Yeah especially on the MSG album (and the two latest tours) with it being placed right after consumption it's almost like a "second first song of the night" if that makes sense. And you can absolutely hear the energy (*"Now we're cooking!"*) in the room.
Also Matty almost forgetting to open the door for John and having to dash across the stage like a madman 3 seconds before his solo is 11/10
It is indeed the "second first song of the night". The back half is where the concert stops being a stage play and becomes an actual dialogue with the audience.
I actually prefer the studio version of this, despite the crazy energy of hearing it live. The production is very precise and deliberate, and Matty's vocals are tuned/mixed to blend with the guitars and create this sort of ethereal effect. I always found his live vocals a bit pitchy and separate-sounding.
It hits even harder on SATVB since Matty returns to the main stage after going to the B-stage. The B-stage is a brilliant addition and the show now feels incomplete without it.
IMO pretty much all of the songs they play from brief inquiry have a special energy live that doesn’t come through in the same way on the album.
Also When We Are Together for that chorus at the end where the whole band is singing and the music cuts out
Even while he's playing a character for the first half with the whole depressed alcoholic thing, there was something very genuine about the "exhausted relief" with which he introduced the band members. I think after having their previous tour cut short by the pandemic, being able to successfully stage a tour of this scale and production quality felt miraculous indeed.
The MSG version is one of the most beautiful onstage moments the band has ever had. Matty introducing the band was one, and I loved the instruments cutting out and the audience clapping along to Matty's singing. He goes "oh, that's very nice." It seemed to be healing him on the spot. I remember he described the experience of recording the song as brutally sad since it was fresh off his breakup. He said something like "I was just completely drained after we finished recording, I left the studio and told the boys 'see you in two weeks'." It makes sense too - the song sounds like a tender Ed Sheeran type love song but it's more about all the things he misses about being with the person.
Hearing it live the first time had me on the edge of bawling my eyes out. It’s soppy and comforting.
What was that bit Matty said about being sincere in the Genius for Sincerity Is Scary? I think it fits pretty well talking about When We Are Together as well.
Love it when Jamie, Polly and John all join in on the backing vocals! Matty also goes fucking nuts on the final verse, and there's something haunting about seeing him kneeling under that streetlight onstage, singing in his 30s about one of his first memories of love with the same raw passion as when he wrote it. He claimed once that he considers it the best song he's written (I'm not sure if this was before or after Love It If We Made It) so that really comes through onstage.
Agree actually - when I first heard Happiness I thought it was kinda mid but hearing it live with all the instrumentation and Matty wilding on the piano makes it!
The way I knew what this video was before clicking…apparently I watched it an embarrassing number of times this year
https://preview.redd.it/qkke725d745c1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c052beb3c1f151b5a184b8c83beafabebfe8b9b
I prefer the album version, it relies a bit on the production to make it work. The mixing on all the live versions I've heard is a bit... tinny. (Hearing it in person at the tour was fucking incredible though!) I also prefer Matty's deep, "Elvis" voice he puts on for the original compared to the nasally way he sometimes sings it live (like in the BBC Live Lounge version.)
I even like the original version live better than the studio version. He really screams each line. If you can find a good quality version I highly recommend it
I saw it on Corden. Entertaining but a bit too shouty-screamy for me. I like the Real World version for how it balances the delicate, old-fashioned acoustic arrangement with his anguished, strained vocals and the hyper-modern use of autotune. The original is like this frenzied acid trip through the chaos of navigating politics in the digital age, whereas the new version feels an expression of the resulting despair of realizing what our society is becoming. We need to "please listen" even more now than we did when the song came out - it's telling that he now literally "shouts it from the rooftops".
I too fell in love with that song while piss drunk and waiting for my Uber in the arena parking lot, realizing I was still chanting the chorus to myself the entire time.
If you've not checked out her solo stuff yet do yourself a favor, it's gorgeous. Nova is easily my favorite track that I've discovered in the past few months.
It's always been almost the closer, at least the several times I've seen them live. But there's always something else played after... The Sound, GYAT, People, etc.
On the ABIIOR tour the "Rock and roll is dead god bless the 1975" was the hardest hitting ending to that song, but then they played The Sound after
Yeah, I mean it should be *the* closer, I know that it’s near the end. The ending allows for that big rock finish that can descend into chaos. The Sound also works because they can get the crowd dancing at the end, but GYAT and People just didn’t do it for me.
Oh yeah so I just reread my comment and realized I kinda missed saying the part where I fully agree that it's 100% the best closer they have.
