It’s been two years since last The 1975 performed at the BRIT Awards, and the audience at The 02 Arena in London were happy to welcome them back. The band – Matty Healy, 29, Adam Hann, 30, Ross MacDonald, 29, and George Daniel, 28 – was up for two awards at the Feb. 20 ceremony, but their performance surely won them the whole night. The band hit the stage with Matty doing his best Jamiroquai impression, donning a funny hat while dancing on a moving floor. But, the band wasn’t doing “Virtual Insanity.” Instead, they serenaded everyone with “Sincerity Is Scary.” Well, that performance was scary good.
Early in the night, The 1975 won the BRIT award for British Group, giving them their second BRIT award ever! Matty, upon winning the award, recited a quote by The Guardian writer Laura Snapes. “Male misogynist acts are examined for nuance and defended as traits of ‘difficult’ artists, [while] women and those who call them out are treated as hysterics who don’t understand art.” That was all The 1975 had to say, and truthfully, was there anything more that needed to be said? Actually, that wasn’t the only time The 1975 were on stage — the band won the BRIT for British Album!
The 1975 were nominated for two BRIT Awards – British Group and British Album of the Year — upon the strength of their critically acclaimed 2018 album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. “I started my band when I was 13 years old. We were a real band,” Matty Healy said about the BRITs while talking with British GQ for the launch of its digital weekly, GQ Hype. “Not one person in that room from the industry, apart from Susie, my mate, has been in our studio or had anything to do with the creation of our records. So to be rewarded in such a commercial environment for something that’s so anathema to those ideas is actually really quite humbling.”
GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL! 😂
Can anyone identify this Pokemon?@the1975 @BRITs #Brits #Brits2019 #BritAwards pic.twitter.com/rcjV9VmAX8— ITV (@ITV) February 20, 2019
.@The1975 collect the BRIT Award for British Group with an important message. #BRITs
Watch The #BRITs 2019 live here: https://t.co/qj4KiENtGs pic.twitter.com/z0wntv09jB
— BRIT Awards (@BRITs) February 20, 2019
The 1975 last performed at the BRIT Awards in 2017. The appearance had many wondering if the ITV feed was hacked, as negative messages about the band flashed on the screen, per Uproxx. However, anyone familiar with the band recognized that The 1975 was just mimicking its music video for “The Sound,” which saw them poke fun at themselves with messages like “Do people still make music like this?”, “They’re Essentially Making Robotic Huey Lewis Tunes” and the like. There’s a chance they’ll be back next year. The band is pulling essentially an Ariana Grande by releasing a second album on the heels of their Online Relationships smash. The 1975 are expected to drop Notes on a Conditional Form “before August,” according to British GQ.
“We’re at a time now when people enjoy that level of emotional investment, as long as it’s rewarding,” Matty told the publication. “And I make albums. I don’t make singles. So I’ve just got to make another album. Also, to feel like I have a purpose, because otherwise what the f*ck am I doing?”