The 1975‘s headline Glastonbury performance will be their only show of 2025 as the band finalise their “pretty extraordinary” new album, says manager and Dirty Hit label boss Jamie Oborne.
Oborne appeared on The Money Trench podcast this week and discussed the band’s preparations for Glastonbury, where they’re set to headline the Pyramid Stage in June, sitting at the top of the bill alongside Olivia Rodrigo and Neil Young.
The slot comes on the heels of their last global tour, which ended in March 2024. Following the run of shows being completed, the members went on an “indefinite hiatus” shortly afterwards, and Glasto is the only live show they’ve announced since then.
Now, Oborne has confirmed their slot at Worthy Farm will be the only chance to see them live in 2025. “It’s such a big gig, and it’s the only show that we’re playing this year,” he explained. “[Matty Healy] thought doing it in isolation would be a really powerful thing. I obviously agreed with him, as I often do.”
Speculation about a new era has been rife since The 1975 confirmed their return to the live stage, changed their logo and updated their social media profiles.
Oborne went on to share that new music from the indie giants is on the way, saying: “They’re making a record at the moment. I don’t know when it will come out, but they’re making one.”
He added that “it’s already a pretty extraordinary record” and he has a “constant discourse about it” with the band. “I think they’ve earned the right to take their time,” he continued. “The world’s gonna be listening, so it needs to be right.”
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The manager also looked back at the band’s controversial performance at the 2023 edition of the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia, when Healy and bassist Ross MacDonald used their set to share a kiss while on stage. Homosexuality is a crime in the country and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The remainder of the festival was axed, and after the incident, The 1975 were banned from performing in Malaysia. They also faced a class action lawsuit from Malaysian artists and vendors over the cancellation.
In February, a High Court in Malaysia heard that the members of The 1975 should not be held personally responsible for the on-stage kiss that led to a festival being shut down.
“It was a very stressful time,” Oborne said. “I’m actually now suing the Malaysian promoter in Malaysia, but the press only really reported the salacious side of it, not what subsequently has been found by a High Court judge, that actually, the Malaysian promoter broke contract, and that’s why we have contracts.”
When asked if The 1975 might return to the country one day, Oborne said: “I don’t think the band will ever go back to Malaysia,” adding: “There’s such a catalogue of human rights infringements in Malaysia that I don’t think there’s an amount of money that you could pay Matty for him to want to go there.”
This year’s Glastonbury Festival will take place from June 25-29, with sets from Biffy Clyro, Wolf Alice, Charli XCX, Deftones, Doechii, Kneecap, St Vincent and many more. Last month saw the last batch of re-sale tickets sell out within less than 20 minutes.
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