). It’s a lot of fun but can be very hectic, especially if people are crowdsurfing and security is trying to pull people into the pit so they get down without hurting themselves. Once my job is done, I get to hang out at the front and enjoy the rest of the show. I’m convinced that I have the best job in the world.

Once the full gallery from tonight is up, I’ll post a link on here.

Until next time!