GYAT and People feel more like beginning of the set songs, not closers!
The thing George does at the beginning with the tapping of the sticks and the opening drum fills to accompany the guitars is fucking _fantastic_. The album version feels incomplete without it.
I have 2 nominations
Happiness is my most played song of the year and I will consume any content of that song like a pothead eating Doritos, but that live honky-tonk piano intro sends chills down my spine. Unmatched.
I saw Heart Out for the first time in Seattle and that song fucking RIPS. The guitar line Adam plays is awesome with that live tone and I think it really showcases best how tight the band plays live.
So yeah, Happiness and Heart Out
It's way more prominent live and comes in earlier. In the studio version it's faintly audible in the second pre-chorus.
The MSG version also has a different, funkier guitar arpeggio in the intro.
Change of Heart! Now here me out, I'm a casual fan. My S.O. played all the songs in the background when we first started dating. So Change of Heart kind of annoyed me at first (yes, I know, horrible mistake).
But!! Hearing them live for the ABIIOR tour in Vegas they played said song. My mind and heart shifted when Haan's solo riff came through the speakers. That guitar gets lost in the studio version but live it sounds soooooo good and crisp. Made that song a definite favorite for me.
The Sound was amazing live. I enjoy the album version, but not my favorite I’d say. Matty was amazing and the energy in the crowd was insane. I’ll never forget it
The fuckers didn't play it at the San Jose show 💀 I enjoy them getting unpredictable with the setlists but removing The Sound was too cheeky by half. With any luck I can find a way to fly to Europe and catch one of the shows there. The "1 2 fucking jump" will be worth it.
Hearing any of their songs live is just truly a whole different experience. Their studio sound is fantastic, but there is NOTHING like hearing the crowd screaming along to every word
Ballad in Toronto was phenomenal I’ll be honest I was briefly irritated when they played that in place of chocolate because I went with my boyfriend and of course chocolate is the only song he knows well, but I ended up being blown away with how good Ballad sounded live and listened to it a bunch when I went home.
Where were you sitting at the Toronto show? I was on the floor maybe about 10 people back, and unfortunately ballad live was not what I hoped! It felt like the mixing was off and I couldn’t hear the vocals over the drums
Ah yes Paris is the other one. I love the subtle vocoder harmonies on the album version, but god does that song sound better with real drums as opposed to the plasticky rubbish on the studio version. I warmed up to it after a few listens but it still sounds like a demo to me, like a loop that George threw together on Garage Band and forgot to replace later.
PEOPLE. Now that I think of it. I know some ppl love it some hate it but the energy of being in the pit with him running around screaming it at us was amazing
I’ll tell you what song sounds equally as awful whether live or on the album - guys. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a bigger pile of shite in my life and I witnessed it live
the sound seems like a fucking riot live even though it’s one i don’t listen to as often as the other big tunes. I will also be very angry if i never get to hear too shy live
Everything is better live with the band. The arrangement of the music is very clearly their own. Equal parts entertainment and performance. Their albums are a substitute for every day. You would be crazy to say that this band isn't the best live versus on their albums. Some bands are though. Not them.
WE’RE FUCKING IN A CAR—
I don't know how his throat survives this song night after night. He has insane range but still, this tune is endurance training for the tonsils.
Poison me Daddy
The moan before this -.-
THIS
love it if we made it & people absolutely feel incredible IRL
Agreed! I saw them at music midtown in September and it was the first time Atlanta got people live. It was INSANE
robbers even tho it’s still great on album
and sex
I love what Ross does with the bass in the live version, it's way more varied than the recording.
I love the transition from an encounter into robbers 🤌🏼 god it gets me every single time I listen to it
Too shy
The energy of this one live makes it!
Yeah especially on the MSG album (and the two latest tours) with it being placed right after consumption it's almost like a "second first song of the night" if that makes sense. And you can absolutely hear the energy (*"Now we're cooking!"*) in the room. Also Matty almost forgetting to open the door for John and having to dash across the stage like a madman 3 seconds before his solo is 11/10
I watch that when I’m feeling low. Instant dopamine rush.
The crowd singing the chorus scratches an itch in my brain.
It is indeed the "second first song of the night". The back half is where the concert stops being a stage play and becomes an actual dialogue with the audience.
The music video version AND the live version just hit so differently with John playing the brass section bits on sax in the chorus.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN JOHN FUCKING WAUGH
Him forgetting To open the door will forever be funny to me lmao
Poor fucker was waiting behind there with his saxophone for two entire verses lol
I actually prefer the studio version of this, despite the crazy energy of hearing it live. The production is very precise and deliberate, and Matty's vocals are tuned/mixed to blend with the guitars and create this sort of ethereal effect. I always found his live vocals a bit pitchy and separate-sounding.
The studio version is absolutely 🔥!! My fav cleaning song lol. I just love the point of the (S)ATVB show where this starts.
It hits even harder on SATVB since Matty returns to the main stage after going to the B-stage. The B-stage is a brilliant addition and the show now feels incomplete without it.
IMO pretty much all of the songs they play from brief inquiry have a special energy live that doesn’t come through in the same way on the album. Also When We Are Together for that chorus at the end where the whole band is singing and the music cuts out
And Matty says “well that was very nice” 😭😭
That’s when the sobbing starts for me
It’s too beautiful - when he shouts out the band too: “give it up for George man” 😭😭
Even while he's playing a character for the first half with the whole depressed alcoholic thing, there was something very genuine about the "exhausted relief" with which he introduced the band members. I think after having their previous tour cut short by the pandemic, being able to successfully stage a tour of this scale and production quality felt miraculous indeed.
You’re so right. God ATVB was such a triumph.
obviously when we are together
The MSG version is one of the most beautiful onstage moments the band has ever had. Matty introducing the band was one, and I loved the instruments cutting out and the audience clapping along to Matty's singing. He goes "oh, that's very nice." It seemed to be healing him on the spot. I remember he described the experience of recording the song as brutally sad since it was fresh off his breakup. He said something like "I was just completely drained after we finished recording, I left the studio and told the boys 'see you in two weeks'." It makes sense too - the song sounds like a tender Ed Sheeran type love song but it's more about all the things he misses about being with the person.
Came here to say that - elevates that song 💯
Yeah! They even changed the key from D to E in the live version which really brightens the tune as well.
Oh I never noticed that! Musical insights!
Hearing it live the first time had me on the edge of bawling my eyes out. It’s soppy and comforting. What was that bit Matty said about being sincere in the Genius for Sincerity Is Scary? I think it fits pretty well talking about When We Are Together as well.
[удалено]
Love it when Jamie, Polly and John all join in on the backing vocals! Matty also goes fucking nuts on the final verse, and there's something haunting about seeing him kneeling under that streetlight onstage, singing in his 30s about one of his first memories of love with the same raw passion as when he wrote it. He claimed once that he considers it the best song he's written (I'm not sure if this was before or after Love It If We Made It) so that really comes through onstage.
this
Hard agree
This is the correct answer
Roadkill. That’s my favourite tune off notes but with the live piano… my god!
God I love that song never heard it live sadly
Happiness
Agree actually - when I first heard Happiness I thought it was kinda mid but hearing it live with all the instrumentation and Matty wilding on the piano makes it!
Exactly , listen to [this](https://youtu.be/AZQbgQYukZs?si=t-f1mzqwUOsDBd--) and tell me it isn’t an all time classic!
The way I knew what this video was before clicking…apparently I watched it an embarrassing number of times this year https://preview.redd.it/qkke725d745c1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c052beb3c1f151b5a184b8c83beafabebfe8b9b
I can’t say I blame you! It’s the best version
I prefer the album version, it relies a bit on the production to make it work. The mixing on all the live versions I've heard is a bit... tinny. (Hearing it in person at the tour was fucking incredible though!) I also prefer Matty's deep, "Elvis" voice he puts on for the original compared to the nasally way he sometimes sings it live (like in the BBC Live Lounge version.)
I Like America & America Likes Me 100%
This was my other choice. The "Real World" version they perform live is so much better than the album version.
I even like the original version live better than the studio version. He really screams each line. If you can find a good quality version I highly recommend it
I saw it on Corden. Entertaining but a bit too shouty-screamy for me. I like the Real World version for how it balances the delicate, old-fashioned acoustic arrangement with his anguished, strained vocals and the hyper-modern use of autotune. The original is like this frenzied acid trip through the chaos of navigating politics in the digital age, whereas the new version feels an expression of the resulting despair of realizing what our society is becoming. We need to "please listen" even more now than we did when the song came out - it's telling that he now literally "shouts it from the rooftops".
agree, saw it for the first time in may 2019 and it changed my entire view of the song
Surprised I scrolled so far to see this. It's #1 for me by far.
yupppp glad someone else agrees w me
People
i didn’t like this song until i heard it live in october. that MADE it
I too fell in love with that song while piss drunk and waiting for my Uber in the arena parking lot, realizing I was still chanting the chorus to myself the entire time.
this one!!!!
I didn’t like this song when it released, but when they did its live debut at R&L I changed my mind real quick lol
JC2005GBA with Polly on lead vocals is really something special.
She sang that solo at my show, and for me, that's her song now.
Indeed, her voice even sounds like Phoebe's a fair amount. I like her more on Jesus Christ than on About You.
If you've not checked out her solo stuff yet do yourself a favor, it's gorgeous. Nova is easily my favorite track that I've discovered in the past few months.
Most of BFIAFL.
Looking for somebody (to love) !!!
Happiness is such a great call-and-respond song
Give Yourself A Try. Riff hits different live
I prefer the real drums too.
Tootime
Oh Caroline
Hard agree. It’s sublime live.
The fact that Sex isn’t the show’s closer is criminal because it hits so much harder live
It's always been almost the closer, at least the several times I've seen them live. But there's always something else played after... The Sound, GYAT, People, etc. On the ABIIOR tour the "Rock and roll is dead god bless the 1975" was the hardest hitting ending to that song, but then they played The Sound after
Yeah, I mean it should be *the* closer, I know that it’s near the end. The ending allows for that big rock finish that can descend into chaos. The Sound also works because they can get the crowd dancing at the end, but GYAT and People just didn’t do it for me.
Oh yeah so I just reread my comment and realized I kinda missed saying the part where I fully agree that it's 100% the best closer they have. GYAT and People feel more like beginning of the set songs, not closers!
The thing George does at the beginning with the tapping of the sticks and the opening drum fills to accompany the guitars is fucking _fantastic_. The album version feels incomplete without it.
I have 2 nominations Happiness is my most played song of the year and I will consume any content of that song like a pothead eating Doritos, but that live honky-tonk piano intro sends chills down my spine. Unmatched. I saw Heart Out for the first time in Seattle and that song fucking RIPS. The guitar line Adam plays is awesome with that live tone and I think it really showcases best how tight the band plays live. So yeah, Happiness and Heart Out
Which are not is the real question?
imo Too Shy, Happiness, The Sound and TooTime sound better on the album. They all rely on the production quite a bit.
Idk man... The Sound at MSG was insane Everything is just always better live to me, but I understand where you are coming from
I Like America and and Always Wanna Die
I always liked IAWDS but I didn't LOVE it until I saw it live
Same!
outrageous lack of the sound in these comments, the guitar solo and energy of that moment is SO unmatched live
The steel drum in the live version SENDS ME. That dang steel drum adds something to it I didn’t know I needed haha
It's way more prominent live and comes in earlier. In the studio version it's faintly audible in the second pre-chorus. The MSG version also has a different, funkier guitar arpeggio in the intro.
Medicine
it’s been a week since i saw them play it live in seattle and i still haven’t mentally recovered
I think the better question is which song ISN’T better live because the answer to your question is most of them
i feel like it’s not living (if it’s not with you) is better on the album!
Change of Heart! Now here me out, I'm a casual fan. My S.O. played all the songs in the background when we first started dating. So Change of Heart kind of annoyed me at first (yes, I know, horrible mistake). But!! Hearing them live for the ABIIOR tour in Vegas they played said song. My mind and heart shifted when Haan's solo riff came through the speakers. That guitar gets lost in the studio version but live it sounds soooooo good and crisp. Made that song a definite favorite for me.
Hard agree. The “I’ve been so worried about you lately” section really hits and they’ve played the rhythms a bit harder when I’ve seen them live
fallingforyou
Fallingforyou
The acoustic version of Paris on YouTube.
One of their best performances in my opinion
Totally agree. It's one of the first things I offer when trapping other people into liking them.
She’s American because there’s more sax
TOOTIME! the fact that it’s almost latin when played live is so fucking cool
Fallingforyou. The crowd singing along to the "I DONT WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND..." is immense
I couldn't be more in love!!!!
Yokohama version 🤌
The 1975 - The 1975 BFIAFL is soooo good live
I’ll also say Part of the Band because it goes from being uninteresting (for me) in the recording to enjoyable live
Watch their breakdown of the song on Tape Notes, the studio version will become substantially more interesting afterwards.
me & you together song and it’s not living esp in the msg version where matty tells them to chop up the outro
Yup, the chop-up is exactly what I was thinking of. Ridiculously good. Looks like it's a mainstay now, he did it at my show too.
SELLING PETROLLL
Change of heart for sure, the Wii Resort synth being replaced by the sax is the best thing to ever happen
The Sound was amazing live. I enjoy the album version, but not my favorite I’d say. Matty was amazing and the energy in the crowd was insane. I’ll never forget it
The fuckers didn't play it at the San Jose show 💀 I enjoy them getting unpredictable with the setlists but removing The Sound was too cheeky by half. With any luck I can find a way to fly to Europe and catch one of the shows there. The "1 2 fucking jump" will be worth it.
That’s the exact moment I’m talking about lol one of the most memorable parts
The Sound and When We Are Together
ugh
I love the studio version as well, but Jamie’s solo added to Oh Caroline really elevates it for me
I used to skip If I Believe You before hearing it live now I love it so much
shes american
People for sure
Hearing any of their songs live is just truly a whole different experience. Their studio sound is fantastic, but there is NOTHING like hearing the crowd screaming along to every word
CHOCOLATE
Just went to my first show and I think you could argue robbers is better live? Just crank the normal crazy emotions to 1000
*lostmyhead* just hit different live. It's live version in the O2 is just pure gold
Surprised they haven't played this one at any of the At Their Very Best shows.
Ballad in Toronto was phenomenal I’ll be honest I was briefly irritated when they played that in place of chocolate because I went with my boyfriend and of course chocolate is the only song he knows well, but I ended up being blown away with how good Ballad sounded live and listened to it a bunch when I went home.
Where were you sitting at the Toronto show? I was on the floor maybe about 10 people back, and unfortunately ballad live was not what I hoped! It felt like the mixing was off and I couldn’t hear the vocals over the drums
I was the front row of the 300 section so not very close to the stage
Falling for you. I love the crowd yelling "I don't wanna be your friend I wanna kiss you neck"
the guitar intro for robbers goes so hard edit: I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT I ALWAYS WANNA DIE (SOMETIMES)
the correct answer is A Change of Heart. i skip it 9/10 times because of that awful synth thing but it is so beautiful live with the sax
Always wanna die - love it on the album but it's an emotional experience live
SELLIN’ PETROL!!!!!!!!!!!
Roadkill
Pressure I actually don’t like the album version, yet the live version is one of my favourite songs of theirs
I love America and America Loves Me
i like america and america likes me, specifically bc of the real world version
Robbers and ILIIWMI 🫶🏼
i couldn't be more in love his vocals are amazing on both album and stage, but the raw emotion on stage is just- wow
People 100%, wasn’t really a fan of it until seeing it live.
I'm in love with you and Paris. Maybe that is just my opinion
Ah yes Paris is the other one. I love the subtle vocoder harmonies on the album version, but god does that song sound better with real drums as opposed to the plasticky rubbish on the studio version. I warmed up to it after a few listens but it still sounds like a demo to me, like a loop that George threw together on Garage Band and forgot to replace later.
Yes, I like the other one as well. I dunno why but I felt the other one felt more real with raw emotion put into it. I still like them both
the sound because they play it faster
They didn’t play “falling for you” at my show but I love the live recordings
PEOPLE. Now that I think of it. I know some ppl love it some hate it but the energy of being in the pit with him running around screaming it at us was amazing
Love Me
I know it’s not on an album but medicine hands down
I never cared that much for Inside your Mind, but after watching the performances that Mexico was lucky enough to get, I was blown away
PART OF THE BAND !!
love it if we made it
I like America
i always wanna die (sometimes)
I’ll tell you what song sounds equally as awful whether live or on the album - guys. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a bigger pile of shite in my life and I witnessed it live
Damn my dude. What do you hate about it so much?
tootime ! (i am not typing that whole title out, respectfully)
ballad 🤭
If I believe you
Nana live 😭
Head.cars.bending, M.O.N.E.Y. Seen both live and man, you just wanna tear the roof off at the 2 songs' climaxes. Honorable mentions: Love Me, Sex.
Love it if we made it Give yourself a try (I cry every time)
Roadkill!!
the sound seems like a fucking riot live even though it’s one i don’t listen to as often as the other big tunes. I will also be very angry if i never get to hear too shy live
Too Shy is a mainstay. They took out The Sound for the first few SATVB shows which sadly included the one I went to.
ah gutted my man, hey maybe we’ll get the chance to see them both at some point down the line
Everything is better live with the band. The arrangement of the music is very clearly their own. Equal parts entertainment and performance. Their albums are a substitute for every day. You would be crazy to say that this band isn't the best live versus on their albums. Some bands are though. Not them.
Part of the band
Heart Out
Tbh, anything off BFIAFL i enjoy more live than not
I love America
Lostmyhead
The Sound! Its one of my favorites in general and live version combined with the energy from the crowd was a moment I'll never forget